Built for your walls, which are never straight.
No wall in a Victorian property is plumb and no alcove is square. That is why flat-pack never quite fits, and why there is always a two-inch gap you learn to ignore. Bespoke joinery is scribed to the wall you actually have.
Indicative cost
Alcove units from around £900. Fitted wardrobes typically £1,800–£4,500.
The figure depends on size, whether the finish is brushed or sprayed, and the extent of internal storage. A pair of alcove cupboards with shelving above is a different proposition from a wall of wardrobes with internal drawers and lighting — we will price both if you wish to compare.
The joinery that makes a room feel finished.
It is usually the last item budgeted for and the first thing visitors notice. A well-made alcove unit does more for a sitting room than a new sofa.
Why the scribe matters
A scribe is the shaped cut that allows a straight-edged unit to sit flush against a bowing wall. It takes time, and it is the difference between joinery that looks built-in and joinery that looks purchased. It is also the first thing a rapid installer omits, filling the gap with caulk instead — which cracks within a year.
Measured, made, installed.
Most joinery is built on site so it can be adjusted to what the room actually does, rather than what a drawing predicted.
Measure & design
We attend with a tape and a level and establish how far out of square the room actually is. The design is then agreed around that reality.
Fixed quotation
A written price covering materials, construction, installation and finish. Where painting is required, it is included rather than added later.
Build & install
Built to fit the space, scribed to the wall, and fixed properly. Doors adjusted until they close with an even gap throughout.
Painted & finished
Filled, sanded, primed and painted on site. Ready to load the day after we leave.
The questions people don't ask out loud.
So we'll answer them here instead.
Isn't bespoke considerably more expensive than flat-pack?
More than flat-pack, less than most people assume. A pair of bespoke alcove units frequently sits within a few hundred pounds of a high-end modular system — and it fits the alcove, uses the full height, and leaves no dead gap at the top.
How long will it take?
Alcove units are typically 3–5 days on site. A full wall of fitted wardrobes is usually a week to ten days including painting. It is among the least disruptive projects in a property — one room, one door closed.
Can you match our existing woodwork?
Usually. Victorian skirting and architrave profiles can be matched or run specially, and we will match the paint finish to what is already there. An offcut of the original makes the match considerably more accurate.
“We had a quotation from a fitted-wardrobe company approaching six thousand pounds for something manufactured from chipboard in a factory. Khalife built ours from MDF on site, scribed into a wall that proved to be 30mm out over its length. It is genuinely better and cost less.”
Claire D. · Fitted wardrobes, Richmond
Carpentry & Joinery — straight answers.
Typically £1,800–£4,500 depending on width, internal fit-out and finish. Alcove cupboards with shelving above generally start around £900 for a pair. The internals — drawers, hanging rails, lighting — drive the price rather than the carcass itself.
Predominantly on site, and deliberately so. It allows everything to be scribed to the actual wall, which is never straight in a London property. Factory-made units must leave a tolerance gap; site-built ones need not.
Usually. Older profiles can often be matched from stock or run specially where required. An offcut of the original improves the match considerably.
Yes — filled, sanded, primed and painted on site as part of the project, not as an extra. It will be ready for use the day after completion.
Yes. New staircases, replacement treads, balustrades and spindles, and understairs storage. Loft conversion staircases are a regular requirement — fitting a compliant staircase into a Victorian landing is a puzzle, but a solvable one.
Get a price for your joinery.
Send a photograph of the alcove, landing or wall you'd like put to proper use. We'll tell you what's possible.