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Lifts and loading houses · Sevenoaks

Loading houses in Sevenoaks

We look after loading houses for warehouses and factories in Sevenoaks, planning the work around deliveries and collections so that the dock stays as available as possible.

Guide £14,500–£32,000 per house ex VATFree site surveyTN13
Book a free survey0800 088 6248
Location
Sevenoaks, Kent
Main postcode district
TN13
Nearby (straight line)
Tonbridge (6 miles), Royal Tunbridge Wells (10 miles) and Caterham (12 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.

Where does this fit at a dock in Sevenoaks?

Racked warehouses around Sevenoaks that cannot spare internal floor space for a dock can move the leveller outside the wall into a loading house instead. Chilled stores near Sevenoaks 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 Sevenoaks with a raised floor and little internal space by the wall, an external house can provide a modern hydraulic dock without major alterations.

Our part of the job in Sevenoaks is to survey, quote and manage; the fitting itself is done by specialist installation engineers working under our management. The survey and the written quote are free. Once the fixed price is accepted, we agree dates that work around your deliveries and shifts, including out-of-hours working where needed. Every installation is tested before handover, and you receive the documentation for each item fitted.

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.

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, Sevenoaks
£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 do we check at the survey?

  • Age and condition of the equipment already in place
  • Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
  • Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
  • Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
  • Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
  • Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed

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.

Which rules apply in England?

Powered doors and dock equipment installed in England may carry the UKCA or the CE mark, and doors are covered by the product standard BS EN 13241. We hand over the relevant documentation for each item fitted in Sevenoaks. Planning and Building Regulations questions are never assumed either way: we check what applies at survey, so you know before work is booked.

Questions about loading houses in Sevenoaks

Is the site survey in Sevenoaks 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.

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

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

How long does installation take at a site in Sevenoaks?

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.

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 Sevenoaks

Nearby places we cover, measured from Sevenoaks, include Tonbridge (6 miles), Royal Tunbridge Wells (10 miles) and Caterham (12 miles). Ask if your own town is missing.

Other loading bay services in Sevenoaks

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Sevenoaks

Speak to us about your Sevenoaks loading bay. We will ask the right questions, then set out the next step clearly.

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