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Lifts and loading houses · Sittingbourne

Loading houses in Sittingbourne

Warehouse, factory and trade sites in Sittingbourne can bring requests for loading houses to us, and we organise the work in a way that suits how the site operates.

Guide £14,500–£32,000 per house ex VATFree site surveyME10
Book a free survey0800 088 6248
Location
Sittingbourne, Kent
Main postcode district
ME10
Nearby (straight line)
Faversham (7 miles), Gillingham (9 miles) and Chatham (9 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 matters for loading houses in Sittingbourne?

Chilled stores near Sittingbourne 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 Sittingbourne with a raised floor and little internal space by the wall, an external house can provide a modern hydraulic dock without major alterations.

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

We never ask you to commit before you have a fixed price. A free survey at your Sittingbourne site comes first, followed by a written quote. When the order goes ahead, we plan the installation around your operation, book any out-of-hours working you need and manage the specialist installation engineers on site. The job ends with a full test, a run-through for the people who will use the equipment and a set of handover documents.

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.

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.

Guide price, Sittingbourne
£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.

Survey checklist for your dock

  • Drainage on recessed or sloping dock approaches
  • Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
  • Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
  • Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
  • Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
  • Asbestos register and any other site hazard information

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.

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.

What do the rules in England mean for the work?

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 Sittingbourne. 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 Sittingbourne

Is the site survey in Sittingbourne 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.

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 Kent 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.

How long does installation take at a site in Sittingbourne?

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.

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.

Can a loading house be moved later?

Loading houses are bolted steel structures rather than masonry, so in principle they can be dismantled and moved if your needs change. In practice, relocation needs new foundations and an opening at the new position, so it is usually considered only where a house is fairly new and the new position suits it.

Loading houses near Sittingbourne

Sites close to Sittingbourne get the same service, including those in Faversham (7 miles), Gillingham (9 miles) and Chatham (9 miles), with every job run the same way.

Other loading bay services in Sittingbourne

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Sittingbourne

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