07460 07229724/7 Available info@stormguardroofing.ukWitney · Oxfordshire · Cotswolds Services Service Areas Our WorkReviewsAboutContactGet a Free Quote - Roofers in Witney - Roofing Services - LeadworkRoofing services # Roof Leadwork And FlashingsIn Witney And The CotswoldsFormed The Way Lead Should Be Most roof leaks start where the roof meets something else, a chimney, a wall, a valley. Code-correct lead, dressed and fixed to allow movement, ends that for decades instead of until the next hard winter. Get my free fixed-price quote07460 072297 9.83/10 from 159 Checkatrade reviews ## Recent roof leadwork and flashings work - 100+ Five-star Checkatrade reviews - 5 years Workmanship guarantee on repairs - 9.83/10 159 Checkatrade reviews - £5m Public liability insurance - City & Guilds Qualified ## What roof leadwork covers Leadwork is the weathering detail at every junction on a roof: chimney flashings and back gutters, abutment flashings where a roof meets a wall, valleys between two pitches, soakers behind tiles and slates, lead saddles, hips and bay roofs, and the trays that stop water tracking through masonry. It is a hand-formed material. Lead is dressed to the shape of the roof, cut in lengths that allow it to expand and contract, wedged into chases that are cut into the mortar joint, and pointed. Done to code, it moves with the building and lasts a very long time. Done badly, it splits, and the split is usually in a place nobody looks at. The single most common cause of the leaks we are called to on older Oxfordshire and Cotswold properties is not the tiles at all. It is mortar used where lead should be, a fillet smeared into the junction between a chimney and the roof, cracked open by two winters of movement, then re-smeared. We form new leadwork and replace failed leadwork as part of re-roofs and chimney work, or as a standalone job where the rest of the roof is sound. ### Who this is for, and when it is needed - Leaks around a chimney stack Staining on a chimney breast inside is almost always a flashing, back gutter or tray failure rather than a roof covering failure. - Mortar fillets that keep cracking If somebody has repeatedly repointed the junction between your roof and a wall or chimney, it needs replacing with lead. - Valleys that overflow or leak Old lead valleys with splits, or valleys that were never lined wide enough for the catchment they take. - Period, listed and Cotswold stone property Traditional leadwork is what conservation officers expect on a heritage roof, and mortar substitutes are not accepted. - New extension and dormer junctions Where a new roof meets an existing wall, the lead detail is the whole waterproofing solution at that junction. ## Why failed leadwork is worse than a missing tile A slipped tile lets water into a loft where you can see it. Failed lead lets water into the wall structure, where you cannot. ### What it leads to - Water tracking down a chimney breast soaks plaster and brickwork internally, and the staining reappears every time it rains no matter how often it is painted. - Damp in a chimney stack combines with soot deposits to produce persistent tar staining that will not cover with ordinary paint. - A split valley discharges directly into the roof structure, rotting rafter feet and ceiling joists along its whole length. - Damp in a wall plate at an abutment causes rot exactly where the roof structure bears on the wall. - Repeated repointing of a cracked mortar fillet costs money every few years and never solves anything. - On a listed property, inappropriate mortar or the wrong flashing detail can create a problem with the local authority as well as with water. ### Common mistakes - Using mortar fillets instead of lead. Mortar cannot flex, and the junction it covers moves every day. - Running lead in over-long pieces. Lead expands, and lengths that are too long buckle and then split along the fold. - Sealing over a failed flashing with mastic, which lasts a couple of seasons and hides the problem in the meantime. - Using lead that is too thin a code for the exposure, so it fatigues far sooner than it should. - Dressing lead over a wall face and relying on a surface fixing instead of chasing it into the mortar joint. Lead is one of the few roofing materials that genuinely lasts generations when the detail is right. It is entirely a question of how it is formed and fixed. How we work ## Our process, start to finish - Step 1 ### Free inspection We trace where water is actually entering, which on junction leaks is rarely where the stain appears inside. - Step 2 ### Diagnosis and fixed-price quote A written quote setting out the lead code, the detail to be formed and the extent of the work. - Step 3 ### Strip out and prepare Failed lead and any mortar fillets removed, chases cut cleanly into the mortar joint, and the substrate made good. - Step 4 ### Form and fix new leadwork Lead cut to correct lengths, dressed to the shape of the roof, wedged into the chase, pointed, and lapped so water is always directed out onto the covering. - Step 5 ### Verification and handover The detail is checked over, the site cleared, and a before-and-after photographic report issued with your workmanship guarantee. What you get ## The difference it makes - ### The leak actually stops Fixing the junction rather than sealing over it ends the cycle of repeat visits and repeat staining. - ### Decades of life, not seasons Correctly coded and correctly sized lead is a long-life detail, the opposite of a mortar fillet. - ### Right for period and listed property Traditional leadwork is what heritage roofs need and what conservation requirements expect. - ### Movement allowed for Lead lengths and fixings are set so the material can expand and contract without splitting. - ### Guaranteed workmanship Repair work carries a 5-year workmanship guarantee; leadwork forming part of a new roof falls under that roof's longer term. - ### Photographic proof Before-and-after reports show the failed detail and the completed lead, in places you cannot see from the ground. ## Details, codes and applications ### Lead codes and where they are used Lead is specified by code, which corresponds to its thickness. Lighter codes suit soakers and small flashings; heavier codes are used for valleys, back gutters, saddles and anything exposed to standing water or foot traffic. Choosing a code that is too light for the application is a false economy, it fatigues and splits at the folds long before its time. Length matters as much as thickness. Lead expands and contracts significantly with temperature, so pieces are limited in length and lapped, allowing each piece to move independently. ### Chimney flashings, back gutters and trays A chimney needs a front apron, stepped side flashings with soakers, and a back gutter behind the stack where it meets the roof slope. On stacks where damp is tracking through the masonry itself, a lead tray built into the stack stops water crossing from the outer face to the inner. This assembly is the single most common source of persistent internal staining we are called to, and it is very often a mortar fillet where every one of those components should be. ### Abutments, stepped flashings and soakers Where a roof runs into a wall, the lead is stepped so it follows the mortar courses, chased in and wedged, with soakers behind each tile or slate carrying water back out onto the covering. On a stone property the chase has to respect the stone, which is where experience with Cotswold buildings matters. ### Valleys, saddles and hips Valley linings need to be wide enough for the water they carry, laid over a proper valley board with correct laps and welts, and formed so they never rely on a fold to hold water back. Saddles at the head of a valley or where a ridge meets a wall are small, hand-formed pieces that prevent a very common leak point. ### Bay roofs, porches and dormers Lead-covered bay roofs and porch canopies are laid in bays with welted joints and drips to allow movement, on a boarded substrate. Dormer cheeks and the junctions between dormer and main roof are classic soaker-and-flashing details. ### Leadwork on listed and conservation property Heritage roofs across the Cotswolds routinely require lead detailing that matches what was there originally, in the right code and formed traditionally. Grade II listed and conservation roofing is core work for us, including working to the council's requirements on the property. ### Residential and commercial The same details appear on churches, estate buildings, converted barns and commercial premises, usually at larger scale and with more complex parapet and gutter work. Questions ## Frequently asked How much does leadwork cost?It depends on the detail, the lead code, the access and how much has to be stripped out first. Inspection and quote are free, and the quote is fixed price to the best of our ability. How long does a leadwork job take?Many chimney flashing and abutment jobs are completed within a day or two. Valleys, bay roofs and larger heritage work take longer, and we give a timescale with the quote. How long should lead last?Correctly coded and correctly formed lead is measured in decades. The failures we see are almost always about length, fixing or code, not about the material wearing out. Can you just repoint the mortar fillet instead?We would not recommend it. Mortar cannot flex and the junction moves, so it cracks again. Replacing it with lead is what stops the leak permanently. The stain is on my chimney breast, is that the chimney or the roof?Usually the leadwork around the stack: the apron, the stepped flashings or the back gutter. Where damp is coming through the masonry itself, a lead tray in the stack is the answer. Do you do leadwork on listed buildings?Yes. Traditional leadwork on Grade II listed and conservation properties across the Cotswolds is a regular part of our work, including meeting the council's requirements. What guarantee comes with leadwork?Repair work carries a 5-year workmanship guarantee. Where the leadwork forms part of a new roof, it falls under that roof's guarantee term, up to 20 years on a new pitched roof. Can lead be repaired rather than replaced?Sometimes a split can be dealt with locally, but lead that has fatigued along a fold has usually been forced to move too far in one piece and will split again nearby. We will tell you honestly which case yours is. Will you find the leak if others could not?Junction leaks are our regular work, and water rarely enters where it appears. One customer in OX28 called us after other companies could not find a leak, and we located and repaired it. Which areas do you cover?Witney, Stonesfield, Woodstock, Charlbury, Chipping Norton, Burford, Banbury and across Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire including the Cotswolds. Related work ## Other services we handle - ### Chimney Repairs And Flashings Read more - ### Listed Building And Read more - ### Roof Repairs And Leak Tracing Read more - ### Pitched Roof Installation Read moreWe cover Witney, Stonesfield, Woodstock, Charlbury, Chipping Norton, Burford and the wider area. See all roofing services, recent work, or go back to the home page. ## Stop the leak at the junction Free inspection, honest diagnosis of where water is actually getting in, and lead formed to last decades rather than seasons. 07460 0722979.83/10 from 159 Checkatrade reviews · £5,000,000 public liability · Free quotes and inspections Roofing contractor based in Witney, covering Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. Pitched and flat roofing, leadwork, and Grade II listed and conservation roofing across the Cotswolds. - 07460 072297 - 01993 898807 - info@stormguardroofing.uk - 24/7 On The Line - 11 Cockshoot Close, Stonesfield, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 8ED ### Services - Pitched roofing in Oxfordshire - Flat roofing in Oxfordshire - Felt flat roofs in Oxfordshire - GRP fibreglass in Oxfordshire - EPDM rubber in Oxfordshire - Leadwork in Oxfordshire - Listed & heritage in Oxfordshire - Fascias & guttering in Oxfordshire - Chimney work in Oxfordshire - Roof repairs in Oxfordshire - Emergency call-outs in Oxfordshire ### Areas Covered - Roofers in Witney - Roofers in Stonesfield - Roofers in Woodstock - Roofers in Charlbury - Roofers in Chipping Norton - Roofers in Burford - Roofers in Banbury - Roofers in Stow-on-the-Wold - Roofers in Moreton-in-Marsh - Roofers in Bourton-on-the-Water - Roofers in Chipping Campden - Roofers in Shipston-on-StourGet a Free Quote About Stormguard RoofingRoofing ReviewsRoofing ProjectsContact Our RoofersPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyTerms & Conditions© 2026 Storm Guard Roofing Limited. 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