Lead Work in Brandon

What's involved

How we handle lead work

Lead is the material of choice where a roof meets a wall, chimney, skylight or valley. When it fails, water finds a way in fast, and the damage to ceilings, rafters and masonry can be far more costly than the original repair. If you have noticed damp patches appearing after heavy rain, or your chimney breast feels cold and wet, a failed lead flashing is one of the most common causes.

We carry out lead work across Brandon and the surrounding area on all roof types: pitched slate and tile roofs, flat roof upstands, bay windows, dormers, extensions and chimneys. Lead work is not a one-size job - every junction has its own profile, pitch angle and exposure to deal with.

What Lead Work Actually Involves

Lead sheet is sold in coded weights, from Code 3 (thin, used for soakers) through to Code 8 (heavy, used for parapets and large gutters). Using the correct code for the application matters: undersized lead flexes and cracks prematurely, oversized lead is wasteful and can pull fixings out. For step flashings on a chimney or abutment wall, Code 4 or Code 5 is the standard choice. Valley gutters typically call for Code 5 or Code 6 depending on roof pitch and the volume of water they carry.

Lead must be dressed in sections no longer than 1.5 metres to allow for thermal movement. A common problem with older lead work is that it was laid in one continuous length, which then splits or pulls away from the wall as temperatures change through the seasons. Frost and summer heat both put stress on lead, and this cycling matters.

The process for a chimney flashing job typically runs as follows:

Remove the old flashing material and chase out the mortar joints in the brickwork
Cut and dress the new lead to the correct code, forming back gutters, soakers, step flashings and aprons as needed
Tuck the dressed lead into the raked mortar joint and secure with lead wedges
Point up with a flexible mortar or appropriate sealant to prevent water tracking behind the lead
Check the relationship between the lead and the tiles or slates below - slipped or broken tiles near a chimney often go unnoticed until the flashing is lifted

Valley work is more labour-intensive. Open lead valleys need the old felt, battens and valley boards checked before the new lead goes in. If the boards have rotted, they need replacing before any lead is fitted - there is no point dressing new lead over a soft substrate that will flex and crack the work within a year or two.

Chimney Lead Work

Chimneys are a common location for lead failure. A chimney stack projects above the roof line, which means it takes the full force of wind and rain on all four faces. The back gutter - the lead tray that sits behind the chimney where it meets the roof slope - is often the first to fail, because water pools there and accelerates weathering.

On older properties, you may find that original lead has been patched with roof sealant or bitumen tape. These are temporary fixes that rarely last more than a season. Where sealant has been used, we remove it completely before fitting proper dressed lead sections - sealant left under new lead traps moisture and causes the brickwork behind it to degrade.

If a chimney is no longer in use, capping or removing the stack is worth considering. An unused chimney still needs its lead maintained or the structure becomes a water ingress point. We can advise on the options when we assess the job.

Bay Windows and Extension Abutments

Lead flashings on bay window roofs and extension abutments fail for similar reasons to chimney flashings - thermal movement, inadequate fixings and insufficient overlap with the wall. On brick or render walls, the flashing should be tucked into a raked joint at least 25mm deep, not just stuck to the surface. Surface-bonded flashings are a quick fix that lifts in the first warm spell.

Extension roofs that run into a two-storey wall are a particularly high-risk junction. If the extension has a low-pitch or flat roof, the upstand height of the lead flashing against the wall needs to be adequate to prevent wind-driven rain from getting behind it. A minimum 150mm upstand is the standard to work to in exposed positions.

Why Lead and Not an Alternative?

Lead has been used on British roofs for centuries because it is genuinely durable, easy to work with hand tools and fully recyclable. Aluminium and zinc flashings are used in some situations, but lead remains the preferred material for most junctions on brick and stone properties because it conforms closely to irregular surfaces and weathers well in the UK's damp climate. Mortar-bedded lead flashings on a well-built chimney can last 50 years or more with no intervention, though pointing may need attention sooner.

Self-adhesive lead alternatives are available, and there are situations where they are the right call - particularly on small, simple junctions where access is difficult. For main flashings and valleys, properly dressed sheet lead remains the most reliable option.

What to Expect When We Come Out

When we look at a lead work problem, we check not just the lead itself but the surrounding tiles, pointing and timber. It is common for a damp problem that appears to be a flashing failure to have multiple contributing factors - a slipped tile below the flashing, a cracked chimney pot letting water in from above, or failed pointing on the stack. We will tell you what we find and what needs doing, in plain terms.

Lead work is priced by the job rather than by a standard rate, because the complexity varies so much. A small flashing repair is a short job. We measure and price accurately before any work begins so there are no surprises.

Book a Lead Work Survey

If you have damp appearing after rain, or you can see lead that has lifted, split or pulled away from the brickwork, call us to arrange a survey. We cover Brandon and the surrounding villages. The sooner a flashing failure is addressed, the less secondary damage you will be dealing with inside the property.

Itemised quote
Materials, labour, scaffold broken out

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Questions

What people ask first.

A new pitched roof on a typical three-bedroom house in Brandon using concrete interlocking tiles usually costs between £5,500 and £10,000. Natural slate pushes the price higher, often into the £8,000 to £15,000 range for the same size property. A new flat EPDM rubber roof on a single garage typically falls between £800 and £1,800. Every price depends on roof size, the number of features like chimneys and dormers, and how much timber needs replacing.

A full roof replacement on a typical three-bedroom semi in the Brandon area costs between £5,000 and £12,000. The main variables are the size of the roof, the material chosen and how much timber needs replacing once the old covering is stripped. Natural slate and clay tile work costs more than concrete interlocking tiles. Getting two or three itemised quotes is the best way to understand what your specific roof will cost.

Most common single repairs - such as a flashing renewal, a handful of slipped tiles or ridge repointing - fall in the range of £150 to £600 in this area. Jobs that need scaffold, involve significant timber replacement, or cover a large flat roof area will cost more. The only way to get an accurate figure is to have the roof inspected so the full extent of the work is clear.

For a standard felt flat roof replacement, expect to pay roughly £70 to £120 per square metre. EPDM rubber systems typically run from £90 to £140 per square metre. A garage roof of around 15 square metres usually costs between £1,000 and £2,200 all in, but the final figure depends on the condition of the decking underneath once the old material is stripped back.

For a standard semi-detached house, a full uPVC roofline replacement typically costs between £1,500 and £2,500. A detached property with more roof perimeter usually falls between £2,500 and £4,000. These figures can rise if the rafter feet behind the old fascia boards need repair, which is something we check on every visit before agreeing a price.

If surrounding tiles or timbers need attention, that will be quoted separately.

A partial rebuild - taking the stack down to a sound course and rebuilding with new flaunching and flashing - typically costs £800 to £1,800. A full stack rebuild from roof level usually runs from £1,500 to £3,500 or more, depending on height, access and materials. Scaffold is normally included in the quote. These are typical UK ranges and the actual cost depends on the specific job.

A straightforward single-stack take-down on a two-storey house, including scaffolding, roof make-good and rubble removal, typically costs between £800 and £2,000. Larger stacks, shared party stacks or roofs needing significant tile replacement will sit toward the higher end of that range or beyond it. The only way to get an accurate figure is to have someone look at the stack in person.

Lead Work in Brandon

Urgent leak or storm damage?

How we handle lead work