- Location
- Chippenham, Wiltshire
- Main postcode district
- SN15
- Nearby (straight line)
- Calne (5 miles), Melksham (6 miles) and Devizes (9 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 Chippenham?
Chilled stores near Chippenham 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 Chippenham with floors at dock height but no room for an internal leveller pit are typical candidates for an external loading house.
Any loading house proposed in Chippenham needs its planning and building control position checked, which we look at during the site survey before quoting.
Before anything is ordered, we visit your site in Chippenham for a free survey and then send a written quote with a fixed price. From that point we manage the installation, coordinating delivery, access and any other trades. Fitting is done by specialist installation engineers engaged and managed by us, at times that suit your operation, including out of hours where agreed. You get a tested installation, a demonstration for your team and the manufacturer documentation.
When is a loading house better than an internal dock?
A loading house is usually the better option when the building floor is already at dock height but there is no practical way to form a leveller pit inside. It moves the whole dock outside the wall, leaving the internal floor clear.
- No room inside: racking, production lines or mezzanines sit right up to the wall.
- Difficult slab: the floor slab carries services or is unsuited to breaking out for a pit.
- Thermal control: the building door closes at the wall line, so the leveller sits outside the heated or chilled space when no trailer is docked.
- Security: the building can be closed at the wall line while the house itself stays open to the yard.
- Narrow yards: an angled house lets trailers approach on a diagonal and can fit more bays along one wall.
Where the building floor is at yard level, a loading house alone will not solve the height difference, and a recessed approach or lift table is usually needed instead.
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.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What does the free survey cover?
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
- Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
- Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
- Clear opening width and height for each door
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.
What do the rules in England mean for the work?
Lift tables and dock lifts in Chippenham 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 Chippenham
How long does installation take at a site in Chippenham?
It depends on the equipment, the number of bays, the condition of the dock and whether any building or electrical work is needed. We agree a programme with you after the survey, setting out which bays are out of use and when. Larger jobs are usually phased so that part of the dock stays open, and out-of-hours working can be arranged.
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 Wiltshire 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.
Is the site survey in Chippenham free?
Yes. For new installations, replacements, upgrades, conversions and complete bays, the site survey and written quote are free and come with no obligation. The survey lets us measure the openings, check the dock and structure, and understand how the bay is used, so the quote reflects your site. Repair and servicing visits are different: they are chargeable, with the price agreed before anyone attends.
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.
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 Chippenham
Other towns within reach of Chippenham on our coverage list include Calne (5 miles), Melksham (6 miles) and Devizes (9 miles), all covered on the same terms.
Other loading bay services in Chippenham
Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Chippenham
For a written price on loading bay work in Chippenham, request a quote and include photos of the bay if you can.