Carpentry for period fabric and modern living

London's housing stock is full of joinery worth keeping (panelled doors, sash windows, original staircases) and full of later additions that need replacing properly. GEM's carpenters work across both: sensitive repair where the fabric deserves it, clean modern installation where it does not. Day to day that means easing and rehanging doors, first and second fix carpentry on refurbishments, and the finishing work of skirting, architrave and door furniture that decides whether a room reads as cared for.

Sash windows: repair before replacement

In most cases an original sash can be returned to service for a fraction of replacement cost: splice repairs to rotten sections, new cords and weights, draught-proofing brushes and decoration. Draught-proofing alone transforms how a period room holds heat, and it is reversible, which conservation officers care about. Keeping original timber also keeps planning friction away in conservation areas, where like-for-like replacement is scrutinised and uPVC rarely gets consent. Where a sash is genuinely beyond saving we make and fit new to match the originals.

Fire doors and the paper trail behind them

For HMOs and communal areas we install certificated fire door sets and complete documented checks of gaps, seals, closers and hardware, giving you the records your fire risk assessment expects. A fire door that has been trimmed loose, painted over its intumescent seals or fitted with the wrong hinges is not a fire door, and our inspection reports say so explicitly, door by door.

Floors, stairs and the creaks in between

Timber floors in older London homes suffer from a century of plumbers and electricians lifting boards, and the result is squeaks, springy spots and draughts. We refix and replace boards, let in new timber where joists have been over-notched, and repair staircases from loose treads and creaking strings up to balustrade work, where modern regulations on spindle spacing apply whenever the balustrade itself is renewed.

Storage built for awkward London spaces

Alcoves, eaves, under-stair voids and the dead corners of period rooms are where fitted joinery earns its keep. We build wardrobes, shelving and storage measured to the space and scribed to walls that have not been straight since the reign they were built in, quoted before work starts and photographed at completion so remote landlords can sign off without a site visit.