Replacing lead around chimney

MalcRH12

Hey. Never had this done before. Been quoted £564 to replace the lead around the chimney to fix a small leak. 3 bed semi detached, based in the Midlands. Quote includes £300 day rate for labour and materials including £150 for 6 meters of lead flashing. Thoughts welcome. Thanks

Silvertabby

We've been quoted £1K to replace the lead flashing where the angled roof over our bedroom window meets the main roof - but that includes scaffolding.

Will get another quote or 2 before deciding (or if the drip after heavy rain starts to overwhelm the bucket in the attic) but suspect that they will all want to use some form of scaffolding due to the height.

tacpot12

Seems like a fair quote for the labour, but the cost of the material is very dependent on the height and thickness of the lead that is being fitted. 6m of 600mm tall Code 5 lead would be about £150, but shorter or thinner lead would be much less. I would ask them to confirm the height and Code of the lead they will be installing and ask that they show you the lead before it goes on the roof. It might be perceived as a lack of trust, but you can tell them you will only want an adjustment to the price if they can't get the lead they want and end up fitting Code 4 for example. (Code 4 would be the minimum I would look for on a chimney.) 

Are they giving you any credit for the lead they are removing? 

I assume this work is happening on a relatively old roof. Most chimneys have aprons to the front and rear, as flashings are usually insufficient to prevent water ingress over the very long term. Flashing are therefore a medium-term fix (25-50 year). Aprons would be expected to have a 100+ year service life. If you are going to have a new roof in the next 20 years or so, the flashings should be fine. If you aren't going to re-roof for another 60 years, perhaps investing in custom-made aprons would be a better bet.

MalcRH12

tacpot12 said:

Seems like a fair quote for the labour, but the cost of the material is very dependent on the height and thickness of the lead that is being fitted. 6m of 600mm tall Code 5 lead would be about £150, but shorter or thinner lead would be much less. I would ask them to confirm the height and Code of the lead they will be installing and ask that they show you the lead before it goes on the roof. It might be perceived as a lack of trust, but you can tell them you will only want an adjustment to the price if they can't get the lead they want and end up fitting Code 4 for example. (Code 4 would be the minimum I would look for on a chimney.) 

Are they giving you any credit for the lead they are removing? 

I assume this work is happening on a relatively old roof. Most chimneys have aprons to the front and rear, as flashings are usually insufficient to prevent water ingress over the very long term. Flashing are therefore a medium-term fix (25-50 year). Aprons would be expected to have a 100+ year service life. If you are going to have a new roof in the next 20 years or so, the flashings should be fine. If you aren't going to re-roof for another 60 years, perhaps investing in custom-made aprons would be a better bet.

Thanks for your reply. The lead they will be using is code 4 12". Looks like 6m of it can be purchased cheaper than £150. They haven't said anything about what they are planning to do with the old lead, I assume he will take it away. The roof is around 60 years old. He is also going to cap the chimney with a slate for me for what he says is free of charge (we no longer have gas downstairs so are going to replace the gas fire with electric). 

FreeBear

For comparision - Had the flashing done on the side of a chimney last November. Average pre-war semi in East Anglia. Bill was £260 including materials (I supplied the lime mortar). The guy also did a bit of repointing whilst he was up there.

Would suggest you get any unused pots capped with a ventilated cap rather than a flat bit of slate. Something like this - https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/chimney-pots-and-cowls/mad-cowl-mad-capping-cowl-powder-coated-terracotta/p/954174 (cheaper sources available).