North Walsham Roofers carries out lead flashing and weathering work for homeowners in Brundall, covering chimneys, dormers, skylights, and roof valleys to the correct Code specification.
Lead flashing is the material that bridges the joint between your roof covering and any structure that rises through or sits against it. Chimneys, dormers, skylights, and valley junctions are all points where two surfaces meet at an angle, and without correctly fitted lead, water finds its way in almost immediately. Lead is used here because it is soft enough to dress tightly into brickwork joints, heavy enough to stay put, and durable enough to outlast most other roofing materials by decades when fitted properly.
The work involves cutting the lead to the right Code specification - Code 4 and Code 5 are the most commonly used for chimney and step flashings, while valleys and soakers may use Code 3 in certain situations. Each piece is lapped, fixed with clips or wedges, and pointed with mortar or a specialist sealant to stop capillary action drawing water underneath. A correct lead job looks neat and sits flush; a poor one shows gaps, buckles, or relies too heavily on mastic to hold it together.
This section matters more than it might seem. Lead work is one of those trades where a botched job looks almost identical to a good one from the ground, at least for the first year or two. The problems only become obvious when water starts getting in, by which point the damage may have spread well beyond the flashing itself.
Before you agree to any work, here are the questions worth asking every contractor who quotes for the job.
Lead is graded by weight per square metre, and each grade is assigned a Code number from Code 3 to Code 8. The Lead Sheet Association publishes guidance on which Code is correct for each application. For a chimney back gutter, Code 4 or Code 5 is standard. For a valley, Code 5 is usual. If a contractor cannot tell you the Code they intend to use, or quotes you a price based on "a thin lead" without specifying, that is a warning sign. Cheap lead that is too thin for the application will split and pull away within a few years.
Step flashings against a chimney or parapet wall should be turned into the mortar joint and held there with a lead tack or clip, then pointed. Some contractors skip this step and rely on silicone or mastic applied on top of the surface instead. Surface-applied sealant fails within two to five years and is not a substitute for proper mechanical fixing. Ask directly whether the lead will be chased in. If the answer is no, ask for the reason - there are rare situations on older brickwork where chasing is not straightforward, but the contractor should explain why and offer an alternative that is at least as sound.
Old mortar that was used to hold the previous flashing must come out cleanly before new lead goes in. Contractors who simply point over the top of old mortar create a weak bond that fails quickly. Ask whether they will rake out the joints fully before re-pointing. On older properties with soft lime mortar, using a hard cement mix to re-point can cause the surrounding brick to crack. A contractor who knows their trade will match the mortar mix to the age and type of the brickwork.
Lead expands and contracts with temperature changes. Each individual piece of lead flashing should be no more than 1.5 metres long to allow for this movement. Longer pieces, fixed rigidly at both ends, will buckle in summer and crack in winter. Ask what the maximum length of each piece will be and whether they are fixing with clips rather than soldering everything together. A good contractor will also dress lead with a bossing mallet or lead dresser rather than forcing it into position, which preserves the metal's integrity.
A visit to the roof for lead work is also an opportunity to spot other early problems - slipped or cracked tiles, failing ridge mortar, blocked valleys. Ask whether the contractor will flag anything else they notice and whether they can photograph it. You should not feel pressured into extra work, but a brief report on the rest of the roof's condition is useful. Any contractor who refuses to do a simple visual check, or cannot explain what they have seen, is not providing full value for the access cost.
Photographs of completed jobs on similar properties - chimney flashings on Norfolk brick, dormer weathering on tiled roofs - give you a real sense of the standard. A contractor working in the local area should have local examples readily available. If they cannot produce any, treat that as a gap in their track record.
When the work is complete, you should be able to see the following from the ground or, better still, from a photograph taken by the roofer on the day.
Lead work prices vary with the amount of lead needed, the complexity of the access, and the type of property. A straightforward chimney re-flash on a standard terraced house typically costs somewhere in the region of £300 to £600 depending on the number of flashings involved. A full valley replacement on a larger property will cost more. Be cautious of quotes that are significantly below this range - lead itself is not cheap, and a price that seems too low usually means either the Code of lead being used is wrong or corners are being cut on fixing and pointing.
Always ask for a written breakdown so you know exactly what you are paying for. If a quote is verbal only, ask why. Reputable contractors working in Brundall and across Norfolk are used to being asked for written quotes and will provide one as a matter of course.
We carry out lead work across the area from our base in North Walsham. Alongside Brundall, we cover jobs in Stalham, Sheringham, Mundesley, Overstrand, Martham, Rollesby, Horning, Marsham, Lenwade, Trunch, and Norwich. If you are unsure whether we cover your area, call us and we will tell you straight.
If you have noticed damp patches on a chimney breast, staining on a ceiling below a skylight, or visible cracking in old flashing mortar, call us to arrange a roof survey. We will come out, look at the lead work, and give you a clear explanation of what needs doing and what it will cost.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
