Gutters, valleys and flashing
Who said guttering had to be plastic! Lead guttering is often a feature of older homes; unparalleled in its longevity (lasting well over 100 years), it’s a good alternative to plastic, if you’re trying to cut down on your plastic use. Lead also does not discolour or show dirty water stains like a white PVC pipe does. Because of lead’s flexibility, it is perfect for houses with unusually shaped roofs, as the lead can be moulded around any structure. Gutters can also be made a ‘secret’, and hidden in your roof, dropped down from the tiles or brickwork.
Lead valleys are another way of waterproofing the joins between sections of a roof; but unlike tiles which go over the join, valleys run underneath the join. Water runs straight off your roof, meaning that its most vulnerable areas (the joins) are watertight and don’t allow any water to collect.
Lead flashing helps to seal and make watertight areas where the slate or tile meets a chimney, or other section of your house, such as a loft extension, for example. There are many different types of lead flashing that we install to help waterproof your roof. Step flashing, continuous flashing, counter-flashing, base flashing and cap flashing are all methods of installing lead, in very different ways!