Do you provide free quotes?

Yes, if you want we can give you an estimate or a quote if we have enough detail, just email us at info@empatika.uk some rough dimensions and a sketch and ideally some pictures of the area you have in mind and you will get a quote very quickly by email. If you are happy with the estimate then we can come and visit you when it suits you and talk in detail.

How reliable are your carpenters?

We are very reliable, stick to start times and days agreed, we do what we say we will do, we turn up on time every day in order not disrupt your schedule. And we are there throughout the job, not disappearing for one day to do something else.

Do you provide drawings?

Yes once we receive your deposit, we provide you with a hand drawn from scratch 3D computer scale drawing precise to the millimetre for you to check how it looks and to see if you are happy with the dimensions. If you like you can make any changes until the drawing is perfect.

How do I know you will do a good job?

Before I buy anything I read reviews so I suggest you do the same, we have over 100 independent testimonials on the internet. Please have a look at our testimonial page to see what our clients say about us

You call or email us, we asses your needs and give you an estimate or quote, then we arrange a time to come round and visit you, ask you more questions in detail to find out exactly what you would like, listen very carefully to your ideas and offer design ideas and solutions to best use your space and needs. We go away, email you a final quote. Once you decide to go ahead, we take a small deposit, then send you the drawings, once you have agreed the drawing we can book your place in the diary and we agree a start date. We then turn up with the materials and tools and build your units, then once built we paint them or oil them. Then once we are totally finished and you are delighted, only then do you pay us the balance, lastly if you feel testimonials have helped you choose us, please help us keep them fresh and leave us a testimonial here: https://plus.google.com/101927655300158702077/about?hl=en&review=1

Are you going to make a big mess in our house?

We understand that your home is precious and we do everything we can to make sure we leave it in the state we found it. All our materials are cut to size by a specialist cutting company before being delivered to your home, so minimal cutting is required onsite, even then we cover and protect the floors, cover your furniture with plastic sheets, use dust extractors connected directly to power tools, we even use a fine dust and chemical extractor for really sensitive areas, this is well over the top but we like to do the very best we can and offer the best service, and when the work is all finished we take all our rubbish away and give your place a clean.

What materials and finishes do you offer?

Our units are built of quality Medite FSC certified MDF wood then painted, or made of wood veneer we can oil or use matt water based clear varnish, and also melamine coated wood as typically found in kitchen units. We are also pioneering research in alternative healthier eco friendlier materials, we are the first UK fitted furniture company to use UK sourced strawboard which is totally natural and bound with no glues at all to make our bespoke furniture, we can build your units out of formaldehyde free MDF too, we also use recycled plastic sheeting for decorative purposes with lighting behind and recycled glass as well as many other sustainable materials and finishes to find out more please see our eco page.

Do you paint the units and what colours do you offer?

Yes, we use the best quality professional waterbased DULUX and Farrow and Ball eggshell semi matt white paint . If you would like the eco option using more natural paints please see our environment page. We mostly use white but can paint any colour you like (If you would like to paint your fitted furniture we can offer you free advice).

Do you spray the units and do high gloss?

We can arrange to spray the doors and outside visible parts and make the internal carcass of a white or other colour melamine coated laminate.

Are your charges transparent?

All charges are stated in advance in the final quote, you know what you will pay from the start, everything is listed in the quote. Only handles are optional and to be supplied by you or us, also parking is extra, so they are priced separately. All of which is clearly stated in your quote.

Does your service represent value?

For the quality of service we offer from beginning to end we offer outstanding value, we take great pride in producing only the best bespoke furniture that you will be proud to own for years to come, we offer a 2 year guarantee on our work, we are endorsed by various independent certification bodies, we take customer service very seriously, we understand that there is more to producing furniture than wood and screws, your total satisfaction is our number one priority, but don’t take our word for us see what our clients say.

How flexible are you once the work has started if something needs changing?

Our craftsmen all speak good English and have a great deal of skill and will do everything they can if you feel that something needs adapting, for example you change your mind about how many shelves you want, or the spacing between them, then if it is possible we will do what we can to please you, either free of charge or at extra cost depending on what it is.

Can you fix stuff in my home?

Yes if you need anything fixing in your home while we are there making your fitted furniture, if we can do it we will help you out. I like to offer a service that I would like to use myself so for such things as hanging pictures, fixing doors that don’t close and generally anything wood related tell us when we come to measure up for your fitted furniture.

Do you use real wood?

We use real wood veneers or plastic laminates that look like wood but not generally solid wood, we work with close associates who use solid wood, just ask us for contacts.

We don’t do bathrooms but if we are already working in your house doing other fitted furniture, we will consider any storage you would like for your bathroom.

I have sockets where I want my fitted furniture how will you deal with this?

If you have an electrical, phone or TV areal socket that is ok as we can cut a hole in the back so you can still access them, we can move electrical sockets around if they haven’t got far to go. Phone sockets we can more if there is enough spare wire.

Do you make kitchens?

No we don’t make kitchens but sometimes can make units that go in your kitchen such as a bookcase.

The first bespoke fitted bookcase I ever built.

Home » Blog » The first bespoke fitted bookcase I ever built.

In 2003, the year I started Empatika (Formerly Custom Carpentry), actually I inherited the name from a carpenter who had been using the name for years before, his widowed wife said I could use the name and she would send me his enquiries, a bit of a sad start I know…

Anyway, I actually started off advertising myself as a handyman, I put some small cards in the newsagents and started riding around Notting Hill on my bike with tools bags on each side of the bike rack, screws and hardware box on top and a ruck sack on my back.

People asked me to do larger and more complex jobs and so I got into building them fitted furniture and this is actually the very first bespoke bookcase I built totally from scratch, on site.

It’s a big one too, so I plunged right in the deep end. Because I am self taught, I am not working within certain preconceived boundaries, I am more open to different contemporary designs and my attitude is that you can do anything, you just have to find the way!

This has helped my clients get exactly what they wanted over the years, there is nothing that can’t be done.

Click here to read more about the bespoke bookcases we can create today for you.

I survived this big bookcase construction and many others. Now I have a team of talented craftsmen who specialise in building contemporary style fitted furniture. I like designing furniture and run the business now and that takes up all my time and more.

We work mainly for private clients in London but we have also been commissioned various times by Westminster Abbey to make different pieces of fitted furniture including in the head’s office as well as a bookcase in the organist’s office. We have also made fitted furniture for ITV’s “60 Minute Makeover” programme and ITV’s “Home for the brave” and others since.

You can read about and see more fitted bespoke bookcases that we have built by clicking this link.

Below are the pictures of the progress of this first bookcase, I took the first ones on my old mobile phone so they are poor quality sorry.

To build this bookcase I had to take the door off the cupboard on the left because it was in the way. I had to cut the doors down and make a new frame.

Here you can see the new frame that has moved up into the correct position to leave enough space for the new bookcase.

Here you see the original doors that where cut down to the new size and the moulding on the front refitted

Every bookcase starts with a good foundation!

If the base is not perfectly level and flat, it will only cause trouble later!

As I am self taught and I built the bookcase in a way that made sense to me and that I could visualise first. So I thought that building it in layers would work.

The bookcase is getting taller layer by layer.

And another layer. It is worth noting that although this bookcase was perfect, I never built another one this way, we now make carcasses with backs, on this one the wall is visible.

Last row, it’s a monster, not many bookcases we do these days are this big!

Here you can see the new doors that looks like they where meant to be like that. Masking tape is essential for a perfect straight painted line

Bookcase is built in line with the top of the other cupboard which makes it look more like it is built at the same time.

This is a busy bookcase with every inch used up!

This must be a delightful view if you like books?