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Lifts and loading houses · Carrickfergus

Loading houses in Carrickfergus

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

Guide £14,500–£32,000 per house ex VATFree site surveyBT38
Book a free survey0800 088 6248
Location
Carrickfergus, County Antrim
Main postcode district
BT38
Nearby (straight line)
Newtownabbey (6 miles), Bangor (7 miles) and Larne (9 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.

How does this suit sites in Carrickfergus?

Units in Carrickfergus with floors at dock height but no room for an internal leveller pit are typical candidates for an external loading house. Racked warehouses around Carrickfergus that cannot spare internal floor space for a dock can move the leveller outside the wall into a loading house instead.

For older buildings in Carrickfergus with a raised floor and little internal space by the wall, an external house can provide a modern hydraulic dock without major alterations.

Any project involving loading houses at a working site in Carrickfergus takes planning. We survey free of charge, quote a fixed price in writing, and then agree a programme that keeps as much of the dock running as possible. Specialist installation engineers carry out the work under our management, out of hours if that suits you better. On completion we test each item, show your team how it operates and leave the documentation with you.

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.

Does a loading house need planning permission or building approval?

A loading house can need planning permission, because it is a new external structure, so we check this at survey rather than assuming it is not needed. The answer depends on the site, the size of the house and any planning conditions already on the building.

Forming a new opening in the building wall is a structural alteration that may need approval. In England and Wales that means Building Regulations approval, in Scotland a building warrant, and in Northern Ireland building control approval.

Energy rules can also apply to the door in the building wall. In England, Approved Document L (2021) Volume 2 sets a limiting U-value of 1.3 W/m²K for vehicle access and similar large doors in new and replacement work. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own energy rules, and we confirm the figure that applies to your nation and project.

The leveller inside the house is specified to BS EN 1398:2009, the dock leveller safety standard. Our guide to loading houses explained goes through the approvals in more detail.

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

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

What does the free survey cover?

  • Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
  • Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
  • Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
  • Clear opening width and height for each door
  • Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
  • Drainage on recessed or sloping dock approaches

Options to discuss

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.

Leveller choice

A hydraulic swing-lip leveller for general trailer loading, or a telescopic-lip leveller for precise placement, end-loading and trailers that cannot be reversed tight to the dock.

Which rules apply in Northern Ireland?

Energy requirements for non-dwellings in Northern Ireland are set by Technical Booklet F2. For new or replacement loading bay doors in Carrickfergus, we confirm the figure that applies to your project and check what applies at survey, rather than working to rules from elsewhere in the UK.

Questions about loading houses in Carrickfergus

Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Carrickfergus?

We check at survey whether the work is likely to need approval. Forming a new opening or dock pit may need Building Regulations approval, a building warrant or building control approval, depending on the nation, and external structures such as loading houses can need planning permission. Where approval is needed, we explain what is involved, work with your designer or agent, and build it into the programme.

How do you price loading houses for a site in Carrickfergus?

Guide budgets for supply and fit are £14,500 to £32,000 per house, excluding VAT. The figure moves with size, insulation, the operator, electrics, access, any pit or groundworks and out-of-hours working. Where levellers are involved, the guide assumes an existing, sound pit. After the free survey you receive a fixed written quote, and that is the price for the agreed scope.

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

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 Carrickfergus, we check what applies at survey and design to it.

What door is used with a loading house?

The building wall behind a loading house usually has an insulated sectional door, which closes the building at the wall line when no trailer is docked. An existing door can sometimes be kept if it is in good condition. In England, replacement doors need to meet the Approved Document L limiting U-value for large doors.

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 Carrickfergus

Other towns within reach of Carrickfergus on our coverage list include Newtownabbey (6 miles), Bangor (7 miles) and Larne (9 miles), all covered on the same terms.

Other loading bay services in Carrickfergus

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Carrickfergus

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