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Lifts and loading houses · Glasgow

Loading houses in Glasgow

Everything to do with loading houses at sites in Glasgow is covered here: how we work, what we check and what you can expect from the process.

Guide £14,500–£32,000 per house ex VATFree site surveyG1, G2, G22
Book a free survey0800 088 6248
Location
Glasgow, Glasgow and Dunbartonshire
Main postcode districts
G1, G2 and G22
Nearby (straight line)
Rutherglen (3 miles), Bishopbriggs (3 miles) and Bearsden (5 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.

What should sites in Glasgow consider?

Where a yard in Glasgow is narrow, an angled loading house lets trailers approach on a diagonal and can sometimes fit more bays along one wall. Units in Glasgow with floors at dock height but no room for an internal leveller pit are typical candidates for an external loading house.

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

The survey is free, the quote is written and the price is fixed: that is how every installation in Glasgow begins. We then manage the work from start to finish. Fitting is carried out by specialist installers under our management, phased so the operation keeps moving, and nights or weekends can be booked by arrangement. On the final day we test the equipment with you and hand over the operating and maintenance information.

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.

When is a loading house better than an internal dock?

A loading house is usually the better option when the building floor is already at dock height but there is no practical way to form a leveller pit inside. It moves the whole dock outside the wall, leaving the internal floor clear.

  • No room inside: racking, production lines or mezzanines sit right up to the wall.
  • Difficult slab: the floor slab carries services or is unsuited to breaking out for a pit.
  • Thermal control: the building door closes at the wall line, so the leveller sits outside the heated or chilled space when no trailer is docked.
  • Security: the building can be closed at the wall line while the house itself stays open to the yard.
  • Narrow yards: an angled house lets trailers approach on a diagonal and can fit more bays along one wall.

Where the building floor is at yard level, a loading house alone will not solve the height difference, and a recessed approach or lift table is usually needed instead.

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

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

Survey checklist for your dock

  • How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
  • Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
  • Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
  • Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
  • Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
  • Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it

Options to discuss

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.

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 Scotland

Lift tables at Scottish sites are lifting equipment under LOLER, which means thorough examination at least every 12 months, or every 6 months if people are lifted, depending on the equipment and its use. For a site in Glasgow, your insurer or competent person will confirm the interval, and we check what applies at survey.

Questions about loading houses in Glasgow

Can you work outside our normal operating hours in Glasgow?

Yes, by arrangement. Evening, night and weekend working can be planned so the installation causes as little disruption as possible to your loading schedule. Out-of-hours work can affect the price, so mention it at the survey and we will include it in the written quote. The agreed times are confirmed in the programme before the job starts.

How long does installation take at a site in Glasgow?

It depends on the equipment, the number of bays, the condition of the dock and whether any building or electrical work is needed. We agree a programme with you after the survey, setting out which bays are out of use and when. Larger jobs are usually phased so that part of the dock stays open, and out-of-hours working can be arranged.

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 Glasgow and Dunbartonshire 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.

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.

Loading houses near Glasgow

We also cover towns near Glasgow, including Rutherglen (3 miles), Bishopbriggs (3 miles) and Bearsden (5 miles). Each has its own page with the same services and process.

Other loading bay services in Glasgow

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Glasgow

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