- Location
- Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
- Main postcode district
- NG17
- Nearby (straight line)
- Sutton-in-Ashfield (2 miles), Mansfield (3 miles) and Hucknall (5 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.
Where does this fit at a dock in Kirkby-in-Ashfield?
Chilled stores near Kirkby-in-Ashfield sometimes favour loading houses because the building door closes at the wall line, keeping the cold envelope sealed when no trailer is docked. Where a yard in Kirkby-in-Ashfield is narrow, an angled loading house lets trailers approach on a diagonal and can sometimes fit more bays along one wall.
Racked warehouses around Kirkby-in-Ashfield that cannot spare internal floor space for a dock can move the leveller outside the wall into a loading house instead.
It starts with a free site survey in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, where we measure the openings, check the dock and talk through how the bay is used. You then receive a fixed written quote. Once you accept, we manage the job: specialist installation engineers carry out the work under our management, planned around your deliveries, and out-of-hours working can be arranged. At handover we test everything with you and leave the documentation.
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.
Does a loading house need planning permission or building approval?
A loading house can need planning permission, because it is a new external structure, so we check this at survey rather than assuming it is not needed. The answer depends on the site, the size of the house and any planning conditions already on the building.
Forming a new opening in the building wall is a structural alteration that may need approval. In England and Wales that means Building Regulations approval, in Scotland a building warrant, and in Northern Ireland building control approval.
Energy rules can also apply to the door in the building wall. In England, Approved Document L (2021) Volume 2 sets a limiting U-value of 1.3 W/m²K for vehicle access and similar large doors in new and replacement work. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own energy rules, and we confirm the figure that applies to your nation and project.
The leveller inside the house is specified to BS EN 1398:2009, the dock leveller safety standard. Our guide to loading houses explained goes through the approvals in more detail.
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
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
- Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
- Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
Options to discuss
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.
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 Kirkby-in-Ashfield. 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 Kirkby-in-Ashfield
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 Kirkby-in-Ashfield 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.
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 Nottinghamshire 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.
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 Kirkby-in-Ashfield, 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.
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.
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 Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Distances are measured from Kirkby-in-Ashfield. Nearby towns we cover include Sutton-in-Ashfield (2 miles), Mansfield (3 miles) and Hucknall (5 miles), and other towns in the area are covered too.
Other loading bay services in Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Speak to us about your Kirkby-in-Ashfield loading bay. We will ask the right questions, then set out the next step clearly.