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Lifts and loading houses · Wellington

Loading houses in Wellington

Need loading houses for a warehouse, factory or distribution site in Wellington? Below you will find how we approach the work, what we check on site and the details that help us give you an accurate answer.

Guide £14,500–£32,000 per house ex VATFree site surveyTF1
Book a free survey0800 088 6248
Location
Wellington, Shropshire
Main postcode district
TF1
Nearby (straight line)
Telford (3 miles), Shrewsbury (10 miles) and Stafford (18 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 should sites in Wellington consider?

Chilled stores near Wellington sometimes favour loading houses because the building door closes at the wall line, keeping the cold envelope sealed when no trailer is docked. Units in Wellington with floors at dock height but no room for an internal leveller pit are typical candidates for an external loading house.

For older buildings in Wellington with a raised floor and little internal space by the wall, an external house can provide a modern hydraulic dock without major alterations.

It starts with a free site survey in Wellington, 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.

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, Wellington
£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

  • Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
  • Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
  • Yard gradient and the slope of the approach to the dock
  • Clear opening width and height for each door
  • Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
  • Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work

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.

Which rules apply in England?

Lift tables and dock lifts in Wellington 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 Wellington

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 Wellington, 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.

Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Wellington?

Yes. For new warehouses and fit-outs, we can supply and install the dock package as part of a wider project, working to the main contractor's programme, site rules and permits. We will need drawings, dock levels and the programme, and we coordinate pit details, power supplies and door openings with the relevant trades before installation begins.

How do you price loading houses for a site in Wellington?

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.

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.

Loading houses near Wellington

Distances are measured from Wellington. Nearby towns we cover include Telford (3 miles), Shrewsbury (10 miles) and Stafford (18 miles), and other towns in the area are covered too.

Other loading bay services in Wellington

Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Wellington

For a written price on loading bay work in Wellington, request a quote and include photos of the bay if you can.

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