Loading houses in Wigston Magna

Location: Wigston Magna, Leicestershire
Main postcode districts: LE2 and LE18
Nearby (straight line): Oadby (2 miles), Leicester (4 miles) and Earl Shilton (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.

Where does this fit at a dock in Wigston Magna?

Racked warehouses around Wigston Magna that cannot spare internal floor space for a dock can move the leveller outside the wall into a loading house instead. For older buildings in Wigston Magna with a raised floor and little internal space by the wall, an external house can provide a modern hydraulic dock without major alterations.

Any loading house proposed in Wigston Magna needs its planning and building control position checked, which we look at during the site survey before quoting.

We do not give a fixed price without seeing the site. A free survey in Wigston Magna lets us check the details that affect the job, and the written quote that follows is a fixed price for the agreed scope. We plan the work around your operation, arrange out-of-hours access if you need it and manage specialist installation engineers throughout. Handover includes testing, a demonstration and the paperwork you need for your records.

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.

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, Wigston Magna

£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 we look at on site

Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
Age and condition of the equipment already in place

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

Sites in Wigston Magna 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 Wigston Magna

How do you price loading houses for a site in Wigston Magna?

Guide budgets for supply and fit are £14,500 to £32,000 per house, excluding VAT. The figure moves with size, insulation, the operator, electrics, access, any pit or groundworks and out-of-hours working. Where levellers are involved, the guide assumes an existing, sound pit. After the free survey you receive a fixed written quote, and that is the price for the agreed scope.

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 Wigston Magna 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.

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 Wigston Magna, 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 Wigston Magna

We also cover towns near Wigston Magna, including Oadby (2 miles), Leicester (4 miles) and Earl Shilton (9 miles). Each has its own page with the same services and process.

Other loading bay services in Wigston Magna

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Wigston Magna

If a loading bay in Wigston Magna needs attention, call us or send photos and details online.