If you are having lead work done on your Eriswell property, here is exactly what the process should look like, from the first inspection to the final tidy-up.
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Lead work for homes in Eriswell and the surrounding area should be carried out to BS EN 12588 standards. Lead work covers chimney flashings, step and cover flashings, valley gutters, soakers, dormer details, and abutment flashings where a roof meets a vertical wall. It is one of the most skilled parts of roofing and, when it goes wrong, one of the hardest leaks to trace and fix.
This page walks through the full process of a lead work job - what happens at each stage, why each step matters, and what a well-run job should look like from the customer's point of view.
Before any lead is cut, the existing situation needs to be properly understood. A visual inspection from the ground with binoculars can reveal obvious failures - lifted or buckled flashing, missing sections, failed mortar pointing - but a close inspection from the roof itself is nearly always necessary for a reliable assessment.
At this stage, several things are being checked. First, the condition of the existing lead: is it the right code for the application, is it split or corroded, has it been patched with sealant rather than properly repaired? Second, the mortar chases - the grooves cut into the masonry that the flashing is bedded into - are checked for condition. If the chase has crumbled or been poorly cut previously, that needs addressing before new lead goes in. Third, the tiles or slates around the flashing area are checked. It is not worth doing first-class lead work if a cracked tile nearby is going to let water in anyway.
On a chimney stack, this inspection also includes looking at the condition of the flaunching (the sloped mortar bedding around the pots), the pointing of the brickwork, and the soakers beneath any existing step flashings. Soakers are the small individual pieces of lead that sit under each course of tiles alongside a chimney or dormer - they are hidden when the job is done but essential to the waterproofing detail.
Before new lead goes on, everything that is coming off needs to be removed cleanly. Old flashings are lifted carefully, and any sealant, bitumen tape, or mortar remaining in the chase is raked out. A clean, properly cut mortar chase is essential for the new lead to be fixed and pointed correctly.
If the chase itself is in poor condition - too shallow, ragged, or in mortar that is crumbling - it will be re-cut to the correct depth, typically around 25mm into a horizontal joint. Where a chase needs to be cut into brick or stone, this is done carefully to avoid damaging the masonry.
Surrounding tiles may need to be lifted temporarily to give proper access to the base of the flashing or to allow soakers to be slid into position. Those tiles are kept safe and re-laid correctly at the end.
This is where skill matters most. Lead sheet is cut from the roll to size on site - each piece is measured and cut individually, not pre-made. The right lead code for the application is used: typically Code 4 for step and apron flashings, Code 5 for valley gutters and larger exposed areas.
Dressing is the process of shaping the flat sheet to fit the geometry of the roof detail. For a chimney apron, the lead is dressed down over the front of the stack and up against the tiles. For step flashings, each individual piece is bent to follow the line of the tile course and turned into the mortar chase. For a valley, the lead is dressed into the angle between the two roof slopes and formed to direct water down and away.
Length matters too. Individual sections of lead must not be run too long, because lead expands in warm weather and contracts in the cold. If a piece is too long without a proper lap or drip joint, it will eventually split or pull away. The maximum recommended length for a straight run of lead flashing is 1.5 metres. Valley gutters are laid in shorter sections with proper laps to allow for movement.
Lead flashing is fixed into the mortar chase using lead wedges driven at regular intervals - typically every 450mm or so. These wedges grip the lead in the chase and stop it pulling out. Copper clips or nails are used to secure lead in some positions. The type of fixing depends on the application.
On valley gutters, the lead is nailed at the top of each section before the next section is lapped over it. The lap length needs to be sufficient to prevent wind-driven water from getting beneath it - a minimum of 150mm is standard but more is used on shallower pitches.
Soakers, where used alongside step flashings, are slid into position under each course of tiles before the step flashings are placed over them. The two work together: the soaker prevents water getting under the tile course, and the step flashing covers the top of the soaker and channels water away.
Once the lead is fixed in place, the mortar chase is pointed to seal the top of the flashing into the masonry. The mortar mix used matters - too strong a mix (high cement content) will shrink and crack quickly; a softer mix with lime is more flexible and lasts better. The pointing is neatly finished and left flush with the face of the masonry.
This is a step that is sometimes rushed or done poorly on jobs where price has been the main focus. Poorly pointed chases let water track behind the flashing, defeating the purpose of the lead work entirely. The pointing should be done while the lead is wedged securely in position, and it should be left to cure before the roof is wetted.
A proper lead job is checked before coming down from the roof. Every lap joint is checked for correct overlap. Every wedge and fixing is confirmed as secure. The pointing is inspected along its length. Any lifted tile that was temporarily removed is re-bedded and checked for fit.
Where a valley gutter is involved, the line of the valley is checked to confirm water will run freely down to the gutter below without any low spots that could pond. On chimney work, all four sides of the stack are checked - it is easy to focus on the visible front and miss a problem at the back.
Old lead, off-cuts, mortar debris, and any other waste from the job are cleared from the roof surface and from around the base of the building. Lead off-cuts in particular should not be left on a roof - they can block outlets, and loose metal on a pitched roof is a hazard. Gutters are checked for debris before finishing.
Fresh lead has a bright, slightly shiny appearance that weathers to a mid-grey patina over time. This is normal - the patina is actually a stable oxide layer that protects the lead. Some products exist to accelerate patination if the appearance is important, but it is not necessary for performance.
If you have had a lead work job done on your Eriswell property and you are unsure whether it has been completed to a proper standard, call us and we will take a look. We are happy to give a straight opinion.
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