Fakenham Roofers carries out lead flashing, valleys, soakers, and lead-lined gutters for homeowners in Burnham Market and across the surrounding villages.
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Lead is used wherever a roof meets another surface: around chimneys, along the junction between a roof slope and a parapet wall, in valleys where two roof planes meet, and around dormers. Each of these joints is a potential entry point for water, and lead is the material best suited to sealing them long term. Properly dressed and fixed lead will outlast almost everything else on the roof.
Lead work should follow a recognised standard such as BS EN 12588, the British Standard for milled lead sheet used in building. This covers the correct code (thickness) of lead for each application, how expansion joints must be formed, and the maximum bay lengths that prevent the metal from splitting as it moves with temperature changes. When those rules are ignored, flashings fail - often within a few years.
The work we carry out includes lead flashing, step and cover flashings, valley linings, soakers under slate or tile courses, and lead-lined gutters on older and period properties. Whether it is a new installation or a repair to a section that has lifted, cracked or been bodged with lap sealant, we get it properly watertight.
Cost is the question most homeowners start with, and it is a reasonable one. Lead work is not cheap, but it is far less expensive than the internal damage caused by a joint that has been leaking unnoticed for a season or two. Understanding what drives the price helps you assess whether a quote is fair.
As a general guide, lead flashing repairs to a single chimney stack typically fall in the range of £300 to £700 depending on the size of the stack and the extent of the work needed. A full re-flashing of a chimney - stripping everything back, re-pointing the chase, and dressing new lead correctly - is more likely to be £600 to £1,200. Lead valley work on a detached house can range from £400 to over £1,500 depending on the length of the valley and the pitch of the roof. These are current typical UK ranges; every job varies.
Several factors increase the cost of lead work beyond the basic materials and labour:
Some factors reduce the cost, and it is worth being aware of them when deciding whether to act now or wait:
There are cheaper alternatives - lead-effect tape, mortar fillets, and various sealants - and they do appear on roofs across Norfolk. They also fail. Mortar fillets crack as the roof moves; sealant tapes dry out, lose adhesion, and peel back within a few years. Lead, correctly dressed and fixed with adequate expansion joints, handles thermal movement without splitting and does not degrade in UV light.
For period and older properties in particular, lead is often the only material that sits right visually and is accepted by planners. A well-executed lead flashing on a stone or brick chimney looks as it should and does not draw the eye. That matters in villages where the character of the streetscape is taken seriously.
Thermal splitting is one of the most frequent issues on older flashings. Lead expands and contracts with temperature, and if bays are dressed too long without an expansion joint, the metal cracks along a stress line. These cracks are often at the top of a turn into a mortar chase, where the flashing is held rigid.
Poorly pointed chases are another common cause of failure. The lead may still be intact, but water tracks down behind it through an open or crumbling mortar joint. On first inspection this can look like a lead problem when the fix is actually a mortar repoint of the chase.
A third issue is flashings that have simply been nailed rather than wedged and pointed. Over time, the nail corrodes or works loose and the flashing drops away from the wall, leaving a gap. Correct fixing uses lead wedges driven into the mortar joint, followed by a proper pointing.
Older properties often have original lead work that is still fundamentally sound. In those cases, the question is whether to repair or replace. If the lead has adequate thickness, has not cracked, and has simply lifted or lost its pointing, repair is the right call. Ripping out serviceable lead to replace it is unnecessary expense.
Where original lead is very old and has thinned through oxidation, or where it has been subjected to repeated amateur repairs using tape and mastic, a full strip-and-relay gives a far more reliable result. We always inspect before we advise.
Lead work is difficult to price from the ground. The number of bays, the code of lead needed, the condition of the mortar chase and the state of any underlying structure can only be assessed properly at roof level. Be cautious of any price given without a site visit and a proper inspection.
When you receive a quote, ask specifically what lead code will be used and why, how expansion joints will be formed, and what will happen if the timber beneath turns out to be damaged. A roofer who can answer those questions plainly is one who knows the work.
If you have lead work that needs attention in Burnham Market or nearby, call us to arrange a roof survey and we will give you a clear assessment of what is needed and why.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
