Carpentry runs through almost every building project, from the structural timber holding a roof up to the skirting that finishes a room. We handle first fix and second fix carpentry along with bespoke joinery — fitted units, wardrobes, staircases and storage built to the space rather than bought off a shelf. Our carpenters are directly employed, which is the reason the finishing stages of our extension and loft projects run to programme rather than waiting on a subcontractor.
Carpentry is the trade where the gap between adequate and good is most visible to the person living with the result. A door that binds every winter, skirting with gaps at the mitres, a fitted unit scribed badly against an out-of-square wall — these are not structural failures, but you notice them every day for years.
We work as part of larger projects and as a standalone trade. On our own extension and loft jobs the carpentry is already in the programme. On standalone work we come in for anything from a single door to a full second fix across a property, and we quote for small jobs as readily as large ones.
Where something needs making rather than buying, we make it. That covers alcove units, window seats, media walls, bookcases and storage built into awkward corners — which in South London’s Victorian and Edwardian housing stock is most corners.
If you are comparing carpentry quotes, this is the distinction that matters most, because two quotes covering different stages are not comparable at all.
First fix carpentry is the structural timber work that happens before the plasterer arrives — floor joists, roof timbers, stud partitions, door linings, window boards, and the noggins that everything else later fixes to. None of it is visible in the finished room, and getting it wrong is expensive to correct once the walls are closed up.
Second fix carpentry is everything after the plaster is on and dry: doors hung, skirting and architrave fitted, staircases finished, ironmongery installed, fitted units built in. This is the stage people judge a build by, because it is what they see and touch.
Most quotations cover one or the other. If yours does not say which, ask before you compare it against anyone else’s.
Structural timber work before plastering — floor joists, roof structure, stud partitions, door linings, window boards and noggins. Done properly, first fix makes the second fix straightforward. Done badly, every later trade works around the error.
The visible finish work: hanging doors, skirting and architrave fitting, window boards, staircases, handrails and ironmongery. On period properties nothing is square, so mitres are cut to the wall you actually have rather than the one the drawings assumed.
Made-to-measure work for spaces standard products do not suit. Alcove units, window seats, bookcases, media walls and storage built into awkward corners. Bespoke joinery costs more than assembling flat-pack, and it is worth it in exactly one situation: when off-the-shelf would leave visible gaps. In a Victorian house, that is most of the time.
Forming new rooms, dividing existing spaces, and building partitions with the correct insulation and acoustic performance. Stud wall installation includes forming the opening and fitting the door lining, so the room is ready for plastering when we leave rather than needing another trade first.
New staircases, replacement flights and alterations to existing stairs. Building regulations govern rise, going, headroom, handrail height and the gaps in a balustrade, and a staircase that does not comply will be picked up at building control sign-off. We build to the standard as a matter of course rather than as an afterthought.
Built-in wardrobes and storage made to the room, including eaves and sloped-ceiling spaces where nothing standard fits. See our fitted wardrobes page for the full range.
Internal and external door hanging, including fire doors where compliance is required. See our door installation page for door types and specifications.
Repairing or replacing rotten joists, damaged rafters and failed lintels. This is usually work nobody planned for — it turns up once a floor or ceiling is opened during a renovation, and it needs dealing with before anything else proceeds.
As carpentry contractors we also work on commercial fit-outs and refurbishments — partitioning, reception joinery, shopfitting elements and fire door installation. Out-of-hours and phased work available where premises need to keep operating.
Our carpenters are directly employed rather than brought in job by job. That matters for two reasons: the standard is consistent across projects, and we are still accountable for the work a year later.
It also means we can handle what comes up mid-job — a wall that needs making good, a socket that has to move, skirting that needs adapting around a new unit — without booking another trade and losing a week to it.
Balham, Clapham, Brixton, Streatham, Tooting, Wimbledon, Mitcham, Worcester Park
Gravesend, Northfleet, Dartford, Meopham, Higham, Shorne, Cobham, Ebbsfleet
Based in Balham SW12 and working across South London and North Kent.
Not sure if we cover you?
Call 07472 137237 and ask.
Carpentry is quoted by the job rather than by a day rate, because the same number of hours produces very different amounts of work depending on what is being made. These are the drivers:
We quote in writing after measuring, itemised so you can see what is included.
Tell us what you need making or fitting and we will come and measure. Small jobs and large ones both welcome — we quote for a single door as readily as a full second fix.
Traditionally a joiner makes timber components in a workshop and a carpenter installs them on site. In practice most firms do both, and we do. If you need something made to measure and then fitted, that is a single job for us rather than two trades to coordinate. The distinction matters more in job titles than it does in who turns up.
Yes. Not every job is a renovation. Hanging a door, fitting skirting in one room, easing a sticking window or building a set of alcove shelves are all things we quote for. Small jobs are often easier to schedule than large ones, so it is worth asking even if you think it is too minor to bother with.
That is where bespoke joinery earns its cost. Victorian and Edwardian properties rarely have square walls, level floors or consistent ceiling heights, so off-the-shelf units leave visible gaps that get packed out and never look right. Made-to-measure work is scribed to the actual space, which is why we measure the room rather than working from a floor plan.
Either. Most clients prefer us to supply the materials so there is a single point of responsibility if something is wrong, but if you have already sourced timber we are happy to work with it. We will tell you honestly if what you have bought is not suitable for what you want built, before we start rather than after.
A new or replacement staircase has to meet building regulations covering the rise and going of each step, headroom, handrail height and the maximum gap in a balustrade. If the staircase forms part of a loft conversion or an extension it will be inspected as part of that approval. We build to the required standard as a matter of course, so it does not become a problem at sign-off.
Typically two to four weeks from the measure to installation, depending on the piece and our current workload. Workshop-made items need manufacturing time before they can be fitted, so the installation date is not the start date. We give you both when we quote, so you can plan around the fitting day rather than the whole period.
Usually. Seasonal binding is normally timber taking up moisture as humidity rises, and easing the door and adjusting the hinges resolves it. Where a door binds all year round the cause is more often the frame or the opening having moved, which is a different and larger job. We can tell you which it is on a visit.
Yes. We work on commercial fit-outs and refurbishments — partitioning, reception joinery, shopfitting elements and fire door installation. We can work out of hours or in phases where the premises need to keep operating, and provide the documentation commercial clients and managing agents expect.
