The short answer
Yes, the lead gets attention, because a new covering has to meet the chimney, the wall and the valley at watertight joints. Sound lead can sometimes be refitted. Tired, split or lifted lead is renewed. The survey shows which, with photographs of your own flashings, soakers and valleys, before any decision on the price is made.
The covering gets the attention, but a re-roof either leaks or holds at the lead. Here is what is renewed, what is reused and how that is chosen.
The jobs lead does on a pitched roof
Lead is the waterproofing at awkward joints: against a wall, around a chimney, down a crease. Flashing is a lead strip pushed into a groove cut in the brickwork, then folded over the covering, which stops rain creeping behind. Soakers are small bent pieces slipped beneath individual slates or tiles beside a wall, rising course by course. A valley sits where two slopes dip together: effectively a lead-lined gutter between them that drains both.
Why does a re-roof disturb the lead?
Because the covering lies on both sides of each of these joints. Lifting the slates or tiles beside a chimney uncovers the soakers, and putting the new covering back means refitting or renewing them. New tiles laid against old, tired lead leave the weakest part of the roof sitting under a fresh surface. Pictures of each joint are taken before the covering is touched, so you can see exactly what changed and why.
Our lead work page explains the trade in more depth, including how lead is dressed and fixed, and the roof replacement hub shows where it fits in a full re-roof.
Do you deal with chimneys and leadwork during a re-roof?
We do, and the survey records both. The chimney stack is checked for loose pointing, for cracked or missing flaunching (the sloped mortar bed under the pots), and for a damp-stained brick face. The lead around its base is checked for lifting, splits and gaps.
What do the chimney repairs cost?
MyJobQuote's chimney leadwork figures run from £150 to £250 for a patch up to £350 to £920 for a full job, with scaffold moving the total (Sep 2026). It gives between £450 and £1,200 for chimney repointing (Oct 2026). These are typical UK ranges. What your stack needs, and how high it stands, set the actual price, and flaunching depends on the state of the stack beneath it.
When a chimney is no longer used, taking it down is a bigger decision. Building Regulations approval always applies when chimney breasts are removed, as the Planning Portal reasons that they form part of the structure. The chimney repairs page covers repointing, flaunching and pots.
A neighbour may share the stack, in which case the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply. Mention it at the survey so it is dealt with early, because notice periods under that Act run to two months in some cases.
Reuse or renew: how the call is made
A roofer reads lead by its condition, not its age. Lead that is flat, unsplit and still well dressed to the wall may be refitted. Lead that has cracked along its folds, lifted at the edge, thinned under the drip of a gutter or been patched with sealant is renewed.
How long does lead last?
MyJobQuote reports lead flashing lasting 80 years or more, and treats that as a lower bound. A re-roof is therefore a good moment to renew lead that still works yet has little life left: the scaffold is up, the covering is off and the cost of access is already being met.
Why not use sealant or a flexible strip?
Mastic and self-adhesive strips are quick, and they can hold for a short while, but they perish in sun and frost. They sit on the surface, where a proper lead joint is fixed into the wall. Where it matters, we fix lead properly.
Our answer on tying a new roof into an existing one shows how new work meets old lead and walls.
Which lead code for which job?
Sheet lead is made in numbered codes, and the code gives the thickness and weight. The Royston Lead brochure gives Code 3 (1.32 mm, green) as soakers only. Code 4 (1.80 mm, blue) serves soakers as well as flashings, valleys and dormers. Code 5 (2.24 mm, red) is listed for flashings, pitched valley gutters, parapet or box gutters and dormers. Codes 6, 7 and 8 are heavier, and Codes 7 and 8 are listed for valley gutters, parapet gutters and dormers.
Does a thicker code always mean better?
No. Pick the code by the job in hand. A soaker is small and folds tightly, while a long valley gutter or a parapet needs a heavier sheet. The colours are a marking on the roll, not a quality grade.
Ask the roofer which code each part uses, and why. We explain our choices at the survey, with photographs of the existing lead in front of you. The written price follows the survey. See the re-roofing process for where leadwork falls in the order of work.
More on lead and flashings
Can old lead be reused on the new roof?
Sometimes. Lead that is still flat, unsplit and well fixed can be taken off and refitted at the same joint. Lead that is cracked, lifted or thin at the edge is renewed. The survey tells you which, with photographs of your own flashings, and the decision is yours before work begins.
Does a new roof always need new flashings?
Each flashing meets the new covering at a joint that changes, so each one is checked as the covering comes off. Where a flashing is sound it can stay or be refitted, and where it has failed it is renewed. We explain each choice at the survey, with the metal itself in view.
The full picture: Roof replacement and new roofs in Taunton · More short answers