Lead work is one of the most demanding parts of roofing and one of the most important. We cut, dress and fit lead flashing around chimneys, valleys, dormers and abutments across Norwich and the surrounding villages to stop water getting in where roof meets wall or where two roof slopes meet.
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Lead flashing and lead detailing keep water out of the most vulnerable parts of a roof. Wherever a roof meets a wall, a chimney, a dormer or another roof slope, there is a joint that needs to be sealed properly. Felt, mastic and foam-in-a-can are often used as quick fixes, but none of them last. Lead, dressed and fixed correctly by someone who knows what they are doing, is the material that has been used on British roofs for centuries because it works.
We carry out lead work on properties across Norwich and in the surrounding towns and villages including Wymondham, Hellesdon, Costessey, Attleborough, Taverham, Thorpe St Andrew, Sprowston, Aylsham, Dereham and North Walsham. Whether the property is a Victorian terrace, a 1930s semi, a newer detached house or an older farm building, the principles of good leadwork are the same.
Lead comes in different codes - the number refers to the thickness of the sheet. Code 3 and Code 4 are used for soakers and cover flashings. Code 4 and Code 5 are typical for chimney flashings. Valley gutters and back gutters are usually Code 5 or Code 6, with Code 4 suited only to smaller valleys. Code 5 and Code 6 are used for more demanding applications where extra durability is needed or where water volume is higher. Using the wrong code is a common source of failure: lead that is too thin will crack and split under thermal movement.
Lead moves with temperature. A metal sheet that is hot in summer and cold in winter will expand and contract, and if it is fixed too rigidly or cut in pieces that are too long, it will split or pull away from the mortar joint. Good lead work means cutting each piece to the right length - usually no more than 1.5 metres for step and cover flashings - and allowing for that movement in the way it is dressed and clipped.
The main types of lead work we carry out include:
Each job is different. A chimney on a slate roof needs a different approach to one on a concrete tile roof. A valley on a 1930s house may have the original lead still in place but cracked and pulling away; on an older property, we sometimes find that previous repairs have been done with mortar alone, with no lead soakers under the slates at all.
A lead joint that is failing is usually the cause of a damp patch on a ceiling, water running down an interior wall or staining around a chimney breast. The leak is often not directly below the joint - water gets in at the flashing, travels along a rafter, a batten or the top of a ceiling joist, and then drips down somewhere else entirely. That can make it hard to pinpoint the source without getting up and inspecting the lead properly.
Frost is another issue in cold winters. Water that has worked its way behind a poorly fitted flashing and into a mortar joint will freeze, expand and push the lead further away from the wall. One winter can turn a minor gap into a significant failure. Properties in more exposed positions can see this kind of damage develop quickly.
Left alone, a failing chimney flashing does more than let in water. The constant damp in the chimney breast can cause the mortar pointing on the stack itself to soften and fall out. The stack can start to lean. Internally, repeated wetting and drying of the plaster causes it to blow and crack. What starts as a lead repair job can become a much more involved and expensive piece of work if it is left too long.
There are self-adhesive lead-effect strips and various sealant-based products on the market. Some of these are useful for very minor repairs in accessible locations, but they are not a substitute for properly dressed lead at a chimney or valley. Most sealant strips begin to lift and crack within a few years, particularly where the roof gets full sun and the surface temperature cycles widely between seasons. For any joint where water is going to collect or run, and for any chimney, we use lead.
EPDM rubber and modern roofing membranes are used for flat roof surfaces, and we can advise on those too where a lead-lined parapet gutter connects to a flat roof deck. But at the junction with masonry - at chimney bases, at abutment walls, at party walls - lead is still the right material because it can be dressed tightly into a raked mortar joint in a way that nothing else replicates.
When we come out to look at a lead problem, we check the full area rather than just the obvious point of failure. A step flashing that has pulled away from the wall is usually the symptom, but the cause might be that the mortar behind it has failed, that the clips holding the lead have corroded, or that the original installation was in pieces that were too long. We look at the condition of the underlying felt or membrane, the pointing on any chimney stack, and the state of any soakers or cover flashings in the same area.
On chimney stacks, we check all four sides - not just the one that looks worst from the ground. The back gutter (the lead that sits behind the chimney and collects water running off the upper roof slope) is a common point of failure and is often invisible from the ground or from a first-floor window. Cracked or open mortar joints in the haunching at the base of chimney pots are another thing that lets water into the stack, and that can look like a flashing problem when the actual entry point is higher up.
Where the lead is in reasonable condition - still pliable, no significant cracking through the full thickness - a repair to the mortar or the clips may be all that is needed. Where the lead has hardened and cracked, or where it was installed with incorrect falls, in oversized pieces, or using the wrong code of lead, replacement is the right call. Patching cracked lead with sealant buys a little time but the underlying problem remains.
A full chimney flashing replacement on a typical three-bedroom house in Norwich or a nearby town such as Costessey or Sprowston typically costs in the range of £300 to £600, depending on the size of the stack, how many sides need new lead, whether new soakers are required and the condition of the mortar joints on the stack. A valley gutter replacement is generally priced per linear metre and will vary with the pitch of the roof and the code of lead required.
Lead work for chimneys in Norwich typically costs £300 to £600 for a full flashing replacement on a standard domestic stack, with valley gutters priced per metre based on lead code and roof pitch.
Lead work almost always requires scaffolding or a secured ladder at the very least. Working safely at chimney height on a pitched roof is not a job for a ladder against guttering - the leadworker needs to be able to work with both hands, to dress the lead properly, and to get into the back gutter without leaning over a ridge. We will be straight with you about access requirements before we start, and what that means for the total cost.
Once on the roof, any failing lead is carefully cut back and removed. Mortar is raked out of the joints where the flashing turns in. New soakers are cut and fitted if needed, and the cover or step flashings are cut, dressed into position and clipped. Fresh mortar is worked into the joint, struck off neatly and left to cure. The work is checked before we come down.
We work across Norwich and in neighbouring towns and villages including Thorpe St Andrew, Wymondham, Taverham, North Walsham, Hellesdon, Attleborough, Costessey, Aylsham, Sprowston and Dereham. If you are not sure whether your property is within our area, call us and we will confirm.
Some problems are obvious - water dripping from a ceiling after rain, a damp chimney breast, or visible gaps at the base of a chimney stack. Others develop slowly. Look out for:
If you spot any of these, the sensible move is to get someone up to have a proper look rather than waiting to see if it gets worse. In most cases, catching a lead problem early means a straightforward repair. Leaving it means more damage to the roof structure, the chimney stack, the ceiling plaster and sometimes the timbers.
If you have a damp patch you cannot explain, a chimney that you know has not been looked at in years, or a valley that seems to be collecting moss and debris, call us. We cover Norwich and the surrounding area including Wymondham, Hellesdon, Costessey, Attleborough, Taverham, Thorpe St Andrew, Sprowston, Aylsham, Dereham and North Walsham. We will inspect the lead work, explain what we find and give you a clear answer about what needs doing and what it is likely to cost before any work starts.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
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