Leadwork

Lead is what keeps the water out where a roof meets something else: a wall, a chimney, a bay window, a dormer. Dressed properly, it outlasts the tiles around it. Dressed badly, it leaks, and the water shows up two rooms away from the fault. We dress ours by hand, the traditional way, on roofs across Colchester and Essex.

What we do in lead

• New and replacement flashings where roofs meet brickwork
• Step flashing, cut into the mortar joints where a pitched roof runs alongside a wall
• Lead valleys between roof slopes
• Bay window tops
• Chimney leadwork: aprons, side flashings and back gutters

Every piece is measured, cut and dressed by hand on the roof. Lead does not forgive shortcuts, so we do not take them.

Why lead fails

Old lead fatigues. It expands and contracts with the weather, and after enough winters it splits along the creases. Poor previous work fails faster: lead laid in lengths that are too long, flashings pointed with sealant instead of being fixed properly, or a mortar fillet where a flashing should have been. Occasionally lead is stolen. We replace what has gone and make the roof watertight again.

A split flashing does not always mean stripping the lot. Sometimes one flashing or a short run of valley is the honest fix, and that is what we quote for.

How we work

We start with a proper look at the roof, not a guess from the pavement. Every job is quoted up front, the quote is free and the work finished properly. If you are not sure the lead is where the water is getting in, our Electronic Leak Detection finds the leak before we lift anything. If the fault is a slipped tile rather than a flashing, that is Roof Repairs work, and we do that too.

We are based at Blue Barns Business Park in Ardleigh, so most of our leadwork is close to home: roofers in Colchester, Mersea, Clacton and Frinton, with jobs across Essex, Suffolk and London. We have traded for more than 15 years, fully insured, and every visible one of our 16 Checkatrade reviews scored 10/10. This one is from a lead flashing job on a garage roof in Walton-on-the-Naze (CO14, January 2023):

Josh did a great job. He was quick and efficient. Amazing service. Top notch professional. Would highly recommend.

For a free quote on leadwork, call Josh on 07496 838368 or email josh@bes-roofing.co.uk.