Lead is still the most reliable material for sealing the joints and penetrations on a roof. We carry out leadwork repairs and replacements on chimney flashings, valleys, parapet walls and flat roof upstands across Ely and the surrounding area.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Lead has been used on roofs in Britain for centuries, and it remains the material of choice for the flashings, valleys and upstands that seal the joins between a roof and a wall, chimney or parapet. It is flexible enough to be dressed into tight angles, durable enough to outlast most other building materials, and able to handle the movement that happens in a roof as temperatures change through the seasons. When it fails, water finds its way in quickly and the damage is often well advanced before the leak shows up inside.
Many properties have chimneys, dormer windows, bay roofs and parapet walls that all rely on lead flashings to stay weathertight. When that lead fails or is stolen, getting the replacement right matters.
Lead appears in several places on a typical domestic or commercial roof:
The most common cause of lead failure is thermal movement. Lead expands significantly in summer heat and contracts in cold. If a flashing has been fixed too rigidly - nailed through rather than clipped and free to move - it will eventually crack at the fixing point. A common problem is a chimney apron that has split horizontally across the middle because it was dressed in one long piece rather than the correctly sized sections that allow movement.
Mortar pointing that holds the top edge of a step flashing into a brick joint hardens over time, loses its grip and falls out. Once the top edge is unsealed, water gets behind the flashing and runs straight down the chimney breast. This looks like a chimney leak but the chimney pot and flaunching above may be perfectly fine.
Lead theft is also a real issue on larger properties, churches and older buildings. Where lead has been taken, temporary repair materials are rarely adequate for more than a short period. Proper replacement with correctly weighted and fixed lead is the only lasting solution.
Lead sheet is sold in coded grades from Code 3 to Code 8, with higher codes being thicker and heavier. The correct code for each application matters. Code 3 and 4 are typically used for soakers and small flashings; Code 4 and 5 for chimney flashings; Code 5 and 6 for valleys and parapet gutters; Code 6 and above for flat roof coverings and larger gutter linings. Using underweight lead in a valley or flat roof application is a false economy - it is more prone to splitting and movement damage.
Lead used outdoors should be patinated. New bright lead is prone to run-off staining on tiles, brickwork and stonework as it weathers. A patination oil applied to newly installed lead prevents this and helps the lead bed in to its natural appearance more quickly.
Lead is priced by weight because the metal is traded as a commodity and prices shift. As a rough guide, repointing and re-fixing an existing chimney flashing where the lead itself is still sound costs from around £150 to £300 depending on access and the amount of repointing needed. Replacing a full set of chimney flashings - step flashings, soakers, apron and back gutter - on a single stack typically falls between £400 and £900 for a standard domestic chimney, but a large or complex stack on an older property will cost more. Valley replacement is priced by the linear metre and typically runs from £80 to £150 per metre installed, depending on the width of the valley and the ease of access.
These are honest general figures. The actual cost for any specific job depends on the size of the chimney or valley, the lead code specified, scaffolding or access requirements, and whether there is associated tile, slate or mortar work to carry out at the same time.
Cutting and dressing lead is a skilled task. The sheet is cut to size, dressed into shape with a bossing mallet and dresser, and fitted in sections of the correct length to allow for thermal movement. Step flashings are tucked individually into the brick joints and secured with lead wedges, then pointed with a flexible mortar or lead mastic. The joint at the top must be both mechanically fixed and weatherproofed - relying on pointing alone leads to the failure described above.
Where tiles or slates around the flashing have been disturbed, they need to be re-bedded or re-hung correctly. Cutting corners here means water can still get under the roof covering even if the lead itself is perfect. A thorough leadwork job checks the condition of the surrounding roof covering and makes good what needs it.
If you have a leak near a chimney, dormer or parapet wall, or if you can see lead that has lifted, cracked or gone missing, call us and describe what you can see from the ground. We work across Ely and the surrounding area. We will inspect the leadwork properly, explain what has failed and why, and give you a clear price for the repair before any work begins.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
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