- Location
- Devizes, Wiltshire
- Main postcode district
- SN10
- Nearby (straight line)
- Calne (6 miles), Melksham (6 miles) and Chippenham (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.
Is this right for your site in Devizes?
Developers bringing forward industrial units in Devizes can specify loading houses at design stage, keeping the internal slab clear for whichever tenant takes the unit. Where a yard in Devizes is narrow, an angled loading house lets trailers approach on a diagonal and can sometimes fit more bays along one wall.
Units in Devizes with floors at dock height but no room for an internal leveller pit are typical candidates for an external loading house.
Before anything is ordered, we visit your site in Devizes 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.
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.
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 does the free survey cover?
- Age and condition of the equipment already in place
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
- Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
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.
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.
Regulations and approvals in England
In England, Approved Document L (2021) sets a limiting U-value of 1.3 W/m²K for vehicle access and similar large doors in new and replacement work. That shapes door specification for sites in Devizes, so we confirm the requirement for your project and check what applies at survey before recommending a door.
Questions about loading houses in Devizes
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Devizes?
It depends on which UK nation the site is in. England and Wales use Building Regulations approval, Scotland uses building warrants and Northern Ireland uses building control approval from the council. Workplace safety is regulated by HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland, and energy rules differ between nations. For your site in Devizes, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Devizes?
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.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Devizes?
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.
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.
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 Devizes
Sites close to Devizes get the same service, including those in Calne (6 miles), Melksham (6 miles) and Chippenham (9 miles), with every job run the same way.
Other loading bay services in Devizes
Full guide to loading houses · Everything we do in Devizes
If a loading bay in Devizes needs attention, call us or send photos and details online.