New lead flashing, soakers, valleys and abutments dressed in properly where the old lead has split or lifted.
Lead is what seals a roof wherever it meets something else, whether that is a chimney, a wall, a dormer or a valley. Done properly it lasts for decades. It fails when it has been fitted in lengths that are too long, when it has never been chased into the brickwork, or when someone has run sealant over it instead of replacing it.
Lead that splits has usually been fitted in runs that are too long, so it has nowhere to expand. Replacing it the same way just repeats the fault.
Old lead and any previous sealant repairs come off completely so the new work sits on clean brick and clean tile.
The right code of lead for the position, cut to sensible lengths with proper laps, and dressed to the shape of the tiles rather than forced flat.
Chased into a raked out mortar joint and wedged, then pointed up. Lead simply stuck to the face of the brickwork will always come away eventually.
A patination oil coat stops the white staining that otherwise runs down the brickwork off new lead.
Free quote, no obligation, and a straight answer on whether the work is actually needed.
We cover Derby, Nottingham, Burton upon Trent and the towns around them.
Properly fitted lead outlasts most of what is around it, commonly fifty years or more. Badly fitted lead can split within a handful of winters, which is why the detail matters more than the material.
Almost always because it was fitted in one long run. Lead moves a lot with temperature, and if it cannot expand at a lap it tears instead.
Sometimes, for a small tear in otherwise sound lead. Where it has split from thermal movement a patch tends to be followed by the next split along.
Lead carbonate, which forms on fresh lead and washes down the wall. A coat of patination oil at the time of fitting prevents it. It is harmless but it stains brickwork.
Less than it was, but it happens. Where it is a concern we can talk about alternatives or about marking the lead.