- Location
- Haverfordwest, Dyfed
- Main postcode district
- SA61
- Nearby (straight line)
- Milford Haven (7 miles), Pembroke Dock (8 miles) and Carmarthen (29 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
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.
Why do sites in Haverfordwest choose this?
Chilled stores near Haverfordwest sometimes favour loading houses because the building door closes at the wall line, keeping the cold envelope sealed when no trailer is docked. Manufacturing businesses around Haverfordwest adding a dock to an existing building often find a loading house less disruptive than breaking out the slab inside.
Developers bringing forward industrial units in Haverfordwest can specify loading houses at design stage, keeping the internal slab clear for whichever tenant takes the unit.
Our part of the job in Haverfordwest is to survey, quote and manage; the fitting itself is done by specialist installation engineers working under our management. The survey and the written quote are free. Once the fixed price is accepted, we agree dates that work around your deliveries and shifts, including out-of-hours working where needed. Every installation is tested before handover, and you receive the documentation for each item fitted.
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.
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.
The same published guide range applies across Wales; 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
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
- Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
- Age and condition of the equipment already in place
Options to discuss
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.
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 Wales?
Wales has its own energy requirements for buildings, set out in Approved Document L for Wales. For new or replacement loading bay doors in Haverfordwest, we confirm the figure that applies to your project rather than assuming the English one, and we check what applies at survey before a door is specified.
Questions about loading houses in Haverfordwest
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 Haverfordwest 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.
How do you price loading houses for a site in Haverfordwest?
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.
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 Dyfed 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.
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.
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 Haverfordwest
The same survey, quote and repair service is available in towns around Haverfordwest, such as Milford Haven (7 miles), Pembroke Dock (8 miles) and Carmarthen (29 miles).
Other loading bay services in Haverfordwest
Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Haverfordwest
Phone us to discuss your loading bay in Haverfordwest, or start with the online quote tool if you prefer to send details first.