Lead work is one of the most demanding roofing skills, used to waterproof chimney flashings, valleys, dormers and flat roof edges.
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Lead is one of the oldest roofing materials in existence, and there is still nothing better for sealing the joints where a roof meets a chimney stack, a parapet wall, a dormer, or a change in roof pitch. If your home has any of these features and water is finding its way in, failed or poorly fitted lead is almost always the cause. Lead work is a skill in its own right - it is not simply a matter of cutting a strip and bedding it in mortar - and getting it wrong is an expensive mistake.
We carry out lead work throughout Wymondham and the surrounding area, including Attleborough, Long Stratton, New Buckenham, Hethersett and villages further out towards Norwich. Whether your property has a Victorian chimney, a modern flat-roof extension or a tiled valley that has been leaking for years, the principles of good leadwork are the same: correct code of lead, proper dressing to the surface, and secure fixings that allow for thermal movement.
Lead sheet is graded by thickness and weight into "codes" - Code 3 is the lightest and is used for soakers and non-exposed weatherings; Code 4 is the most common for step and cover flashings on chimney stacks; Code 5 is used for valleys and back gutters, and Code 6 for parapets. Using the wrong code is a common problem on cheaper jobs - lead that is too thin will split and crack within a few years, especially in exposed positions.
The main places lead work is used on a typical Norfolk property are:
Most lead failures come down to one of three causes: the lead has reached the end of its natural life, it was fitted incorrectly in the first place, or mortar pointing has failed and water is getting behind the flashing rather than through it. It is worth understanding the difference because the remedy is different in each case.
Old lead that has simply worn through will have pinhole cracking, often across the full width of the sheet. This is caused by thermal fatigue - lead expands and contracts with temperature changes, and over many decades the metal fatigues at the fold lines. The only fix is replacement. There is no reliable repair product that permanently seals cracked lead.
Incorrectly fitted lead tends to fail at specific points: at clips that were not installed, at laps that were too short, or at drips that were not formed properly. Lead needs to be secured with lead clips at intervals of no more than around 500mm, and each piece must be free to move slightly with thermal expansion. If it is fixed too rigidly - for instance by raking mortar hard behind an upstand rather than using a proper chase and wedge - it will crack under the stress.
Pointed flashings that have lost their mortar are not always a lead failure. The flashing itself may be in good condition but the mortar pointing in the raglet (the horizontal chase cut into the brick or stonework) has cracked or fallen out. In this case, raking out and repointing with a suitable mortar mix - or better still, re-securing with lead wedges and sealant - is the correct approach. Putting sealant over the top of a loose flashing without re-securing it is a temporary measure at best.
Good lead work starts with measuring and cutting the lead to the right size. Each piece should be no longer than 1.5 metres to allow for movement - long runs of lead must be lapped and clipped in sections, not run as a single sheet. The correct code of lead is selected for the location and exposure of the joint.
For chimney flashings, the sequence matters. The soakers (small individual pieces that slot between each course of tiles up the side of the chimney) are laid first, then the step flashings are dressed over them and tucked into the brick joints. The apron goes on last at the front. Each piece is dressed tightly to the surface using a dresser and bossing stick - cold lead is formed by hand rather than heat, which would weaken it.
Where lead is set into a chase cut into brickwork or stonework, it is secured with lead wedges hammered into the joint at intervals, then the top of the chase is pointed with a mortar that is softer than the brick to avoid cracking. Using too hard a mortar is a mistake - if it sets harder than the surrounding brick, thermal movement will cause the brick to crack rather than the mortar joint.
Valley linings need a proper timber-boarded sub-base to work correctly. Lead laid directly onto battens will flex and eventually split. A correctly boarded valley also allows the lead to be dressed cleanly at the edges and gives a proper line for the tiles to be cut to.
Older stacks often have a wider-than-standard profile or unusual brick bonds that require bespoke flashing shapes rather than off-the-shelf sections.
A stack that has been re-pointed repeatedly can have joints that are too full or too hard, making it difficult to cut a proper raglet without damaging the brick face. In these cases, alternative fixing methods - lead wedges pressed into existing joints, or surface-mounted flashings with a formed drip edge - give a better long-term result than forcing a chase into compromised brickwork.
Chimney stacks that are no longer used are sometimes capped to prevent rainwater entry, and lead is the correct material for a chimney cap or weather cap. An unsealed redundant flue will allow driven rain to run straight down into the fireplace opening and can cause significant damp to internal walls over time.
Single-storey extensions are common, and the junction between the extension roof and the main house wall is one of the most frequently leaking points on any property. The flashing at this junction needs to be wide enough to cover the full roof-to-wall junction with an adequate upstand - typically a minimum of 75mm up the wall and 150mm onto the roof surface.
On EPDM rubber flat roofs, lead is often used for the perimeter upstands and the junction with any adjoining walls. Lead and EPDM bond well when properly prepared, and a lead-detailed perimeter is a durable solution. On traditional felt flat roofs, lead soakers and cover flashings at the wall junction are standard practice.
Lead work is priced by the job rather than a simple rate per metre, because the complexity of access, the number of pieces involved and the type of joint all affect the time required. As a general guide, re-flashing a chimney stack on a standard semi-detached house - including soakers, step flashings, apron and back gutter - typically costs in the region of £400-£900 depending on the stack size, condition of the brickwork and ease of access. Lead valley replacement on a standard-sized roof section might cost £300-£700.
Lead itself is a commodity material and its price tracks the London Metal Exchange. At current typical prices, Code 4 lead sheet runs at roughly £25-£35 per square metre of material before labour, so larger jobs carry a meaningful material cost. Any quote should specify the code of lead being used and the length and number of pieces.
Flat-rate sealant-only repairs to lead that is genuinely worn out are a false economy. The cost of a proper re-lead, while higher upfront, avoids the repeated call-out cost of patching work that keeps failing, and avoids the internal damage that a slow leak causes over months or years.
Lead that is cracked through can sometimes be patched with a properly prepared and soldered lead patch - not sealant - if the crack is isolated and the surrounding metal is still sound. If the lead is generally fatigued with multiple hairline cracks, replacement is the right answer. A patch over fatigued lead will outlast the surrounding material by only a short time.
Flashings that have simply lifted or lost their mortar pointing may only need re-securing and re-pointing, which is a much smaller job than full replacement. An inspection will tell you which situation you are in before any work is committed to.
Lead sheet installed correctly using the right code for the application typically lasts 60 to 100 years before it needs replacement due to thermal fatigue. Lead flashings in sheltered positions sometimes last longer; those in exposed south-facing or high-wind positions may show wear sooner. No roofing material is completely maintenance-free - a periodic check of the pointing and of any exposed clip heads will extend the working life of any lead installation.
Lead work is a specialist skill. Not every roofer who can re-tile a roof has the experience to dress complex chimney flashings or form a parapet gutter correctly. Before instructing anyone, it is worth asking a few practical questions:
These are not trick questions - any experienced lead worker will answer them without hesitation. If a contractor cannot explain their method, that is a warning sign.
If you have noticed damp patches near a chimney breast, at a valley, or around a dormer, lead failure is the first thing to investigate. We cover Wymondham and the wider area including Attleborough, Long Stratton, New Buckenham, Hethersett, Lenwade, Pulham St Mary, Roydon and nearby villages. Call us to arrange a roof survey and we will give you a straight assessment of what the lead needs - whether that is re-pointing, re-securing or full replacement - along with a clear price before any work begins.
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