- Location
- Lichfield, Staffordshire
- Main postcode district
- WS13
- Nearby (straight line)
- Burntwood (4 miles), Tamworth (6 miles) and Aldridge (7 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.
What matters for loading houses in Lichfield?
Any loading house proposed in Lichfield needs its planning and building control position checked, which we look at during the site survey before quoting. Manufacturing businesses around Lichfield adding a dock to an existing building often find a loading house less disruptive than breaking out the slab inside.
Chilled stores near Lichfield sometimes favour loading houses because the building door closes at the wall line, keeping the cold envelope sealed when no trailer is docked.
If you are planning loading houses for a site in Lichfield, expect four stages. A free survey and fixed written quote come first. We then agree a programme with you, including any out-of-hours work. Specialist installation engineers carry out the installation under our management, with us as your single point of contact. Finally, the equipment is tested, your staff are shown how it works and everything is handed over with its documentation.
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.
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.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What do we check at the survey?
- Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
- Clear opening width and height for each door
- Asbestos register and any other site hazard information
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
- Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
- Yard gradient and the slope of the approach to the dock
Options to discuss
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.
Shelter or seal front
A retractable or inflatable shelter, or a foam dock seal, across the front of the house, chosen to suit your trailers and how tightly the bay needs to seal.
Which rules apply in England?
Sites in Lichfield 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 Lichfield
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 Lichfield 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 Staffordshire 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 cover Lichfield for loading houses?
Yes. We take on loading houses for businesses in Lichfield and across Staffordshire. We survey the site, provide a fixed written quote and manage the installation, with specialist installation engineers working under our management. Visits are arranged in advance at a time that suits your operation, and the same single contact stays with the job through to handover.
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.
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.
Loading houses near Lichfield
Businesses outside Lichfield may find their nearest town in this list: Burntwood (4 miles), Tamworth (6 miles) and Aldridge (7 miles). Each page covers doors, docks, repairs and servicing.
Other loading bay services in Lichfield
Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Lichfield
Ready to talk about a loading bay in Lichfield? Call us, or send the details through the quote form.