Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Newham · London
Window seats in Custom House, Newham
Planning window seats for a home in Custom House? We start with a design visit and a quote in writing, before anything is made.
- A child’s room that needs storage and seating
- Wanting a quiet place to read
- Wanting new furniture to sit well in an older room
Need window seats in Custom House?
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
If you live in a flat, getting the furniture in is planned from the start. At the design visit, we measure the stairs, the landings, any lift and the doors, so each section is sized to get through without a struggle.
If your building is on a red route or a busy main road, unloading takes some planning. Red routes are run by TfL and have strict stopping rules, so let us know about it at the design visit.
How we make window seats for Custom House
Some window seats are built in with shelves or cupboards around them. Shelving on each side, with the seat in the middle, makes a natural reading spot. We design the seat and the surrounding units together, so the lines and the finish match. It’s worth talking through at the design visit in Custom House. Most enquiries start with no space for toys and games and a bay with no furniture that fits; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
Many homes around Custom House have been built since 2000, and newer homes often have little built-in storage. Halls, landings and the space beneath the stairs are where fitted storage can help. Walls in newer homes are often plasterboard on timber or metal studs, so the fixings are chosen for that.
After the design visit, we send you a quote in writing. It sets out the design we have talked through, the materials and the finish, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
- Place
- Custom House (E16, E13)
- Borough
- Newham
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Get in touch
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Custom House
Also in Custom House
Do you need window seats in Custom House?
Many people want a window seat for the storage beneath it. Under the seat there’s room for blankets, toys, books and more. It adds storage without taking up more of the floor.
People typically get in touch with us about things like these:
- Nowhere to keep blankets, toys or books
- Unused space below a sash window
- An empty bay that doesn’t get used
- Toys spread across a bedroom floor
If you live in a flat close to Custom House station, check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in.
Before you choose who makes it
- How doors and drawers are fitted
- Whether they measure the room themselves
- How they handle walls that aren’t straight
- Whether the finish is set out in the quote
DIY, flat-pack or bespoke
Cost matters, and it is fair to say so: flat-pack is typically cheaper to buy. Bespoke earns its place where the room is tricky, space is tight or you want the furniture to look part of the house.
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. If the walls are straight and the space suits standard sizes, it often does the job, and it is easy to buy.
What happens on fitting day
In older rooms, the furniture usually has to meet skirting, picture rails, cornice or coving. On fitting day, we cut and scribe the furniture around these details, so it looks as though it was always there. How long the fitting takes depends on the shape of the bay or recess and what goes under the seat, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. In a newer home, floors, walls and door frames are often freshly finished, so we protect the route before carrying anything in. Corners and door frames are covered as well. Once inside, the pieces are joined in place.
- It starts when you contact us about a window seat.
- We visit to measure and talk about how you will use the seat.
- A written quote follows, with the fitting days agreed.
- Your window seat is made in our workshop, shaped to the window, from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The seat is fitted and set level, ready for a cushion.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
Starting with a design visit
The design visit is where every quote starts. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and talk through the design with you. A quote in writing follows the visit, so you can take your time with it. To arrange the visit, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Advice
Your questions about window seats in Custom House
Do you make window seats for homes in Custom House?
Yes. We cover all of Newham and the rest of London, and Custom House is part of that. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and talk through the design, and then we send a quote.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Custom House?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. A van may need a visitor’s permit, a paid parking bay or a bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit.
Do I get to choose the colour?
You do. The paint colour is agreed with you before anything is painted.
Is an outside wall a problem for fitted furniture?
It needs a little planning: ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps avoid condensation and mould. Damp treatment is not something we do, so any damp needs sorting first.
What materials do you use for window seats?
Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish. A moisture-resistant grade suits a spot by a window, where condensation can form. Your quote confirms the materials and finish.
What do you do at the measuring visit?
We measure the room, check how level the walls and floors are and talk through the design with you. Access and parking are worth talking about too, and a written quote follows.
Window seats for homes in Custom House
Homes built since 2000 make up about 64% of the housing in the area around Custom House, with about 16% built between 1973 and 1999, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. There are 5 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Custom House. Being near listed buildings does not make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. Purpose-built flats are home to about 74% of households in the neighbourhood around Custom House, according to Census 2021. For a flat, window seats are made in sections sized for the stairs, the lift and the doors. Many blocks have rules on lift booking and working hours, so check with the managing agent before fitting day.
The wider area includes historic houses like Queen's House, about 2.3 miles south-west. For a period home anywhere nearby, window seats can be scribed to follow a bay that’s rarely square. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, like Warehouse K, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can require listed building consent.
Custom House is about 1 mile north of Plaistow, in the London Borough of Newham. We cover Custom House as part of our work across Newham. Our Newham coverage includes Custom House and the places around it.
Here we cover the E16 and E13 postcode area for window seats. Our area takes in homes on streets such as Tree Road, Ethel Road and Booth Road, whether you want window seats or another piece made for the room. The A1020 run close to Custom House; on busy main roads, unloading window seats takes a little planning. We also cover West Silvertown (1 mile south-west), Silvertown (1 mile south), Canning Town (1 mile north), Royal Docks (1 mile east) and Limmo Peninsula (1 mile west). We also make window seats in nearby places like Stratford (3 miles north-west), Forest Gate (3 miles north), East Ham (2 miles north-east), Upton Park (2 miles north), Maryland (3 miles north-west) and Upton (2 miles north).
Near you in Custom House
In Custom House, that includes homes near Royal Docks Academy, The Connaught Tavern and The Royal Docks Community School. Custom House has its own railway station: Custom House station. Well-known places in the area include Albert Dock Seamen's Hospital (0.5 miles north-east) and Charlton Athletic Museum (1.5 miles south). For a walk, there’s Gilbert's Pit.
What it costs
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. These are the things that affect it:
- The overall size of the piece
- The number of doors and drawers
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- Where a van can park, like a permit bay or a bay suspension
Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. A larger piece means more material and more time, so size comes first. Doors, drawers, internal fittings and the finish make up most of the rest.
Getting in touch
You don’t need exact measurements or a plan. Just send what you can:
- The type of home and how the room is reached
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
- Your postcode and the borough
You do not need exact measurements to get started. Everything is measured properly when we visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To arrange it, fill in our short enquiry form with a few details about the room. You receive a quote in writing after the visit.