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 Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles?
Where a yard in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles is narrow, an angled loading house lets trailers approach on a diagonal and can sometimes fit more bays along one wall. Manufacturing businesses around Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles adding a dock to an existing building often find a loading house less disruptive than breaking out the slab inside.
Racked warehouses around Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles that cannot spare internal floor space for a dock can move the leveller outside the wall into a loading house instead.
Our part of the job in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles 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.
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.
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.
Towns we cover in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
We provide loading houses right across Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. Pick the town closest to your site from the list below.
Budget range for supply and fit. The written quote after a free survey is the fixed price. All guide prices.
Regulations and approvals in Scotland
HSE is the workplace safety regulator in Scotland. At a loading bay in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, doors need to satisfy regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, dock equipment must be kept safe under PUWER, and drivers must be prevented from pulling away too early. We check what applies at survey.
For Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, installation work is planned in advance rather than on a routine round. The survey and quote are free; where we can, we group installation visits with other work nearby, and any travel and accommodation costs for fitting are set out clearly in the quote.
Questions
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles?
We check at survey whether the work is likely to need approval. Forming a new opening or dock pit may need Building Regulations approval, a building warrant or building control approval, depending on the nation, and external structures such as loading houses can need planning permission. Where approval is needed, we explain what is involved, work with your designer or agent, and build it into the programme.
How do you price loading houses for a site in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles?
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.
How long does a loading house take to install?
The programme depends mainly on foundation works and manufacturing lead times, and we set it out in writing with the quote. On site, foundations must cure before the frame goes up, and the rest of the work follows in sequence. We agree dates with you so other bays can keep working.
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.
Other services in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
Full guide to loading houses · All loading bay services in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles