Building straight in front of an uneven wall
Bulwell is about four miles west-north-west of our base in Mapperley, and it is a town built partly from its own stone. Bulwell sandstone was quarried here, and many houses, schools, churches and garden walls made from it still stand around the town. Older solid walls, whether stone or brick, are rarely perfectly flat or plumb, and that is where a media wall earns its keep. Its frame of timber or metal studs is set out level and square in its own right, packed off the old wall where needed, so the TV recess, the fire opening and the niches all come out straight even when the wall behind them does not. It also means the original wall is left alone, with no chasing or patching needed to hide cables.
Bulwell's estates and newer homes
A lot of Bulwell's housing arrived over the past century as new estates: Crabtree Farm, Snape Wood, Highbury Vale and Hempshill Vale, plus the Bulwell Hall estate. Top Valley, partly in Bulwell Forest ward, was built in the 1970s, and newer homes have followed, including eco-homes at Ranskill Gardens from 2018 and private housing on the old Lido land. Where your living room has a plain, flat wall, a full-width media wall works well, with a central recess for the screen and open niches either side. Those niches can be kept narrow, so the room still feels open.
Planning what goes in the wall
Before any frame goes up, decide on the TV and the fire. The TV's size sets its recess and the height you want it at, and an inset electric fire comes with installation instructions that set its opening, clearances and ventilation. Then decide what else you want: a soundbar slot, a place for a console, shelves for photos, and LED channels to light it all. If you game, a recess for the console with a cable route straight to the TV keeps everything tidy. Cable routes for every item are planned inside the frame, and a qualified electrician fits the sockets and connects them. Finally the frame is boarded, the edges are beaded and the wall is skimmed ready for decorating.
Talk to us
Call 07877 353120 or use the enquiry form, and send a few photos of the wall. Include the wall's width and the ceiling height if you can. We work seven days a week, 7am to 5pm, across Bulwell, Rise Park and Top Valley.
