Lead roofing across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North London: flashings, aprons, valleys, hips and lead roofs in code 4 and code 5 lead. Get a free, no obligation quote and a 20 year written guarantee.
Free lead work and flashing quote
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Lead is the weatherproofing at every junction on a pitched roof: where it meets a chimney, a side wall, a dormer cheek or another roof, and in every valley and hip. It bends to any shape, lasts for generations and, unlike a mortar fillet or a strip of bitumen tape, moves with the building. Doyle Homes has over 25 years' experience of lead roofing, and most roof leaks we trace end at a lead detail, not in the middle of a tile slope.
Our photographs show it in use: stepped lead flashing climbing a brick wall, a lead apron at a chimney, a clean lead-lined valley, lead hips on a slate roof and flashing where a roof meets a parapet. We are a family business, fully insured, with a risk assessment before every job.
Lead is sold by code, which is its thickness. Using the right code in the right place decides how long the detail lasts.
| Lead code | Thickness | Where we use it |
|---|---|---|
| Code 4 | 1.80mm | Step and abutment flashings, aprons, soakers, chimney collars and dormer cheeks. |
| Code 5 | 2.24mm | Valley gutters, back gutters, parapet gutters, hips, ridges and flat lead coverings. |
Lead does not wear out. It fails because of how it was fitted. Long lengths without joints expand in the sun and crack along the bends as they cool. Missing clips let wind lift the free edge. A chase packed with weak mortar lets the top edge drop. A flashing cut from thin lead splits within a few winters.
Many roofs carry cheap substitutes: a cement fillet that cracks within a season, or sticky bitumen strip that dries out and peels. Water gets behind both, and the leak appears on the ceiling weeks later. We find these by pulling gently on the edges, checking the chase and following the water's route back from the stain.
A repair is the right answer when the lead is sound and the failure is local. Re-wedging a loose edge, repointing a chase or replacing one short length is a quick, inexpensive job, and a TrustATrader reviewer called our repointing of a lead flashing a job done with the minimum of fuss at a reasonable cost.
When the lead is cracked along its length, thinned by age or replaced with filler, we strip it and fit new. We show you the failed sections, explain the cause and put the repair and the replacement in front of you with prices.
We cut the chase into the mortar course, not across the brick faces, and dress the lead into it, wedged and pointed. Step flashings are cut and laid to the brick courses, aprons are cut to the width of the stack, and valley and gutter lengths are lapped and fixed with clips so they expand and contract without tearing. Lead is kept to lengths that move freely, fixed to the industry rules on laps and clips.
New lead gets a coat of patination oil to stop the white carbonate staining that can streak a fresh roof. Where lead meets tile, slate or brick, we form the details to the profile of the covering, so the finish looks as good as it works. See our chimney repairs page for the stack, and roof repairs for the rest of the roof.
Small flat roofs over bay windows, porches and dormer cheeks are commonly covered in lead, and a worn one is a routine job for us. We lift the old covering, check the deck and fall, and relay the lead in code 5 with rolls and drips at the right spacing, so the water runs off. One customer had a bay window roof relined and all the old materials removed in an afternoon.
For larger flat roofs, our flat roofing page sets out felt, rubber and fibreglass options alongside lead.
Price depends on the length of lead, the code, the access and the substrate. Your written quote itemises materials and labour with no hidden costs, and we will beat any written quote; our roof repair cost guide gives a first idea of the numbers. Because lead carries a scrap value, thieves target it. If yours has been stolen, ring 01582 807949: we make the roof safe and replace the lead, as covered in our emergency roof repairs service.
All lead work is backed with a 20 year written guarantee.
We work from our Dunstable office across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North London. Local pages cover Luton, Watford, St Albans and Hitchin. Customers rate us 4.91 from 62 reviews on TrustATrader, 4.7 from 23 on Google and 9.63 from 73 on Checkatrade.
We examine each flashing, valley and abutment on the roof, check the chase, the fixings and the lead's condition, and photograph what we find.
You get a free, no obligation written quote naming the lead code, the lengths and the fixings for each detail, with materials and labour itemised.
Old lead comes out, the substrate is made good, and new lead is cut, formed, dressed, clipped and wedged to the roof and wall.
Chases are pointed, joints are checked for movement and the roof is cleared. We issue your 20 year written guarantee.
Every photo is from a job we worked on. Tap any image to see it full size.
Word for word from TrustATrader, Google and our old website. Reviews from TrustATrader and Google link to the source.
although this was a fairly small item of repair to replace the pointing to a lead roof flashing, the builder turned up as arranged and carried out the work to my complete satisfaction with the minimum of fuss and at a reasonable cost. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to others.
We recently had Doyle Homes do a number of jobs on our roof: fixing leaking and blocked guttering, replacing decayed lead flashing and rotten timbers, replacing old roofing felt with a new membrane, and with new tiles in place of broken ones. Their friendly team did all of this rapidly and expertly. With such an extensive renovation there were two minor problems to rectify at the end but both were fixed promptly.
Our roof used to be the one of the worst on our street, now it’s the best. The team from Doyle Homes did an excellent job in replacing my old roof, fascia’s and guttering. They used top quality tiles that suited the property and its surroundings. They also put in grade 4 lead flashings and repointed my chimney. Robert and his team were very professional & courteous. The work carried out was of the highest standard. They were also meticulous about leaving the whole property clean and tidy. We would highly recommend using Doyle Homes for all your building needs.
Every job, from a single slipped tile to a full re-roof, comes with a 20 year guarantee in writing. You get it with your paperwork when the job is signed off, and if anything we did lets you down inside those 20 years, you ring the same number and we come back and put it right.
Hugh O'SheaDirector, Doyle Homes Ltd
Lead flashing is a strip of lead sheet that seals the junction between a roof and a wall, chimney, dormer or another roof. It is chased into the brickwork at the top and dressed over the tiles or slates at the bottom.
A local repair, such as re-wedging or repointing a chase, is a small job. Full replacement costs more. You get a free, no obligation written quote with materials and labour itemised, and we will beat any written quote.
Code 4 for flashings, aprons and soakers, and code 5 for valleys, gutters, hips and flat lead coverings. We name the code for each detail in your quote.
The usual causes are a loose or lifted edge, a cracked bend, a failed chase or a cheap substitute such as a cement fillet or bitumen strip. We follow the water back to the cause and fix that.
Yes. We make the roof safe, replace the lead and photograph the damage so you can show your insurer.
Yes. We strip and relay lead on bay, porch and dormer roofs in code 5, with correct falls, rolls and drips.
Yes. All work is backed with a 20 year written guarantee, and we are fully insured.
Tell us what the roof is doing. Free, no obligation quote, a 20 year written guarantee on the work, and we will beat any written quote.
