Yarm · Stockton-on-Tees · Middlesbrough · Teesside
Lead Work & FlashingIn Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees& Across Teesside
Properly coded lead, dressed and wedged into the joint, the detail that stops the leaks sealant only postpones, done once and photographed so you can see it.
10/10 from 50 Checkatrade reviews · 4.91/5 from 99 TrustATrader reviews · £1,000,000 public liability · family run
10/10 on Checkatrade
From 50 verified reviews
4.91/5 on TrustATrader
From 99 reviews since 2020
£1,000,000 public liability
Details available before we start
Guaranteed workmanship
Terms vary by job and materials
Before and after photographs
You see the work without a ladder
The service explained
Lead Work & Flashing in plain English
Everything below is specific to this work on Teesside housing stock, no filler. If you would rather just talk it through, ring Terry on 07919 512218.
What lead work is
Flashing is the weatherproofing at every junction where a roof meets something that is not roof: a chimney, a parapet, a house wall, a dormer cheek, a valley between two slopes, or a flat roof upstand. Lead is the traditional and still the best material for it, because it can be dressed to any shape and lasts for decades.
Lead work covers chimney aprons, stepped side flashings and back gutters; abutment flashings where an extension roof meets the house; valley linings; dormer cheek and apron detail; soakers between slates; and cover flashings to flat roof upstands.
Who it is for
Anyone with a persistent leak near a chimney, a wall junction, a valley or a dormer, which is where the majority of long-running roof leaks originate. Also owners of extensions where the flashing was formed in mortar rather than lead, and older properties where the original lead has been patched with mastic over the years.
It applies across the housing stock: Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Middlesbrough and Darlington, 1930s semis with bay roofs, and modern estates in Ingleby Barwick and Yarm where extension abutments are the weak point.
When it is needed
When you can see lifted, split or wrinkled lead; a cement fillet that has cracked away from the wall; black mastic smeared along a junction; damp appearing on a wall or ceiling next to a chimney breast or where an extension joins the house; or a valley with standing water and debris.
Also when the roof is being re-covered: new tiles against old, tired flashing is a false economy, because the flashing will fail long before the covering does.
Why it has to be done properly
Lead moves. It expands and contracts every day with temperature, which is why it is laid in limited lengths with overlaps and dressed to allow that movement. Overly long sheets split; nailed-tight lead splits; lead sealed with mastic instead of wedged into a raked joint pulls away.
Getting it right means the correct code (thickness) for the situation, correct lap and step detail, chasing out the mortar joint and wedging the upstand in, then pointing it. That is a craft detail, not a tube of sealant, and it is the difference between a junction that lasts decades and one that leaks next winter. We photograph the finished lead work so you can see the detail without going up.
What happens if it waits
The cost of leaving it another winter
Flashing is a small part of the roof that protects a large part of the house. When it fails, the water goes straight into the junction between two structures, the worst place for it.
Damp on internal walls
Failed abutment and chimney flashing puts water directly into a wall. It shows up as staining on plaster next to the chimney breast or where an extension meets the house.
Rot at the junction
Rafters, wall plate and the end of the extension roof structure sit right where the flashing has failed. Timber repairs there are awkward and costly.
Repeated sealant bills
Mastic and cement fillets are a short-term measure. Paying someone to re-seal the same junction every couple of years costs more than one properly leaded detail.
Common mistakes we get called out to fix
- Using mastic or a cement fillet where dressed lead belongs: it cracks with the first thermal cycle and re-opens.
- Fitting long unbroken runs of lead with no allowance for expansion, so it splits along the fold.
- Face-fixing lead onto the wall surface instead of chasing and wedging it into a raked mortar joint.
- Using lead that is too thin (a low code) for an exposed valley or back gutter, so it fatigues and splits early.
- Re-tiling a roof while keeping the existing failed flashing, guaranteeing a leak on a brand new covering.
How the job runs
Our lead work & flashing process, step by step
- 01
Inspection
We examine every junction (chimney, abutment, valley, dormer, upstand) and where there is loft access we look at the inside face of the problem too.
- 02
Diagnosis
We identify which junction is letting water in and photograph it, because flashing leaks frequently appear a long way from their source.
- 03
Written quote
A free written price specifying which details are being re-leaded, the lead code being used and any tile or mortar work involved.
- 04
Execution
Old lead or cement fillet removed, joints raked out, new lead cut and dressed to the tile profile in correct lengths, wedged into the joint and pointed.
- 05
Verification
Laps, steps, upstands and cover dimensions checked, water paths confirmed, and every completed detail photographed.
- 06
Completion and guarantee
Offcuts and debris removed, site swept, photographs handed over, and workmanship guaranteed with terms depending on the job and the materials used.
What you get out of it
The difference it makes to the house
A junction that stops leaking
Correctly dressed lead closes the water path properly rather than bridging it with a material that cracks.
Decades from one visit
Lead outlives sealant repairs by a very wide margin, which is why it is still the material of choice.
Walls and timber protected
Water is thrown clear of the wall and roof structure, so plaster, rafters and wall plate stay dry.
No annual re-sealing
The recurring cost and hassle of getting someone back to re-mastic the same junction disappears.
A tidy, deliberate finish
Neat stepped flashing looks like it belongs on the house, unlike a smeared cement fillet.
Evidence you can keep
Photographs of a detail high on the roof that you would otherwise never get to see.
Detail, materials and methods
Lead Work & Flashing: the technical detail
Lead codes and where they are used
Lead is specified by code, which is a thickness rating: higher code means thicker, heavier and more durable. Using too thin a code in a high-stress position such as a valley or a chimney back gutter is a common cause of early splitting.
We specify the code to suit the position and the exposure rather than working from one roll for everything, and we cut sheets to lengths that allow the lead to move without tearing.
- Chimney front aprons, stepped side flashings and back gutters.
- Valley linings between two roof slopes.
- Abutment and cover flashings where a lower roof meets a wall.
- Soakers interleaved between slates or plain tiles at an abutment.
- Dormer cheeks, aprons and small flat-roof upstand details.
- Parapet and cavity tray related detail on relevant properties.
How a chimney should be flashed
A stack passing through a pitched roof needs four separate details working together: an apron on the downslope face, stepped flashings up both sides following the mortar courses, and a back gutter behind it. Miss or botch any one and the stack leaks.
The back gutter takes all the water shed by the roof above the stack, which is why it is the hardest working detail and the one most often replaced with a cement fillet by someone in a hurry. Our chimney repair page covers the masonry side: pointing, flaunching and pots.
Valleys
A valley concentrates water from two slopes into one channel, so it carries more water than any other part of the roof. Lead-lined valleys, fibreglass or metal valley troughs and dry valley systems all exist, and the right choice depends on the roof and the tile.
Common failures: splits along the centre fold from thermal fatigue, debris and moss damming the channel and forcing water sideways under the tiles, and tiles cut too tight so there is no free flow. We clear, re-line or renew depending on what the valley needs.
Extension and abutment detail
Where an extension or conservatory roof meets the main house, the flashing has to carry water down the tile profile and away from the wall, with the upstand chased into the brickwork rather than sat on the surface.
Flat roof to wall junctions need a cover flashing over the membrane upstand, a very common leak point on garage and extension roofs, and one we deal with regularly alongside flat roof repairs.
Lead alternatives and when they make sense
Lead-substitute flashing materials have their place: low-value outbuildings, situations where lead theft is a genuine risk, or awkward shapes on non-visible elevations. They install faster and cost less.
On a house we will normally recommend lead, and we will tell you plainly which we are quoting and why. What we will not do is quote a sealant fillet as if it were a flashing repair.
Residential and light commercial
Most of our lead work is domestic: chimneys, extensions, dormers, bays and valleys across Teesside. We also carry out flashing and upstand work on light commercial buildings, shop roofs and outbuildings of conventional construction.
Straight answers
Lead Work & Flashing questions we get asked
- How much does lead flashing cost?
- It is priced by the run and the detail: a single abutment flashing is a modest job, while a full chimney set of apron, steps and back gutter costs more because of the lead and the labour. We inspect and give you a free written price.
- Is the quote free?
- Yes, free inspection and free written quote, with no obligation.
- How long does the work take?
- Most individual flashing details are completed within a visit or two. Full chimney lead sets and valley re-lining take longer, and the duration is set out in the written quote.
- Can you not just seal it?
- We could, but it would fail. Sealant and cement fillets crack as the roof and lead move; the reason your junction is leaking now is very often a previous sealant repair. Dressed lead is the fix that lasts.
- How long does lead flashing last?
- Correctly coded and correctly dressed lead is a decades-long detail: it is one of the longest-lived materials on a roof. Poorly detailed lead can fail in a couple of years, which is why the workmanship matters as much as the metal.
- Is the work guaranteed?
- Yes. We guarantee our workmanship, with terms varying depending on the job and the materials used.
- Are you insured?
- Yes, £1,000,000 public liability insurance, details available before work begins.
- Water is coming in at my chimney now, can you come out?
- Ring us on the number at the top. We are contactable seven days a week from 9am to 5pm and active ingress is prioritised.
- Do you re-flash when re-roofing?
- Yes, as standard where the existing lead is not fit to reuse. Putting a new covering against failed flashing is how a new roof ends up leaking: see our roofing page.
- Which areas do you cover?
- Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough, Eaglescliffe, Ingleby Barwick, Thornaby, Darlington, Northallerton and the wider Teesside and North Yorkshire area.
Related work we carry out
- Chimney RepairRe-pointing, rebuilds, flaunching and lead work that stops damp tracking down internal chimney breasts.
- Roof RepairLeaks, slipped tiles, storm damage and bay roofs diagnosed properly and fixed once, with photo evidence.
- RoofingNew pitched and flat roofs, re-roofs and full replacements, built to shed Teesside weather for decades.
- Dry Verge & Dry RidgeMechanically fixed verge and ridge systems that replace failing mortar: no more slipped tiles in high winds.
See all our roofing and roofline services or head back to the T&T Rooflines homepage.
Where we do this work
- Yarm
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Middlesbrough
- Eaglescliffe
- Ingleby Barwick
- Thornaby
- Darlington
- Northallerton
- North Yorkshire
We work monday to sunday, 9am – 5pm. Ring 07919 512218 or use the contact form and we'll arrange a free look at the roof.
Speak to Terry today
Get the leak at your chimney or abutment leaded properly
We find which junction is letting water in, quote the correct lead detail in writing, and photograph the finished work so you can see it.