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Lifts and loading houses · Saltash

Loading houses in Saltash

Whatever the size of the operation, we can take on loading houses in Saltash, with every job run by us and carried out by specialists we manage directly.

Guide £14,500–£32,000 per house ex VATFree site surveyPL12
Book a free survey0800 088 6248
Location
Saltash, Cornwall
Main postcode district
PL12
Nearby (straight line)
Plymouth (4 miles), Bodmin (22 miles) and St Austell (25 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 Saltash?

Any loading house proposed in Saltash needs its planning and building control position checked, which we look at during the site survey before quoting. For older buildings in Saltash with a raised floor and little internal space by the wall, an external house can provide a modern hydraulic dock without major alterations.

Developers bringing forward industrial units in Saltash can specify loading houses at design stage, keeping the internal slab clear for whichever tenant takes the unit.

Your loading bay stays our responsibility from the survey to the handover. In Saltash, the survey and written quote are free, and the quoted price is fixed for the agreed scope. Installation is carried out by specialist engineers working under our management, at times planned with you to protect your loading schedule. Out-of-hours work is available by arrangement. We finish by testing the equipment and handing over its documentation.

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.

What happens on site when a loading house is installed?

Installing a loading house takes the bay out of use from the foundation works to commissioning, but the building can stay secure because the existing wall and door remain until late in the job.

  1. Foundations: concrete pads or footings are formed in the yard and left to cure.
  2. Erection: the steel frame is lifted into place, usually by crane, and fixed to the foundations and building.
  3. Cladding and equipment: panels, leveller, shelter or seal, bumpers and lights are fitted.
  4. Door and electrics: the building door is fitted or adapted and the leveller and lights connected.
  5. Commissioning: everything is tested with a trailer before handover.

We ask you to provide yard space for the crane and deliveries, any drawings of drains or buried services, a power supply, and clear arrangements for keeping vehicles and people away from the lifting zone. Neighbouring bays may need to close briefly while the crane is working.

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

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

What we look at on site

  • Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
  • Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
  • Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods
  • Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
  • Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
  • Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform

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.

Shelter or seal front

A retractable or inflatable shelter, or a foam dock seal, across the front of the house, chosen to suit your trailers and how tightly the bay needs to seal.

Planning, building control and safety law in England

Lift tables and dock lifts in Saltash may fall under LOLER, with thorough examination at least every 12 months, or every 6 months where people are lifted. It depends on the equipment and how it is used, and your insurer or competent person will confirm. Dock levellers are usually treated as work equipment under PUWER. We check what applies at survey.

Questions about loading houses in Saltash

Is VAT included in your guide prices for loading houses?

No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in Cornwall as everywhere else: for loading houses, it is £14,500 to £32,000 per house, excluding VAT. It covers supply and fit for a typical installation. Your fixed written quote after the free survey shows the net price, the VAT and exactly what is included.

Do you cover Saltash for loading houses?

Yes. We take on loading houses for businesses in Saltash and across Cornwall. We survey the site, provide a fixed written quote and manage the installation, with specialist installation engineers working under our management. Visits are arranged in advance at a time that suits your operation, and the same single contact stays with the job through to handover.

Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Saltash?

It depends on which UK nation the site is in. England and Wales use Building Regulations approval, Scotland uses building warrants and Northern Ireland uses building control approval from the council. Workplace safety is regulated by HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland, and energy rules differ between nations. For your site in Saltash, we check what applies at survey and design to it.

Is a loading house cheaper than forming an internal pit?

Not always. A loading house includes a whole steel structure, so the equipment cost is higher, but it avoids breaking out the slab and losing internal floor space. The best comparison is made at survey, taking account of racking, services under the floor and how the building will be used.

How long does a loading house take to install?

The programme depends mainly on foundation works and manufacturing lead times, and we set it out in writing with the quote. On site, foundations must cure before the frame goes up, and the rest of the work follows in sequence. We agree dates with you so other bays can keep working.

Loading houses near Saltash

Businesses outside Saltash may find their nearest town in this list: Plymouth (4 miles), Bodmin (22 miles) and St Austell (25 miles). Each page covers doors, docks, repairs and servicing.

Other loading bay services in Saltash

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Saltash

Send a few photos of the dock and a short description of the problem, and we will come back to you about your Saltash site.

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