Lead is the traditional choice for flashings, valleys, dormers and flat roof sections, and when it fails, leaks follow quickly. We cut, dress and fix lead correctly so it moves with the building without cracking or lifting. Whether it is a new installation or a repair to existing leadwork, we cover Cambridge and the surrounding villages.
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Lead has been used on British roofs for centuries, and for good reason. It is durable, malleable and, when fitted correctly, outlasts almost every other flashing material. It is used wherever two roof surfaces meet, where a roof meets a wall, around chimney stacks, in valleys between pitched slopes, across parapet copings and on small flat roof sections. When leadwork fails, water finds a way in almost immediately, so it is never a job to leave.
We carry out lead work on all types of property across Cambridge and the surrounding towns and villages, including Histon, Girton, Milton, Trumpington, Sawston, Waterbeach and further out to Ely, St Ives and Over. We handle everything from simple step flashing repairs to full valley replacements on complex pitched roofs.
Good leadwork is a craft skill. Lead sheet comes in different codes (thicknesses), and choosing the right code for the application matters. Code 3 is too thin for most exposed situations; code 4 or 5 is typical for flashings and soakers; code 6 or above is used for larger flat areas and parapet gutters. A common problem with older leadwork is that whoever fitted it originally used undersized lead, which splits or lifts prematurely.
Lead must be dressed carefully to the profile of the tiles or slates beneath it, and fixed with lead clips rather than being nailed flat. Nail-fixed lead cannot expand and contract with temperature changes, and it will eventually crack at the fixing points. Step flashings into brick or stone need to be chased neatly into the mortar joint, raked out to the correct depth, and then pointed back with the right mortar mix once the lead is set.
Valley work is particularly important to get right. An open valley lined with lead needs to be wide enough to carry the volume of water that runs off the surrounding pitches. A valley that is too narrow, blocked with debris or fitted with a lip that is too low will overflow in heavy rain and push water under the adjacent slates or tiles. We cut lead valleys to the correct width for the roof pitch and roof area they serve.
On flat roof sections, lead is typically used for smaller bays, bay window roofs and small return roofs rather than large expanses. For these applications, the lead is laid in manageable bays with proper drips between them to allow movement. Without drips, a long flat run of lead will buckle and eventually split along stress lines.
The most frequent lead work failures we see across Cambridge properties are:
Some repairs are straightforward patches; others require stripping the old lead back to the deck and starting again. We will tell you honestly which applies to your roof. A small split in otherwise sound lead can be repaired with a lead-welded patch. Lead that is thinning across a wide area, heavily oxidised beyond surface patina, or badly cracked throughout is better replaced.
New lead work is needed when re-roofing in slate or tile, when adding a dormer or extension, when rebuilding a chimney stack, or when upgrading from inferior flashing materials such as the thin mortar fillets and self-adhesive strips sometimes used by builders who are not specialist roofers. Mortar fillets look tidy when first applied but crack within a few years as the roof moves; lead, correctly fixed, will last far longer.
For new installations, we take dimensions carefully before ordering lead so that each bay is cut to length with no awkward joints in vulnerable positions. Chimney flashings are measured to suit the stack dimensions exactly, with back gutter, side step flashings and apron front piece all cut to fit.
Self-adhesive flashing tapes and lead-look aluminium strips are sold as quick alternatives, and they do have a place in certain low-risk situations. For a critical junction on a chimney, a valley or a parapet, they are not an adequate long-term solution. They can peel in heat, crack in frost and do not form the same watertight dressed profile against irregular surfaces that properly worked lead achieves. On a property you plan to keep and maintain, the cost difference between tape and lead is small compared to the cost of dealing with a leak that develops three winters later.
Lead work is priced by the job rather than a single square metre rate, because the labour involved varies enormously depending on access, complexity and the condition of what is underneath. As a general guide, repointing and re-fixing an existing chimney flashing where the lead is reusable might cost from around £150 to £300. Replacing a full set of chimney flashings in new lead typically falls in the range of £350 to £700 depending on stack size and accessibility. A lead valley replacement on a semi-detached house is commonly in the range of £400 to £900. Larger parapet gutter work or flat bay roofs in lead can run higher. Lead itself is priced by weight, and the metal price fluctuates, so a firm quote will reflect the current lead price at the time of the job.
If you have a leak at a chimney, a valley, a parapet or a dormer, the leadwork is usually where to look first. A roof inspection is a sensible way to find out exactly what needs doing and why. We work across Cambridge and the surrounding area including Ely, St Ives, Sawston, Waterbeach, Milton, Histon and Girton.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
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