Ely Roofers carries out lead flashing repairs and full installations for homeowners in Sutton, from the first inspection through to completion and clean-up.
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Before any lead work is quoted or started, someone needs to look at it properly. A survey from ground level or a loft hatch can suggest where a problem is, but it rarely shows the full picture. When we attend a property in Sutton, the survey involves getting eyes on the lead itself - at chimney level, along the valley or at the abutment, wherever the suspected problem lies.
We look at the condition of the lead - whether it is cracked, lifted, buckled or simply reaching the end of its useful life. We check the mortar raggle (the joint the lead tucks into) for cracking and shrinkage. We look at the tiles or slates either side of the flashing, because displaced or broken tiles near lead work often contribute to a leak even when the lead itself is sound. We also check the roof structure in the loft if there is accessible space beneath, because water staining on rafters and felt can confirm exactly where water is entering.
At the end of the survey we can tell you what needs doing, what can be left alone, and roughly what it will involve. There is no value in replacing sound lead unnecessarily - but there is equally no value in patching lead that has fatigued across a wide area.
Lead work almost always requires some disruption to surrounding tiles or slates. For chimney work, the tiles immediately around the stack have to be lifted so that soakers can be fitted or removed. On a valley, the tiles lapping over the lead edges need to come off before the lead can be assessed or lifted out. This is careful work - tiles need to come off without cracking, and any broken ones should be noted before work begins so there is no dispute afterwards about what was already damaged.
Access is arranged before the job starts. Some lead work is reachable from a ladder or hop-up; chimney and high valley work often needs a scaffold platform or tower. The access method affects both safety and cost, and it should be agreed upfront. On a two-storey house, chimney work without scaffolding is difficult to carry out properly and not something an experienced roofer should cut corners on.
Any vulnerable surfaces below the working area - a conservatory roof, a parked car, a garden bed - are protected with boards or sheeting before material starts coming down.
Old lead is stripped out section by section. If it is fixed with clips or tacks, these come out first. If the top edge is set into a mortar raggle, the old pointing is raked out carefully - not chiselled aggressively, which can crack the brickwork behind. The underlying surface (the roof deck, the brick face, the gutter board) is then cleaned of old mortar, debris and any remaining sealant from previous patch repairs.
Sealant under new lead is not best practice. It traps moisture and can cause the lead to lift over time. The substrate needs to be clean and sound before new lead goes on. If there is rot in a timber roll, gutter board or tilting fillet, that is repaired or replaced at this stage - not covered over.
Old lead has scrap value and is taken away for recycling. It should not be left on the property or buried in a skip with general waste.
New lead sheet is cut to size on site using snips or a knife and straight edge. The correct code is used for each component - typically code 4 for chimney aprons, soakers and step flashings, and code 5 for back gutters and valley linings where a heavier-gauge sheet is more appropriate.
Dressing is the process of beating and folding the lead to fit the profile of the surface beneath - around brickwork angles, into internal corners, over timber rolls and along the line of tile courses. This is skilled manual work. Lead that has been dressed properly sits flat, holds its shape and sheds water cleanly. Lead that has been forced into a sharp bend without proper dressing will crack at that bend within a few years.
Expansion is accounted for in long runs by forming rolls or welts at specified intervals. British Standard guidance sets out the maximum lengths for each code of lead without an expansion detail. Ignoring these limits is a frequent cause of splitting in older installations.
Lead is fixed using copper or stainless steel clips and tacks - never galvanised fixings, which corrode on contact with lead. The fixings hold the sheet in place while allowing it to move with thermal expansion. Over-fixing lead so it cannot move is as problematic as under-fixing it.
The top edge is dressed into the cleaned raggle and pointed with fresh mortar, or re-wedged with lead wedges and pointed, depending on the detail. The mortar mix used for pointing flashings should be appropriate for the brickwork - too hard a mix will crack as the lead moves; too soft will wash out. This joint is the final barrier against wind-driven rain getting behind the flashing, so it needs to be done properly, not quickly.
Where soakers are part of the system, each one is slid into position under the tile course above before the step flashing is fitted over the top. The tiles are then relaid, bedding any loose ones as needed.
Once the lead is dressed, fixed and pointed, the tiles around the work are checked and relaid. Mortar is cleaned off tile faces while it is still workable. Any tiles that were cracked during work are replaced - this should be discussed as part of the quotation so there are no surprises.
The work area is checked from different angles to confirm the flashings are sitting correctly, lapping in the right direction and forming a continuous weathertight seal. Gutters and flat surfaces below are cleared of any offcuts, mortar or debris.
All waste lead is collected and removed. The surrounding area is swept or brushed down and left tidy. Lead offcuts in particular should never be left accessible to children or left in a garden, given the material's known toxicity.
New mortar pointing needs time to cure - roughly 24 to 48 hours in dry conditions. It should not be disturbed or washed with a hose in that period. After that, the flashing should be fully weathertight.
If the leak that prompted the job was already causing damp internally, the internal damage (plaster staining, saturated insulation) will need time to dry out before decoration. Roofers address the source of the water; internal repair and redecoration is separate work, done once the roof is confirmed watertight.
If you are in Sutton and you have suspected lead work problems - whether a damp patch, a visible lifted flashing or a general concern following heavy rain - call Ely Roofers and ask for a roof survey. We cover Sutton and the wider area around Ely.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
