Valleys • Flashings • Parapet Gutters
Leadwork Lewisham
Lead is what keeps water out of the awkward parts of a roof - the valleys, the joints and the chimney. Done properly it lasts decades. Done with a tube of sealant it lasts one winter.
Sheet lead dressed by hand, to code, with a free look and a clear price.
Call 020 3488 4900Done by hand, done to last
Proper Lead, Not A Smear Of Mastic
Every roof has places where two surfaces meet and water has to be persuaded to run away rather than in - a valley between two slopes, the joint where a roof meets a wall, the base of a chimney stack. Lead is what handles those places, and it has done for centuries because nothing else copes as well with movement and weather.
The trouble is that lead takes time and skill, so it is the first thing skipped. We are regularly called to leaks where the previous repair was a cement fillet or a bead of mastic where sheet lead should have been. Those crack, and then you are back where you started.
We dress lead by hand, to the right code for the job, with proper laps and clips so it can move without splitting. It is slower. It is also the difference between a repair that lasts and one that does not.
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Why choose us
Why Leadwork Is Worth Paying For
The right code of lead
Lead comes in thicknesses, and using one too thin to save money is a false economy that splits. We use the code the job calls for.
Laps and clips that allow movement
Lead expands and contracts. Fixed down wrongly it fatigues and cracks. Detailed properly it moves and stays watertight.
No cement fillets
A mortar fillet where lead belongs is a repair with a short life. If we find one, we will tell you, and we will put lead in its place.
Leadwork We Carry Out
We carry out all types of domestic lead roofing work across Lewisham, including:
- Valley gutters - relining the valley between two roof slopes, one of the most common sources of a hidden leak.
- Chimney flashings and soakers - stepped lead where the stack meets the roof, replacing failed cement fillets.
- Abutment flashings - where a roof meets a wall, a parapet or a neighbouring property.
- Parapet gutters - relining the gutters that sit behind a parapet wall on older properties.
- Box gutters and dormers - lead to dormer cheeks, tops and the gutters around them.
- Lead slate and pipe collars - weathering soil pipes, vents and flues through the roof covering.
If you have a leak that has been repaired more than once and keeps returning, there is a fair chance the lead is the reason. Ask us to take a look.
Frequently asked questions
Leadwork Questions, Answered
Properly specified and dressed lead will typically outlast the roof covering around it - we are talking decades rather than years. Most lead failures are down to the wrong thickness or fixings that stopped it moving.
Almost always because it was fixed in lengths that were too long, or fixed too rigidly, so thermal movement had nowhere to go. Correctly lapped lead does not suffer from this.
A small split can sometimes be lead-welded. But if the lead has fatigued along its length, patching it just moves the problem along a foot, so replacement is the honest answer.
Not as a permanent fix. Cement and lead expand at different rates, so a fillet cracks. It is a quick repair that buys a season, and we will always tell you when we find one.
Yes. These are common on older properties here, they are hidden from the street, and they cause a lot of damage before anyone notices. We reline them properly.
Usually a few, around the area being worked on, and they go back afterwards. If any are broken or nail-sick we will tell you before we refit them.
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Leadwork Across Lewisham
As roofers in Lewisham we carry out lead valleys, flashings and parapet gutters on properties throughout Lewisham. Call us and we will come and assess what is actually needed.
Call 020 3488 4900