- Location
- Aviemore, Highlands
- Main postcode district
- PH22
- Nearby (straight line)
- Inverness (25 miles), Nairn (27 miles) and Forres (30 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.
Is this right for your site in Aviemore?
For older buildings in Aviemore with a raised floor and little internal space by the wall, an external house can provide a modern hydraulic dock without major alterations. Racked warehouses around Aviemore that cannot spare internal floor space for a dock can move the leveller outside the wall into a loading house instead.
Manufacturing businesses around Aviemore adding a dock to an existing building often find a loading house less disruptive than breaking out the slab inside.
Your loading bay stays our responsibility from the survey to the handover. In Aviemore, the survey and written quote are free, and the quoted price is fixed for the agreed scope. Installation is carried out by specialist engineers working under our management, at times planned with you to protect your loading schedule. Out-of-hours work is available by arrangement. We finish by testing the equipment and handing over its documentation.
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.
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.
The same published guide range applies across Scotland; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What does the free survey cover?
- Wall and steel structure for door, shelter and bumper fixings
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
- Age and condition of the equipment already in place
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
- Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
- Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
Options to discuss
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.
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 Scotland?
Energy standards for buildings in Scotland are set out in Section 6 of the Building Standards Technical Handbook. For new or replacement loading bay doors in Aviemore, we confirm the figure that applies to your project and check what applies at survey, rather than relying on rules written for elsewhere in the UK.
Questions about loading houses in Aviemore
Do you cover Aviemore for loading houses?
Yes. We take on loading houses for businesses in Aviemore and across the Highlands. We survey the site, provide a fixed written quote and manage the installation, with specialist installation engineers working under our management. Visits are arranged in advance at a time that suits your operation, and the same single contact stays with the job through to handover.
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 Aviemore 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 Aviemore?
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 Aviemore, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
Is a loading house cheaper than forming an internal pit?
Not always. A loading house includes a whole steel structure, so the equipment cost is higher, but it avoids breaking out the slab and losing internal floor space. The best comparison is made at survey, taking account of racking, services under the floor and how the building will be used.
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 Aviemore
The same survey, quote and repair service is available in towns around Aviemore, such as Inverness (25 miles), Nairn (27 miles) and Forres (30 miles).
Other loading bay services in Aviemore
Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Aviemore
Ready to talk about a loading bay in Aviemore? Call us, or send the details through the quote form.