If you need lead work carried out in Long Stratton, here is everything you need to know about the job itself and how to choose the right contractor to do it properly.
Lead is the traditional material used wherever a roof meets a wall, a chimney, a dormer, a skylight or a valley. Done well, it creates a weathertight joint that can last several decades without attention. Done poorly, it allows water to track behind the flashing and into the roof structure, often without showing itself as a drip until real damage has already occurred.
The main types of lead work on a typical home are flashings (the strips that cover the joint between a roof and a vertical surface), soakers (small interlocking pieces that sit under slate or tile courses alongside a chimney or abutment), lead valleys (the channel running down the angle where two roof slopes meet) and, on some older properties, flat roof coverings laid entirely in lead sheet.
Every one of these relies on the correct code of lead being used. Lead sheet is categorised by its thickness and weight per square metre. Code 3 and Code 4 are the lightest and are used for soakers and small flashings. Code 5 is the standard for most chimney flashings and stepped flashings. Code 6, Code 7 and Code 8 are used for valleys and flat roof coverings where greater durability and resistance to foot traffic are needed. A contractor who fits Code 3 where Code 5 is required is cutting costs at your expense.
A common problem is lead that has been fitted without adequate fixings or dressed too tightly. Lead expands and contracts with temperature changes, and if it cannot move freely it will crack, lift or pull away from the wall. Correctly installed flashings are fixed at one end only with a lead tack or clip, leaving the rest free to move.
Mortar-pointed flashings are another frequent source of failure. The flashing should be turned into a raked joint in the brickwork and held with lead wedges, then sealed with a flexible pointing compound. Hard mortar cracks away from the lead as the seasons change, leaving a gap that lets in water. If you can see mortar pointing along the top edge of a flashing, that is a warning sign worth investigating.
Corrosion from adjacent materials is less well known but genuinely damaging. Lead in contact with certain types of green oak, cedar or other acidic timbers will corrode faster than normal. The same applies where run-off from copper pipes or copper flashing on a neighbouring element washes over lead. A competent roofer will know to check for this before fitting new lead.
Finally, lead that has been painted over, covered in bitumen or patched with adhesive tape is usually concealing a problem rather than fixing one. These patches are temporary at best. If you have visible tape or mastic on flashings, assume the underlying lead needs attention.
This is the most important part of the page for most homeowners, because lead work is one of those trades where the difference between a competent job and a poor one is not obvious until water finds its way through, sometimes a year or two later. These are the questions worth asking before you agree to any work.
Any contractor who cannot immediately tell you the lead code they intend to use for each element of the job should be viewed with caution. Code 5 for chimney and step flashings, Code 4 for soakers, Code 6 or above for valleys - these are not trade secrets. They are the standard specifications set out by the Lead Sheet Association and they are what any competent tradesperson should be working to. If the answer is vague or the contractor seems unfamiliar with the question, ask someone else.
Be aware that some contractors quote for lead work using lightweight or thin sheet to keep costs down. The difference in material cost between Code 4 and Code 5 is not enormous, but the difference in longevity can be significant.
Good lead work starts with removing everything that is already there. That means stripping back the old lead, clearing out any old mortar or sealant from the joints in the brickwork, and inspecting the substrate underneath. On older properties especially, there is sometimes rot in the timber fillet beneath a flashing, or spalled brickwork behind a chimney soaker, that will undermine any new lead fitted over the top of it.
Be wary of any quote that involves laying new lead over old. There are rare situations where this is acceptable, but they are the exception. As a rule, new lead should go onto a properly prepared surface.
The method of fixing and sealing is where a lot of the variation in quality sits. Flashings turned into raked brick joints and held with lead wedges before being sealed with a suitable flexible compound will outlast those nailed in place and mortared by many years. Ask the contractor to describe their process. A straightforward explanation of how they rake out the joint, dress the lead in, fix it and finish the pointing is a good sign. Evasion or vagueness is not.
For soakers alongside a chimney, ask whether the soakers will be individually fitted under each slate or tile course or whether a single piece of lead will be used as a shortcut. Individual soakers, properly sized and lapped, are the correct approach and significantly more weather-resistant than a single strip.
Lead work on chimneys and dormers usually requires scaffolding or a properly secured ladder and roof ladder. If a contractor proposes to carry out chimney flashing work from a single unsecured ladder, the quality and safety of the work will both be compromised. Ask how they plan to access the area and how they will protect tiles, guttering and the surrounding roof surface during the job.
Roof tiles are easily cracked by someone moving around without a proper roof ladder, and a cracked tile that lets in water can cost more to put right than the flashing job itself. Any contractor who dismisses this concern is telling you something about how they approach their work.
A price written on the back of a business card is not enough. Before you agree to any lead work, ask for a written description of what will be stripped, what will be fitted, the lead code and weight to be used, and what the finished joint will be sealed with. This is not an unusual request and any competent contractor should be comfortable providing it. Having a written record also means you have something to refer to if there is a disagreement about what was agreed.
Compare quotes on the basis of what is included, not just the number at the bottom. A quote that strips out old flashing, inspects the substrate, fits new Code 5 lead dressed into raked joints, and seals with flexible pointing compound is a fundamentally different job from one that lays new lead over old and finishes with mortar. They may look similar on paper if the scope is not described in detail.
Once the work is done, there are a few things you can check from the ground or from a safe position with binoculars. The flashing should sit flush against the wall without visible gaps. The pointing at the top edge should be neat and without cracks. There should be no visible mortar smeared across the face of the lead. The step flashings alongside a chimney should overlap cleanly and lie flat against the brickwork at each course.
Lead changes colour as it weathers, going from a bright silver-grey when new to a dull mid-grey over a few years. A fresh repair will stand out initially but blend in over time. If you can see bright, shiny lead and fresh pointing, the work is new. If you can see old grey lead with fresh pointing alongside it, ask the contractor to confirm what was replaced and what was left in place.
Lead work costs vary considerably depending on the scope and complexity of the job. A straightforward chimney re-flash on a standard two-storey house, including stripping the old flashing, fitting new lead and pointing, typically costs in the region of £300 to £600 depending on the size of the chimney and access required. Scaffolding, if needed, will add to that figure.
Lead valleys are more material-intensive. A full valley replacement on a typical semi-detached property might cost £400 to £900. Flat roof coverings in lead are a larger investment again, running at roughly £100 to £180 per square metre depending on the lead code used and the condition of the deck beneath.
These are typical current UK ranges rather than fixed prices. Any actual quote will reflect the specific conditions on your roof, access requirements and the current cost of lead sheet, which fluctuates with metal markets.
Chimneys are the most common location for lead work problems on domestic properties. A chimney has multiple points where water can enter: the back gutter (a wide piece of lead sitting behind the chimney where the roof meets the back face), the two side soakers and step flashings, and the apron flashing across the front. Each of these elements needs to be in good condition for the chimney to stay weathertight.
A common fault is the back gutter being too shallow or having no proper upstand behind it. Water collecting here has nowhere to go except into the roof. When surveying a chimney leak, a thorough contractor will check all four sides, not just the most visible flashing from the ground.
Chimney stacks on older properties sometimes have a lead flashing that has been added to over the years, with new pieces lapping over old ones. This can work if done carefully, but it is worth asking whether a full strip-and-relay would be more cost-effective in the long run than adding another layer.
Lead valleys often last 50 years or more when correctly specified and installed. When they do start to fail, the signs are usually pinhole perforations caused by ponding water, splits at the centre of the valley where the lead has been walked on repeatedly, or cracking at the edges where the lead has been worked too hard during fitting.
Small perforations can sometimes be repaired with a properly prepared lead patch bonded with appropriate solder. But if the valley lead is generally thin, corroded or showing signs of widespread deterioration, full replacement is usually the better decision. Patching brittle lead often shifts the problem slightly rather than resolving it.
When a valley is replaced, the tiles or slates on either side need to be lifted carefully and re-bedded. A competent roofer will inspect the condition of those tiles while they are off and flag any that need replacing before they go back on.
Lead flat roofs are less common than felt or EPDM rubber systems on modern properties, but they do exist, particularly on older extensions and bay window tops. Lead flat roofs need to be laid with correct falls to drain water away, and each bay of lead must be sized to allow for thermal movement without splitting.
A common fault on older lead flat roofs is lead that has been laid in bays that are too large, causing it to split at the centre as it expands and contracts over the years. Correctly sized bays for a flat roof are typically no more than 1.5 metres wide and laid with proper expansion rolls between them. If your lead flat roof is showing a crack running along its length, this is likely the cause.
EPDM rubber is a practical and cost-effective alternative for flat roof replacements where lead is not specified or required. It is worth discussing both options with a roofer who can lay either, so you can make a decision based on your roof's specific requirements and your budget.
Water that enters a roof structure through failed flashing does not always show immediately as a ceiling stain. It can travel along joists and rafters, soaking into insulation and timbers, before eventually appearing somewhere that bears no obvious relation to the flashing that let it in. By the time it is visible, the repair bill is often considerably larger than the original flashing job would have been.
Getting lead work done properly the first time, by a contractor who uses the right materials and the right methods, is one of the more straightforward ways to protect your home from the kind of slow, hidden water damage that is expensive to put right. The questions in this page give you a practical way to assess any contractor before you commit.
If you have a suspected flashing leak, visible cracking or lifting lead, or you simply want to know the condition of the lead work on your property, call Norwich Roofers and ask for a roof survey. We cover Long Stratton and the surrounding villages, and we will give you a straight account of what we find and what the options are before any work is agreed.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
