Carpentry in Hertfordshire

Staircase refurbishment

The quickest way to change a hallway. Old treads are cladded or replaced in oak, risers painted, the balustrade swapped for square-section spindles, glass or a steel-and-oak run, and the newel caps changed to suit. On carpeted stairs we lift and check the strings first — squeaks are almost always a loose wedge or a shrunken glue block, and they get fixed properly rather than screwed through the tread.

Fitted storage and alcove joinery

Alcove cupboards and bookcases built to the actual room, not to a flat-pack module. Scribed to walls that are never square, ply carcasses rather than chipboard, soft-close hinges, and shaker or flat doors sprayed in the colour you choose. The same approach covers window seats, boot rooms, understairs storage and wardrobes.

Doors, skirting and architrave

Internal doors hung on three hinges, gaps set consistently, latches and handles fitted level throughout the house. Skirting and architrave in MDF or hardwood, mitres glued and pinned, scribed into internal corners rather than caulked into a gap. It is the detail that makes a whole renovation read as finished.

Structural first fix

Behind our extension and loft work: floor joists and noggins, stud partitions with the right acoustic detail, roof carpentry, firrings and decking to flat roofs, and the doubled framing wherever a TV, radiator, grab rail or kitchen wall unit is going to land. Getting this right is what makes second fix quick and straight.

Timber, finish and aftercare

Everything is set out from a datum line, not from the floor, because almost no Hertfordshire floor is level. Timber is acclimatised in the house before it is cut, moving joints are caulked, fixed joints are filled and sanded, and you get a two-year workmanship guarantee with the invoice.

Period property in Hertford, Ware and Much Hadham

Older Hertfordshire houses have out-of-square openings, thick lath-and-plaster walls and staircases with no two risers the same. Everything gets templated and scribed on site — an off-the-shelf door set or a modular wardrobe will show a 15mm tapering gap in a house like that within a week of fitting.

New-build storage in Bishop\u2019s Stortford and Stansted

The newer estates around Bishop\u2019s Stortford, Stansted and Hoddesdon have square walls but very little useful storage. Fitted alcove units, understairs drawers and full-wall wardrobes reclaim the space, and because the walls are true the work goes in quickly, which keeps the price down.

Carpentry as part of a bigger job

Most of this work happens alongside our extension, kitchen and media-wall jobs, so the first fix noggins, the door linings and the fitted storage are all set out by the same person. That is why our second fix lines up — it was planned before the plasterboard went on.

Can you refurbish a staircase without replacing it?

Usually yes. Cladding the existing treads in oak, replacing risers, spindles and newel caps and re-wedging the strings gives you a new staircase for a fraction of the cost, and takes two to four days rather than a fortnight.

How much are fitted alcove cupboards?

£1,100 to £1,900 per alcove for a ply-carcass unit with soft-close doors, scribed to the wall and ready for paint. A full wall of wardrobes is £3,800 to £6,500 depending on width, internals and door style.

Do you spray or paint the joinery?

We can. Units come filled and sanded as standard; spraying in your chosen colour is quoted as a separate line so you can use your own decorator if you prefer.

Will fitted units fit a wonky old wall?

That is the point of them. Carcasses are built slightly under, scribed to the wall on site and packed plumb, so the doors sit true even when the wall behind is 20mm out over its height.

Do you do first fix carpentry for builders?

Yes — joists, stud partitions, roof carpentry and flat-roof decking, either as part of our own extension work or as a supply-and-fit package for another main contractor.

What areas do you cover?

Hertford, Ware, Bishop's Stortford, Sawbridgeworth, Much Hadham, Hoddesdon, Cheshunt, Stansted and Harlow, working from our base in Bishop's Stortford CM23.