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Lifts and loading houses · Skelmersdale

Loading houses in Skelmersdale

Everything to do with loading houses at sites in Skelmersdale is covered here: how we work, what we check and what you can expect from the process.

Guide £14,500–£32,000 per house ex VATFree site surveyWN8
Book a free survey0800 088 6248
Location
Skelmersdale, Lancashire
Main postcode district
WN8
Nearby (straight line)
Ormskirk (5 miles), Wigan (6 miles) and Kirkby (7 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.

Why do sites in Skelmersdale choose this?

Any loading house proposed in Skelmersdale needs its planning and building control position checked, which we look at during the site survey before quoting. Units in Skelmersdale with floors at dock height but no room for an internal leveller pit are typical candidates for an external loading house.

Chilled stores near Skelmersdale sometimes favour loading houses because the building door closes at the wall line, keeping the cold envelope sealed when no trailer is docked.

Keeping the dock running is usually the first concern, so we plan around it. After a free survey of your Skelmersdale site and a written quote at a fixed price, we agree when each bay can be released and whether any work should happen out of hours. Specialist installation engineers working under our management then fit the equipment, and we test it and hand over the documentation before the bay goes back into use.

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.

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.

Guide price, Skelmersdale
£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 does the free survey cover?

  • How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
  • How often each door cycles during a typical shift
  • Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
  • Asbestos register and any other site hazard information
  • Clear opening width and height for each door
  • Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods

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.

Regulations and approvals in England

Lift tables and dock lifts in Skelmersdale may fall under LOLER, with thorough examination at least every 12 months, or every 6 months where people are lifted. It depends on the equipment and how it is used, and your insurer or competent person will confirm. Dock levellers are usually treated as work equipment under PUWER. We check what applies at survey.

Questions about loading houses in Skelmersdale

How long does installation take at a site in Skelmersdale?

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

To get started, send the site address in Skelmersdale, 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.

Do you remove and dispose of the old equipment?

Yes, where it is part of the scope. When we replace doors, levellers, shelters or seals at a site in Skelmersdale, removal and disposal of the old equipment can be included and is itemised in the quote, so it is clear what is covered. If anything should be kept, such as a frame or motor that is still serviceable, we agree that at survey.

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.

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.

Loading houses near Skelmersdale

If your site is not in Skelmersdale itself, it may be near one of these: Ormskirk (5 miles), Wigan (6 miles) and Kirkby (7 miles). Pick the closest.

Other loading bay services in Skelmersdale

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Skelmersdale

Whether it is a new bay or a fault on an existing one, call us or request a quote for your site in Skelmersdale.

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