Lead flashing failure is the most common cause of persistent roof leaks on Hadlow period properties. Original lime mortar on georgian and victorian stacks never touched is the primary accelerant in Hadlow. We replace chimney aprons, step flashings, valley lead and dormer junctions — Code 5 as standard on all exposed positions. Free diagnosis visit. 4 miles east from Tonbridge.
Lead is where most roofs actually leak — at chimneys, valleys, abutments and dormers — and split or lifted lead is a common, fixable cause. In Hadlow, the Georgian and Victorian brick cottages around The Square are where we see it most.
When it is not the answer: If the surrounding covering is also spent, renewing lead in isolation only buys time — we’ll tell you if that’s the case. Read the full guide.
Leadwork usually needs a tower or scaffold for safe access to the junction being dressed. Scaffold is specified for: chimney, valley and abutment leadwork at height - always itemised in your written quote, never a hidden extra, and we arrange it.
Hadlow is largely Georgian and Victorian brick — a legacy of the local brickworks — with period cottages around The Square and newer housing on the edges, so many roofs are clay tile over tight village frontages. Pavement scaffold and skip permits go through Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council; allow a few working days on streets like The Square, Court Lane, Carpenters Lane where space is tight.
A contained, tidy job at the junction being worked; little indoor disruption and no need to be home. You do not need to stay home for external work - we just need power and access agreed in advance.
Lead is dressed and pointed in dry weather so the joints and mortar set correctly. Gently low-lying near the Medway, Hadlow is sheltered but damp in the dips, where standing humidity slows drying and encourages moss on shaded slopes.
Hadlow’s the Georgian and Victorian brick cottages around The Square bring their own lead flashing patterns. Gently low-lying near the Medway, Hadlow is sheltered but damp in the dips, where standing humidity slows drying and encourages moss on shaded slopes. Hadlow is largely Georgian and Victorian brick — a legacy of the local brickworks — with period cottages around The Square and newer housing on the edges, so many roofs are clay tile over tight village frontages. On streets like The Square, Court Lane, that shapes both the fault we expect and how we get to it safely — which is why every Hadlow quote starts with a proper look at the roof, not a phone estimate.
Every Hadlow quote begins with a proper look, not an estimate down the phone. Hadlow is largely Georgian and Victorian brick — a legacy of the local brickworks — with period cottages around The Square and newer housing on the edges, so many roofs are clay tile over tight village frontages. We trace the fault to its source, note the safe access a street like Court Lane allows, and set out the fix in a written, itemised quote. Your work is covered by a written 10-year workmanship guarantee, transferable if you sell, with manufacturer warranties on any new materials on top; storm and impact damage we document separately for your insurer.
Covering TN11 and surrounding postcodes.
Lead flashing work in Hadlow requires correct specification — Code 3 on an exposed Hadlow chimney fails within 10 years. We specify correctly by default.
The apron flashing — front face of the chimney — takes the highest weather loading in Hadlow. Code 5 (2.24mm) minimum. Welted joints on all lap positions. Correctly chased into the mortar joint above.
Step flashings up the chimney sides in Hadlow require soakers under each tile course and correctly-overlapping lead steps above. We install to Lead Sheet Association specification throughout.
Open valley lead on Hadlow properties — Code 4 minimum, Code 5 on steep-pitch high-flow valleys. Welted cross-joints every 1.5m maximum. Correctly lapped under tile courses.
Dormer cheek and apron flashings on Hadlow properties require careful dressing to the dormer frame and underlying tile. Failure at dormer flashings is common on 1970s-90s extensions throughout Hadlow.
If you have a persistent leak in Hadlow that has not been correctly diagnosed, we carry out an on-roof investigation and identify the flashing or tile cause. Free investigation with any repair booking.
We specify the correct lead code for every position — Code 3 is too thin for exposed work anywhere in Hadlow. Every quote states the lead code and joint method. If a quote doesn't — ask.
Lead flashing failure in Hadlow is accelerated by original lime mortar on Georgian and Victorian stacks never touched. The housing stock — Georgian and Victorian village street properties — means the majority of lead work we attend in Hadlow is on pre-1940 properties where the original flashing specification was modest and has not been upgraded since.
The most common pattern on Hadlow properties: Code 3 flat-lapped lead installed 10-15 years ago is now splitting at lap joints and admitting water that tracks to a ceiling drip remote from the actual entry point. The correct fix is Code 5 with welted joints and a correctly chased top edge — this lasts 40 years in Hadlow's conditions rather than 10.
Call 0173 224 1138 for a free, no-obligation survey and written quote. We cover Hadlow and the surrounding area from our Tonbridge base.
Typical price ranges. All quotes are free, written and fixed-price. Call 0173 224 1138.
| Job Type | Typical Cost | Timescale |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney apron — Code 5 | £280–£480 | Half–full day |
| Full chimney system — Code 5 throughout | £600–£950 | 1–2 days |
| Valley re-lead — Code 5 (per metre) | £150–£250 | varies |
| Dormer apron + sides | £450–£850 | 1 day |
| Flashing re-chase + re-secure only | £150–£300 | Half day |
| Leak investigation + report | Free with repair booking | 1–2 hrs |
“Booked lead flashing and they turned up when they said, did what they said, and charged what they quoted. Rare these days. Genuinely local and reliable.”
“Had a lead flashing problem I’d been putting off. Surveyed it properly, explained what was actually wrong, and quoted in writing. No pressure, no surprises on the bill.”
“Honest about what did and didn’t need doing on the lead flashing — talked me out of the expensive option the last firm pushed. Refreshing in Hadlow.”
We’re out across Hadlow constantly. The TN11 area and the villages around it are our patch, so a Hadlow callout rarely means a long wait.
On Hadlow roofs it’s the stock, the height and the scale of the fault. the Georgian and Victorian brick cottages around The Square have their own quirks, so we survey first and give you an itemised figure.
Yes. Small Hadlow jobs are often within days, and genuine emergencies we treat as same-day make-safe, working out from around Court Lane.
Yes — every Hadlow job carries a written 10-year workmanship guarantee, transferable if you sell, with manufacturer warranties on materials on top.
Only where the job needs safe standing time — chimney, valley and abutment leadwork at height. It’s always itemised in your Hadlow quote and arranged by us, never a hidden extra.
At chimneys, valleys and wall abutments. On Hadlow’s the Georgian and Victorian brick cottages around The Square, old lead splits and lifts, and gently low-lying near the medway finds every gap.
Yes — we dress Hadlow leadwork to the right code (typically 4 and 5) so it lasts, rather than the thin, short-life lead a rushed job uses.
No call-out fee. No obligation. We serve Hadlow from our Tonbridge base.
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