- Location
- Ramsgate, Kent
- Main postcode district
- CT11
- Nearby (straight line)
- Broadstairs (2 miles), Margate (3 miles) and Deal (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.
Why do sites in Ramsgate choose this?
Manufacturing businesses around Ramsgate adding a dock to an existing building often find a loading house less disruptive than breaking out the slab inside. Racked warehouses around Ramsgate that cannot spare internal floor space for a dock can move the leveller outside the wall into a loading house instead.
Where a yard in Ramsgate is narrow, an angled loading house lets trailers approach on a diagonal and can sometimes fit more bays along one wall.
Your loading bay stays our responsibility from the survey to the handover. In Ramsgate, 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 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.
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 England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What do we check at the survey?
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
- Lighting inside trailers and at the dock face
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
- Yard gradient and the slope of the approach to the dock
Options to discuss
Straight loading house
Set square to the building wall, the simplest layout where the yard has room for trailers to reverse straight in. Usually the most economical arrangement for one or more bays.
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.
What do the rules in England mean for the work?
Sites in Ramsgate fall under the rules for England. Structural changes such as forming a new opening or a dock leveller pit may need Building Regulations approval, and external structures such as loading houses, canopies or new dock approaches can need planning permission from the local planning authority. We check what applies at survey and build any approvals into the plan.
Questions about loading houses in Ramsgate
Can you work outside our normal operating hours in Ramsgate?
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.
Is the site survey in Ramsgate free?
Yes. For new installations, replacements, upgrades, conversions and complete bays, the site survey and written quote are free and come with no obligation. The survey lets us measure the openings, check the dock and structure, and understand how the bay is used, so the quote reflects your site. Repair and servicing visits are different: they are chargeable, with the price agreed before anyone attends.
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 Ramsgate 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.
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.
Does a loading house need planning permission?
A loading house can need planning permission because it is a new external structure, and we check this at survey for every project. Forming a new opening in the wall may also need Building Regulations approval, a building warrant in Scotland or building control approval in Northern Ireland, depending on where the site is.
Loading houses near Ramsgate
We also cover towns near Ramsgate, including Broadstairs (2 miles), Margate (3 miles) and Deal (8 miles). Each has its own page with the same services and process.
Other loading bay services in Ramsgate
Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Ramsgate
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