Leadwork and Flashing Renewal Across Birmingham Properties
Leadwork is the trade of weathering the junctions a roof covering cannot close by itself, and its rules are about accommodating movement — the code of the sheet, the length of each piece, and how it is fixed. Book a survey; leadwork is inspected from ground level, from a ladder and from within the void. What it covers: Leadwork · Lead code · Piece length.
- On site in 45 to 90 minutesEvery elevation photographed from ground level and ladder, and the roof void inspected from inside.
- A written report in two daysDefects separated into immediate, this season and monitor, with photographs against each.
- An itemised written scopeAgreed and signed before anyone starts, with no variation without a new figure.
Call the crew07446 375079
Monday to Friday, eight until six, and Saturday mornings. Emergency make-safe runs outside those hours.
Crews work across 8 Birmingham and Solihull districts: Sutton Coldfield, Harborne, Edgbaston, Moseley, Solihull, Erdington, Kings Heath and Selly Oak. Postcodes outside that run are quoted case by case rather than turned away.
- Free survey No charge for the survey, and none if the report says nothing needs doing.
- Own crews The people who survey the roof are the people who lay it. No subcontracting, no lead resale.
- Written scope first Quoted as an itemised scope agreed before work starts.
- Workmanship warranty Issued in writing on completion. Sole trader, no scheme registration.
Lead is specified by code — a numbered thickness grade — and by piece length, because thermal movement has to go somewhere.
A cement fillet is not a lead detail. It is what an earlier repair left behind.
What we fix
Where is leadwork used on a roof?
Leadwork appears at six locations: chimney flashings and soakers, valleys between slopes, parapet and box gutters, dormer cheeks and tops, bay roofs, and hips. Every one is a junction the covering cannot close by itself.
- A lead code is a numbered thickness grade, selected by application and exposure.
- Individual pieces are limited in length so thermal movement cannot tear the sheet.
How it works
Some lead is not visible at all.
- Thermal movement tears an over-long piece fixed at more than one point.
- A welted joint allows adjacent pieces to move independently.
- A patination oil prevents carbonate staining, running onto a brickwork.
- A box gutter failure discharges directly into the structure.
Straight answers
Why is lead cut into short lengths?
Lead expands and contracts substantially with temperature. Pieces are kept short and fixed at one point only, so each can move freely. An over-long piece fixed at both ends tears itself at the fixings within a few seasons.
A welted joint is a folded joint allowing adjacent pieces to move independently; a chase is a raked mortar joint receiving the upstand of a cover flashing, wedged and pointed.
What is a lead code and which one is right?
The code is a numbered thickness grade. Heavier codes are specified for valleys and gutters where water runs constantly, lighter codes for flashings and soakers. Under-specifying the code produces fatigue cracking along the fold lines.
A patination oil is applied to new sheet to prevent the white carbonate staining that runs onto brickwork. The lead valley has a specification of heavier code than a flashing, laid over a supporting substrate with correct laps. The box gutter shows a concealed gutter whose failure discharges directly into the structure.
Why is cement not an acceptable substitute?
Cement bonds rigidly across a junction between two materials that move independently, so it cracks. Lead accommodates that movement by design. A mortar fillet is a shortcut whose failure is scheduled from the day it sets.
Substitute materials has an options of terne-coated stainless steel and lead-effect membranes where theft or cost rules out lead.
What are the alternatives to lead?
Terne-coated stainless steel matches lead's appearance and performance while carrying no scrap value, which removes theft risk on accessible roofs. Lead-effect membranes suit low-exposure details where full sheet metal is not warranted.
Parapet and box gutters
Most failed leadwork is correctly specified material installed in over-long pieces fixed at both ends. New lead washes carbonate down brickwork; oiling at installation prevents a permanent stain owners assume is damp. A concealed gutter behind a parapet discharges inside the building when it fails, with no external warning.
Book a leadwork survey
Terne-coated stainless steel performs comparably and removes theft risk, which changes the specification on exposed low roofs.
Lead code, and 7 more
- lead code
- welted joint
- chase
- soaker
- apron
- box gutter
- patination oil
- terne-coated stainless steel
Recent work
Job photographs are added as each contract completes, with the date, the district and the defect named in the caption.
Where we work
8 Birmingham and Solihull districts
- Sutton Coldfield
- Harborne
- Edgbaston
- Moseley
- Solihull
- Erdington
- Kings Heath
- Selly Oak
Postcodes outside that run are quoted case by case rather than turned away.
Related pages
Book a leadwork survey
A survey takes forty-five to ninety minutes and the written report follows within two working days. Nothing is charged for the survey, and nothing is charged if the report says nothing needs doing.