Summary
Alcove cupboard and shelving pricing varies enormously depending on scope — from a simple pair of open shelves to a fully fitted pair of cupboards with drawers, adjustable shelving above, and a spray-painted factory finish. The core cost drivers are material specification (basic MDF vs veneered MDF vs solid timber), door/drawer furniture quality (basic hinges vs soft-close, standard handles vs bespoke), finish (site-sprayed with a paint sprayer vs brush-painted, or delivered pre-finished from a workshop), and how out-of-square the alcove is, since more scribing and templating time directly adds labour.
Quoting alcove work from a floor plan or a phone photo without an in-person survey is a common source of under-pricing, because the degree of out-of-square in the walls, ceiling and floor — which directly drives scribing time — can't be reliably assessed remotely. Always survey in person (or require detailed measurements at multiple points) before committing to a fixed price.
Materials cost is relatively modest compared to labour on most alcove jobs — the value is overwhelmingly in the bespoke fitting, scribing and finishing time, which is why two visually similar-looking alcove cupboards can have very different prices depending on how much of that fitting time was actually required.
Key Facts
- Basic open shelving (per alcove, 2-3 shelves, MDF, painted) — materials £60-£120, labour 0.5-1 day, typical quoted price £250-£450
- Fitted cupboard with shelving above (per alcove, single unit) — materials £400-£800, labour 1.5-2.5 days, typical quoted price £900-£1,800
- Pair of fitted cupboards (both alcoves, matching) — materials £1,200-£2,000, labour 3-5 days, typical quoted price £2,500-£4,500
- Sheet material cost — 18mm MDF/MFC sheet typically £40-£70 per 8×4ft sheet; a single alcove cupboard typically uses 1.5-3 sheets depending on depth and height
- Solid timber or veneered MDF upgrade — adds roughly 40-80% to material cost over standard painted MDF, often requested for a higher-end or heritage-property finish
- Door and drawer furniture — basic hinge/handle set £5-£15 per door; soft-close hinges and quality handles £15-£35 per door
- Spray finish (site-sprayed or workshop-sprayed) — adds £150-£400 to the job depending on size, but gives a significantly better, more durable finish than brush-applied paint, and is increasingly the client-expected standard for fitted joinery
- Scribing/templating time — allow extra time for genuinely irregular alcoves (chimney breasts in older properties are rarely square); a straightforward, near-square alcove might need 1-2 hours of scribing, while a badly out-of-square one can add half a day
- Fixing method impact on labour — masonry walls generally take longer to fix into than stud partition walls due to drilling and plugging time; factor this into labour estimates
- Adjustable shelving system — shelf pin jig-drilled holes add roughly 1-2 hours labour per cupboard over fixed shelving, but are a commonly requested feature
- VAT — standard rate 20% applies to both materials and labour on domestic joinery work
Quick Reference Table
Spending too long on quotes? squote turns a 2-minute voice recording into a professional quote.
Try squote free →| Job scope | Materials | Labour | Typical quoted price (inc. margin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open shelving, one alcove, painted MDF | £60-£120 | 0.5-1 day | £250-£450 |
| Fitted cupboard + shelf, one alcove | £400-£800 | 1.5-2.5 days | £900-£1,800 |
| Pair of fitted cupboards, both alcoves | £1,200-£2,000 | 3-5 days | £2,500-£4,500 |
| Add: spray-paint finish upgrade | £100-£250 materials | +0.5-1 day | +£150-£400 |
| Add: soft-close hinges/quality handles (per door) | £10-£25 | Minimal extra | +£20-£45 per door |
Detailed Guidance
Surveying before quoting
Always survey in person before quoting fixed price alcove work — measure width, depth and height at multiple points on both alcoves, check floor and ceiling level, and note any existing skirting/coving profile that needs to be matched or scribed around (see alcove cupboard and shelving installation for the technical survey process). A phone-photo or floor-plan-only quote risks significant under-pricing if the alcove turns out to be badly out of square, since scribing time is the single biggest variable in labour cost.
Pricing material specification upgrades clearly
Present material and finish options as clear upgrade tiers when quoting — standard painted MDF, veneered MDF for a wood-grain look, or solid timber for a premium/heritage finish — so the client understands what's driving the price difference between a budget and a premium quote for what might look like a similar cupboard in a sketch. Spray-finishing is worth flagging as a distinct upgrade line, since it materially improves the finished look and durability over a brush-applied finish for a moderate additional cost.
Pricing the pair vs pricing per alcove
When both alcoves either side of a chimney breast are being fitted to match, price efficiencies exist (shared setup, shared trips to source materials, consistent scribing technique once the first side is done) that mean the second alcove typically costs somewhat less in labour than the first, even if materials scale linearly. Reflect this in the total quoted price for a matching pair rather than simply doubling a single-alcove price.
Worked example: matching pair, mid-spec
A client wants a matching pair of fitted alcove cupboards (base cupboard with doors, open shelving above, painted MDF, standard hinges/handles) either side of a moderately out-of-square Victorian chimney breast. Materials: 5 sheets of 18mm MDF at £55 = £275; door/drawer furniture for 4 doors at £12 average = £48; paint and consumables = £80; fixings = £40. Materials subtotal: £443. Labour: 4 days at £280/day (including scribing, carcass build, fitting, painting) = £1,120. Total cost: £1,563. Applying a typical 25-30% margin gives a quoted price in the region of £2,000-£2,300 for the pair, before VAT.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a pair of fitted alcove cupboards so much more expensive than open shelving?
The jump in price reflects the additional carcass construction, door/drawer fitting, hinging, and finishing labour involved in a full cupboard versus a simple shelf — open shelving is largely a fixing and scribing job, while a cupboard is a full joinery build with moving parts that need to align and operate smoothly, which takes significantly longer to build and fit well.
Should I price alcove cupboards per linear metre like kitchen units?
Alcove cupboards are usually priced per job/per alcove rather than per linear metre, because the bespoke scribing and fitting time doesn't scale linearly with width the way a run of standard-width kitchen units does — a narrow, badly out-of-square alcove can take as long to fit well as a wider, more regular one.
How do I price for a client who wants the cupboards to match existing fitted furniture elsewhere in the house?
Matching an existing finish (paint colour, door style, handle type) adds a small amount of sourcing/matching time but is usually not a major cost driver unless the existing furniture uses a discontinued or bespoke profile that needs to be specially sourced or replicated — factor in a modest allowance for matching time and flag any risk of imperfect colour/finish match due to ageing of the existing furniture.
What's a realistic day rate to base alcove joinery pricing on?
Bespoke fitted joinery is typically priced at a day rate reflecting skilled joiner/carpenter time, commonly £220-£320 regional and £280-£400 in London, with the total job price built up from realistic day estimates for survey/templating, carcass build (workshop or site), fitting/scribing, and finishing.
Regulations & Standards
BS EN 14749:2016 — Domestic and kitchen storage units and worktops: safety requirements and test methods, relevant to cupboard construction and fixing load ratings
Building Regulations Approved Document A (Structure) — relevant only if any structural element is altered (not applicable to standard non-structural fitted joinery)
TRADA — Timber and panel product technical guidance — material selection and span guidance
BWF — British Woodworking Federation — joinery costing and best practice guidance
BSI — BS EN 14749:2016 — domestic storage unit safety and construction standard
alcove cupboard and shelving installation — technical installation guide: scribing, fixings, shelf spans
fitted furniture — fitted furniture installation: alcove setting out, cavity fixings
fitted wardrobe installation pricing guide — pricing guide for larger fitted wardrobe and dressing room joinery