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Lifts and loading houses · Mangotsfield

Loading houses in Mangotsfield

If your site in Mangotsfield needs loading houses, we can help, whether the dock serves a cold store, a parcel operation, a food factory or a trade counter.

Guide £14,500–£32,000 per house ex VATFree site surveyBS16
Book a free survey0800 088 6248
Location
Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire
Main postcode district
BS16
Nearby (straight line)
Kingswood (2 miles), Bristol (5 miles) and Keynsham (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.

Is this right for your site in Mangotsfield?

Units in Mangotsfield with floors at dock height but no room for an internal leveller pit are typical candidates for an external loading house. Chilled stores near Mangotsfield sometimes favour loading houses because the building door closes at the wall line, keeping the cold envelope sealed when no trailer is docked.

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

We do not give a fixed price without seeing the site. A free survey in Mangotsfield 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.

Can a loading house be added to an existing building?

Yes, loading houses are often added to existing buildings, provided the floor is at or near dock height and the wall can take a suitable opening. Adding docks without breaking out the floor is one of the main reasons operators choose them.

At survey we check:

  • the floor height inside against the yard level outside;
  • whether an existing door opening can be used, or a new one formed in the cladding or masonry;
  • drains, ducts and other buried services where foundations will go;
  • the space trailers need to manoeuvre, and whether an angled house would work better;
  • any planning or building control approval the project may need.

Where the existing door is in good condition and suits the new layout, it can sometimes be kept. If your building has floors at yard level, a wider loading bay conversion may be the better route.

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.

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

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

What we look at on site

  • Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
  • Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
  • Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
  • Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
  • Age and condition of the equipment already in place
  • Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage

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.

Angled loading house

Set at an angle to the wall so trailers approach on a diagonal, useful on narrow yards and sometimes allowing more bays to fit along a single elevation.

Regulations and approvals in England

Workplace safety in England is regulated by HSE. For a loading bay in Mangotsfield, that means doors meeting regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, equipment maintained under PUWER and suitable safeguards against vehicles driving away too early. We check what applies at survey and design the bay accordingly.

Questions about loading houses in Mangotsfield

What details do you need from us to quote for loading houses?

To get started, send the site address in Mangotsfield, the number of bays or openings, approximate sizes, and photos of the dock from inside and outside. Tell us what vehicles you load, what goods you handle and any temperature requirements. Drawings help on new builds. We then arrange the free survey and confirm the details before the written quote is issued.

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 Mangotsfield 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.

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

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

Can a loading house be used for a cold store?

Yes. Loading houses suit chilled and frozen operations because the building door closes at the wall line, keeping the cold space sealed when no trailer is docked. The panels, door and shelter or seal are specified to suit the temperatures involved, which we confirm 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.

Loading houses near Mangotsfield

We also cover towns near Mangotsfield, including Kingswood (2 miles), Bristol (5 miles) and Keynsham (5 miles). Each has its own page with the same services and process.

Other loading bay services in Mangotsfield

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Mangotsfield

Use the quote tool to tell us about the doors, levellers or shelters at your Mangotsfield site, and we will be in touch to arrange the next step.

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