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 Dyfed?
Any loading house proposed in Dyfed needs its planning and building control position checked, which we look at during the site survey before quoting. Manufacturing businesses around Dyfed adding a dock to an existing building often find a loading house less disruptive than breaking out the slab inside.
Units in Dyfed with floors at dock height but no room for an internal leveller pit are typical candidates for an external loading house.
If you are planning loading houses for a site in Dyfed, expect four stages. A free survey and fixed written quote come first. We then agree a programme with you, including any out-of-hours work. Specialist installation engineers carry out the installation under our management, with us as your single point of contact. Finally, the equipment is tested, your staff are shown how it works and everything is handed over with its documentation.
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.
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.
Towns we cover in Dyfed
Looking for loading houses in a specific part of Dyfed? Start with the nearest town on this list.
Budget range for supply and fit. The written quote after a free survey is the fixed price. All guide prices.
What do the rules in Wales mean for the work?
Scissor lift tables and dock lifts in Wales can fall under LOLER, with thorough examination at least every 12 months, or every 6 months where people are lifted, depending on the equipment and its use. For sites in Dyfed, your insurer or competent person will confirm the regime, and we check what applies at survey.
Questions
How do you price loading houses for a site in Dyfed?
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.
Do you remove and dispose of the old equipment?
Yes, where it is part of the scope. When we replace doors, levellers, shelters or seals at a site in Dyfed, removal and disposal of the old equipment can be included and is itemised in the quote, so it is clear what is covered. If anything should be kept, such as a frame or motor that is still serviceable, we agree that at survey.
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.
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.
Other services in Dyfed
Full guide to loading houses · All loading bay services in Dyfed