Where people start
- Two alcoves that hold a chair and a pile of things that have nowhere else to go.
- Walls that are neither straight nor plumb nor the same width top and bottom.
- Deep Victorian skirting and a picture rail that any standard unit will foul.
- You want it to disappear into the wall, not sit against it.
Where they end up
- Alcoves used from floor to ceiling, including the awkward top.
- Doors and frames scribed to walls that are genuinely out of true.
- Skirting and picture rail run across the front so the line of the room continues.
- Painted to match the wall exactly, or deliberately not, whichever you want.
What is behind the doors
The price is decided by the inside, not the front.
Two runs can look identical closed and differ by thousands open. Rails, drawer boxes, adjustable shelving and whether the space over the doors is used at all are what move the number.
How the job runs
Step by step, and nothing owed until step three.
- 01
Measuring an alcove that is not square
Alcoves are measured at several heights, because they are almost never the same width at the top as at the bottom. That measurement is the difference between doors that close and doors that bind in summer.
- 02
Deciding what it hides
Alcove wardrobes often need to work round a meter, a boiler pipe, or the back of a chimney. Arshdeep works out what has to stay accessible and designs an access panel rather than boxing it in and hoping.
- 03
Making and fitting
Carcasses made to the measured sizes, then scribed in on site. Skirting and any rail is cut and returned across the front so the room's horizontal lines are unbroken.
- 04
Painting
We can supply primed and let your decorator finish it, or finish it ourselves in the colour you are using on the walls. Matching the wall is what makes an alcove unit vanish.
What we work with
- Moisture-resistant MDF, primed ready for paint
- Shaker, flat, panelled and beaded door styles
- Matched skirting, architrave and picture rail profiles
- Soft-close hinges throughout
- Brass and painted knob and cup handles
The guarantee
12 months on the joinery and the fitting. If a door starts to catch as the house moves through the seasons, we come and adjust it.
Insurance
Fully covered by public liability insurance.
Why alcoves are the best value job in the house
You are not buying floor space, because the alcove already exists and is already doing nothing. You are buying the joinery to use it. That is why an alcove unit costs a fraction of a full wall of wardrobes and often makes more difference to how the room works.
In a bedroom, two alcoves usually take everything a double wardrobe held, plus the top shelf you could never reach.
The bit that goes wrong
Alcove joinery fails in one of two ways: doors that bind because the opening was measured once, or a unit that reads as a box because the skirting was stopped either side of it instead of run across.
Both are avoidable and both are about time on site rather than money on materials.
Common questions
Asked often enough to answer here.
How much does a built-in alcove wardrobe cost?
A single alcove typically starts around £1,200 to £1,800 depending on height, door style and what goes inside. A matching pair either side of a chimney breast usually lands between £2,000 and £3,500.
Can you match the existing skirting and coving?
Yes, and it matters more than most people expect. Running the original skirting profile across the front of the unit is the single thing that makes it read as part of the house rather than as a cupboard pushed into a gap.
Will you paint it or does my decorator?
Either. A lot of people have us supply it primed and have their decorator spray or brush it at the same time as the room, which usually gives the best match. If you would rather we finished it, we will.
There is a gas meter in one of the alcoves. Is that a problem?
No, but it has to be planned for. Meters, stopcocks and boiler pipework all need to stay reachable, so they get a removable panel rather than being sealed behind a fixed back.
Can you do open shelving instead of doors?
Yes, and in a living room alcove that is often the better answer: shelving above, cupboard doors below, so the clutter is hidden and the books are not.
How out of square can an alcove be before it is a problem?
We have fitted alcoves 25mm narrower at the top than the bottom. It is not a problem, it is just work. What causes problems is somebody measuring once, in the middle, and ordering off that.
The next step