- Location
- Bathgate, Edinburgh and the Lothians
- Main postcode district
- EH48
- Nearby (straight line)
- Livingston (5 miles), Broxburn (7 miles) and Grangemouth (8 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.
How does this suit sites in Bathgate?
Chilled stores near Bathgate sometimes favour loading houses because the building door closes at the wall line, keeping the cold envelope sealed when no trailer is docked. For older buildings in Bathgate with a raised floor and little internal space by the wall, an external house can provide a modern hydraulic dock without major alterations.
Any loading house proposed in Bathgate 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 Bathgate 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.
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.
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.
- Foundations: concrete pads or footings are formed in the yard and left to cure.
- Erection: the steel frame is lifted into place, usually by crane, and fixed to the foundations and building.
- Cladding and equipment: panels, leveller, shelter or seal, bumpers and lights are fitted.
- Door and electrics: the building door is fitted or adapted and the leveller and lights connected.
- 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.
The same published guide range applies across Scotland; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What do we check at the survey?
- Drainage on recessed or sloping dock approaches
- Asbestos register and any other site hazard information
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
- Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
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.
What do the rules in Scotland mean for the work?
In Scotland, building work such as forming a new opening or a dock leveller pit may need a building warrant from the local authority before it starts. For sites in Bathgate, external structures such as loading houses or canopies may also need planning permission from the council. We check what applies at survey and factor any approvals into the programme.
Questions about loading houses in Bathgate
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 Bathgate, 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.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Bathgate?
Yes. For new warehouses and fit-outs, we can supply and install the dock package as part of a wider project, working to the main contractor's programme, site rules and permits. We will need drawings, dock levels and the programme, and we coordinate pit details, power supplies and door openings with the relevant trades before installation begins.
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 Edinburgh and the Lothians 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.
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.
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 Bathgate
Businesses outside Bathgate may find their nearest town in this list: Livingston (5 miles), Broxburn (7 miles) and Grangemouth (8 miles). Each page covers doors, docks, repairs and servicing.
Other loading bay services in Bathgate
Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Bathgate
Tell us what is happening at your Bathgate dock, what equipment is there and when it is used, and we will suggest the right next step.