Scribed to the plaster
The face frame is cut to the wall rather than packed off it, so there is no shadow gap running down the side of the unit.
Alcove units and shelving, scribed to the wall you have.
The gap either side of a chimney breast is rarely the same on both sides, and the walls are rarely straight.
We build in the room so the unit sits tight to the plaster, the skirting and the floor instead of showing the difference.
Built into the gap, not dropped into it.
Alcoves look like a simple job until you measure them. One side is usually wider than the other, the back wall bows, the chimney breast leans and the floor drops away towards the bay. A flat pack unit will fit the numbers on the order form and nothing else.
We build every alcove unit in the room it lives in. Carcasses are cut to the measurements we take on the day, the face frame is scribed to the plaster, and the plinth runs into your existing skirting so the join is not something you keep noticing.
Cupboards below with doors or drawers, open shelving above, or a full run of shelves floor to ceiling. Lighting can be wired into the shelves by our NICEIC registered electrician if you want it.
What goes into an alcove build
Worked out at the design visit, before anything is cut.
Both sides matched
The two alcoves are almost never identical. We build them so the shelf lines, the door heights and the plinths read level across the chimney breast.
Plinth into your skirting
The base runs into the existing skirting and we match the profile where we can, so the unit looks like it was put in with the house.
Adjustable or fixed shelving
Fixed shelves where you want a clean line, adjustable where the books and boxes change. Thickness sized so nothing sags.
Cupboards or drawers below
Soft close doors or push to open drawers underneath for the things that normally end up on the floor beside the sofa.
Lighting wired in
Warm strip lighting to the shelves on its own switch, wired in and certified by our NICEIC registered electrician.
One team, one point of contact
Alcove work usually touches more than joinery. There is often an electrician for the lighting, a plasterer where the old chimney breast has been chased, and a decorator at the end. We bring the same people with us on every job rather than an outside crew.
What that means for you
- Our own team on site, never a subcontracted crew
- Free design visit and a fixed written quote
- NICEIC registered electrician, work certified
- Plastering and making good handled
- Primed ready for your decorator, or finished by us
- Dates agreed before we start, and kept
- Rubbish taken away and the room left clean
- Twenty years of joinery behind the work
How an alcove job runs
No showroom appointment. We come to the room, because that is where the job is.
1
Design visit
We come to you, measure both alcoves, check the walls for bow and the floor for level, and talk through shelving, storage and lighting. Free, with nothing owed at the end.
2
Design and quote
You get the layout, the finish options and a written price covering the joinery, the electrics and the making good.
3
Build on site
Two to three days in the room. Carcasses cut and scribed, shelving installed, doors hung, then filled and sanded ready for paint.
4
Finish and hand over
Painted in if we are decorating, lighting tested and certified, rubbish taken away and the room left clean.
Recent alcove and shelving work
Every photograph here is a job in a North East home. Click any photo to open it full size.
What people say afterwards
Rated 5.0 on Google and Checkatrade, with every review answered personally.
We used Matt to install a kitchen we purchased from InHouse. Matt is an absolute perfectionist. The quality of his work is outstanding and his attention to detail is to be admired. The ability he has to make complex carpentry adjustments to ensure a perfect fit is amazing. He was joined by Cameron who worked equally as hard.
Chris EdgeCounty Durham
Had a challenging kitchen to fit and Matt did a very professional job. The workmanship is amazing and nothing was too much trouble. Would recommend to anybody.
Tracy AllisonNewcastle
The floor had rotted from a leak under the washing machine. Matt repaired it without hesitation and carried on. Tidy, polite and the finish is spot on.
Jeanette LawsonSunderland
Where we build alcove units
Based in County Durham and working right across the North East. If your town is not listed, ring us anyway.
Alcove questions we get asked
If yours is not here, ring and ask. We would rather tell you straight than have you find out halfway through.
How much do alcove units cost?
A pair of alcove units with cupboards below and open shelving above usually lands between one and a half and three thousand pounds, depending on the width of the chimney breast, the finish and whether lighting goes in. You get one written price before we start and it does not move.
Are they built in the room or delivered?
Built in the room. Alcoves either side of a chimney breast are almost never the same width, the walls bow and the skirting runs out of true, so anything made to a drawing shows a gap somewhere. We scribe the carcass and the face frame to the wall as it actually is.
Can you match the shelving to my skirting and cornice?
Yes. We run the plinth into your existing skirting and can match the profile so the unit reads as part of the room rather than furniture pushed into the gap.
Do you paint them or do I?
Either. We hand over filled, sanded and primed ready for your decorator, or we finish them in a colour you choose. Tell us at the quote stage so the price covers what you want.
How long does it take?
Most alcove jobs are two to three days on site, plus painting time. We agree the dates before we start and we do not leave a half built unit in the room over a weekend.
Which areas do you cover?
We are based in County Durham and work right across the North East, including Durham, Chester le Street, Seaham, Peterlee, Washington, Sunderland, Newcastle, Gateshead and Northumberland.
Book a free design visit
Send a photo of the alcoves as they are now and a rough idea of what you want in them, and we will come out, measure up and put a written price together.