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Lifts and loading houses · Peterhead

Loading houses in Peterhead

Businesses in Peterhead and the rest of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire can come to us for loading houses, with one point of contact who stays with the job from first enquiry to sign-off.

Guide £14,500–£32,000 per house ex VATFree site surveyAB42
Book a free survey0800 088 6248
Location
Peterhead, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
Main postcode district
AB42
Nearby (straight line)
Fraserburgh (15 miles), Inverurie (27 miles) and Aberdeen (28 miles)
Survey and quote
Free, with a fixed written quote
Loading houses, in short

A loading house is an insulated steel structure built against the outside wall of a building, containing a dock leveller and usually a shelter or seal at its front. The building door closes at the wall line, while trailers dock against the house. Loading houses suit buildings whose floor is at dock height but which have no room inside for a leveller pit.

Is this right for your site in Peterhead?

Manufacturing businesses around Peterhead adding a dock to an existing building often find a loading house less disruptive than breaking out the slab inside. Units in Peterhead with floors at dock height but no room for an internal leveller pit are typical candidates for an external loading house.

Any loading house proposed in Peterhead needs its planning and building control position checked, which we look at during the site survey before quoting.

We do not give a fixed price without seeing the site. A free survey in Peterhead lets us check the details that affect the job, and the written quote that follows is a fixed price for the agreed scope. We plan the work around your operation, arrange out-of-hours access if you need it and manage specialist installation engineers throughout. Handover includes testing, a demonstration and the paperwork you need for your records.

What is a loading house made of?

A loading house is a steel frame clad in insulated composite panels, with a dock leveller built into its floor and a shelter or seal across its front. It is made to suit your building, trailers and yard rather than bought off the shelf.

  • Frame: galvanised or painted steel, supported on legs or a sub-frame that sits on concrete foundations.
  • Walls and roof: insulated composite panels, usually colour-matched to the building cladding, with guttering to carry rainwater away.
  • Floor and leveller: a steel deck with a hydraulic swing-lip or telescopic-lip leveller set into it.
  • Front: a retractable or inflatable shelter or a foam seal, with bumpers below to take trailer impact.
  • Building door: an insulated sectional door in the original wall opening, closing the building when no trailer is docked.
  • Extras: internal lighting, dock lights and traffic lights as required.

The insulated envelope reduces the heat or chill lost around the trailer compared with an open dock.

How much does a loading house cost?

A loading house typically costs £14,500 to £32,000 per house, supplied and installed, excluding VAT. That covers the insulated structure with its leveller and shelter or seal; the figure for your site depends on size, layout and what has to happen to the building and yard.

What moves the price:

  • Size and layout: straight houses are simpler than angled ones, and larger houses use more steel and panel.
  • Leveller type: telescopic-lip levellers cost more than swing-lip.
  • Front sealing: inflatable shelters cost more than retractable shelters or foam seals.
  • Foundations: ground conditions and buried services decide the size of pads or footings.
  • Building works: forming or enlarging the wall opening, and a new insulated door if needed.
  • Electrics and access: supply to the leveller and lights, crane access and any out-of-hours working.

These are guide budgets. After a free site survey we send a written quote that is the fixed price. VAT is added at the standard rate.

Guide price, Peterhead
£14,500–£32,000 per house, ex VAT

The same published guide range applies across Scotland; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.

Survey checklist for your dock

  • Control positions, isolators and any existing interlocks
  • Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
  • Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
  • How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
  • Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
  • Lighting inside trailers and at the dock face

Options to discuss

Angled loading house

Set at an angle to the wall so trailers approach on a diagonal, useful on narrow yards and sometimes allowing more bays to fit along a single elevation.

Straight loading house

Set square to the building wall, the simplest layout where the yard has room for trailers to reverse straight in. Usually the most economical arrangement for one or more bays.

Which rules apply in Scotland?

Doors and dock equipment installed in Scotland may carry the UKCA or the CE mark, and we pass on the documentation for everything fitted in Peterhead. Because building warrant and planning questions can affect the programme, we check what applies at survey and raise any approvals early rather than assuming none are needed.

Questions about loading houses in Peterhead

What details do you need from us to quote for loading houses?

To get started, send the site address in Peterhead, the number of bays or openings, approximate sizes, and photos of the dock from inside and outside. Tell us what vehicles you load, what goods you handle and any temperature requirements. Drawings help on new builds. We then arrange the free survey and confirm the details before the written quote is issued.

How long does installation take at a site in Peterhead?

It depends on the equipment, the number of bays, the condition of the dock and whether any building or electrical work is needed. We agree a programme with you after the survey, setting out which bays are out of use and when. Larger jobs are usually phased so that part of the dock stays open, and out-of-hours working can be arranged.

What warranty comes with new loading bay equipment?

New equipment comes with the manufacturer's warranty, which varies by product. Our workmanship terms are set out in writing in the quote for your Peterhead site, so you can see what is covered before you commit. Check the warranty terms for any servicing conditions, and we can quote for planned maintenance once the installation is complete.

Can a loading house be used for a cold store?

Yes. Loading houses suit chilled and frozen operations because the building door closes at the wall line, keeping the cold space sealed when no trailer is docked. The panels, door and shelter or seal are specified to suit the temperatures involved, which we confirm at survey.

Can a loading house be moved later?

Loading houses are bolted steel structures rather than masonry, so in principle they can be dismantled and moved if your needs change. In practice, relocation needs new foundations and an opening at the new position, so it is usually considered only where a house is fairly new and the new position suits it.

Loading houses near Peterhead

Distances are measured from Peterhead. Nearby towns we cover include Fraserburgh (15 miles), Inverurie (27 miles) and Aberdeen (28 miles), and other towns in the area are covered too.

Other loading bay services in Peterhead

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Peterhead

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