Good lead work is a skilled process - here is exactly what happens from the first inspection to the final clean-up, so you know what to expect at every stage.
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Lead flashing and weathering work covers all the joints on a roof where water is most likely to get in - around chimneys, where dormer walls meet the roof slope, along valley gutters, at parapet abutments, and around the kerbs of skylights. Getting these junctions right requires cutting, shaping, and fixing lead to a precise specification, then sealing it into the surrounding masonry in a way that allows for natural thermal movement. We carry out this work across Honing, North Walsham, Horning, Stalham, Trunch, Marsham, Mundesley, and the wider Norfolk area.
Below is a step-by-step account of how a typical lead flashing job progresses - from the first visit to the finished roof. Every job is different in its detail, but the stages are broadly consistent.
Before any lead work can be scoped accurately, the existing flashings need to be inspected up close. A quick look from the ground using binoculars can spot obvious failures - lifted lead, large gaps, missing sections - but it will not tell you the Code of lead fitted, the condition of the mortar in the chase, or whether soakers are present beneath the step flashing. A proper assessment requires getting up to the roof level.
During the inspection, a roofer should be checking the following:
The inspection should also include a look inside the loft space where accessible, as staining on rafters or the underside of the roof deck can indicate where water has been tracking - and it is sometimes a different point from where it enters.
Once the inspection is complete, the scope of work is agreed. This covers which sections of lead are being replaced or repaired, which Code of lead will be used (typically Code 4 for step and cover flashings, Code 5 for valley gutters and flat sections such as chimney caps), and what else needs doing alongside the lead work - re-pointing, tile re-bedding, or chimney brickwork repairs, for example.
On a straightforward chimney flashing replacement, the specification should detail: removal of the old lead, fitting of new soakers, new step and cover flashings, and re-pointing of the chases with a suitable mortar mix. Any additional remedial work should be listed separately so you can see what you are paying for.
Most lead work on domestic properties requires either a ladder with a roof ladder (cat ladder) for simpler jobs, or scaffold for more involved work. If scaffold is going up, it will be erected before any stripping begins. Scaffold takes longer to organise and adds cost, but it allows safer working and better quality on complex junctions like chimney stacks where all four sides need to be worked.
On a pitched roof, a roof ladder hooks over the ridge and distributes weight across the tiles to protect the roof covering while the roofer moves around. Working without one on a tiled roof risks cracking tiles, which creates new problems.
Old lead is carefully removed in sections. On a chimney stack, this means taking off the cover flashing first, then the soakers, then any front apron flashing and back gutter piece by piece. Where the lead was chased into masonry, the old mortar pointing in the chase is raked out using a plugging chisel and hammer. This should be done carefully to avoid damaging the brickwork.
All old lead, mortar, and debris should be cleared from the roof surface before any new material goes on. Old lead has scrap value and will typically be taken away by the roofer - the weight of lead removed from a single chimney stack can be meaningful, so it is worth being aware of this.
New lead cannot go onto a damaged or contaminated surface. Any cracked or missing mortar on the chimney brickwork is made good at this stage. The chase line is cut cleanly - either by raking out an existing horizontal mortar joint to the right depth, or on some older properties by cutting a new chase into the brickwork. The correct depth is enough to allow the lead to be turned in by 25mm minimum and gripped securely when the chase is pointed up.
Tiles or slates around the flashing area are lifted where necessary to allow soakers to be threaded in correctly. Damaged tiles found at this stage should be replaced rather than re-laid.
Lead sheet arrives on site in rolls or flat packs. It is cut to the required lengths - never longer than 1.5 metres per section for flashings, to allow for thermal movement without buckling or cracking at the fixings. The lead is then dressed (shaped) by hand using a bossing stick or dresser tool to form it tightly against the profile of the masonry and tile surface.
Soakers are cut individually to size: the length equals the gauge of the tile (the exposed face) plus the lap, plus 25mm; the width is the width to turn up against the wall plus 100mm to tuck under the tile. On a natural slate roof, the soaker dimensions will differ from those on a concrete tile roof, so they cannot be cut to a generic size.
Step flashings are then cut and dressed to step over each soaker, following the tile course line. The upper edge is turned into the chase, and where sections join, they should overlap by at least 150mm.
Each section of lead is fixed at its upper edge using lead clips or tingles tapped into the masonry. These hold the lead in position while allowing some thermal movement. The chase is then pointed up using a mortar mix appropriate for the masonry - a slightly softer mix than standard brickwork pointing is correct, as a hard mortar will crack as the lead moves. A mortar mix that is too strong will crack away from the lead within a few years.
On a chimney stack, the back gutter section behind the stack is fitted last. This is the piece most often done poorly on older properties - it needs to be dressed correctly into the valley formed between the chimney and the roof slope, with a step at each side and adequate fall to discharge water out onto the roof surface rather than holding it.
Once all lead is fixed and chases are pointed, the finished work should be checked section by section. Every joint should be tight against the masonry, every section should lap correctly, and the pointing should be full and pressed firmly into the chase. Any tiles that were lifted to fit soakers are re-laid and checked for stability.
All off-cuts, old lead, mortar debris, and tools come down from the roof. The area around the property is cleared of any material that came down during the work. Old lead goes for recycling - lead has good scrap value, and responsible disposal is straightforward.
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