Chimney and leadwork in Hull

Chimney and leadwork in Hull

Chimney and leadwork in Hull, carried out by our own directly employed roofers. Free survey, photographs of the problem, and an itemised quote in writing before the work is booked in.

Hull is in the middle of our Hull patch, so it is part of the Hull office's normal patch rather than a job we have to travel for. It covers the HU1, HU2, HU3, HU4, HU5 and HU9 postcode districts. That matters when you need somebody back to look at something.

The roofs in Hull

Hull is the most mixed roof stock we work on. The Avenues and the terraces off Beverley Road and Newland Avenue are largely Victorian and Edwardian, which means natural slate, lead valleys and party wall abutments shared with the house next door. Move out to Bransholme, Sutton and the west of the city and it is post war concrete interlocking tile on felt underlay, most of it laid within the same twenty year window and now arriving at the end of its fixings together.

Hull's housing runs from the Avenues and the terraces off Beverley Road through to the post war estates north and east of the centre, and the roofs change completely as you move between them.

Hull's older terraces have some of the tallest and most exposed stacks we work on, often serving two properties. Damp on a chimney breast in an upstairs bedroom is almost always the flashing or the back gutter rather than the brickwork, and on a shared stack it can be the neighbour's side.

Chimney flashing and leadwork above Hull's Boulevard houses

Boulevard's substantial Victorian houses bring chimney and leadwork questions that cannot be answered by looking at the front apron alone. On their slate roof slopes, a stack can sit beside a change in roof height, leaving a narrow space where soot debris and broken mortar collect behind the brickwork. The conservation setting along Boulevard also makes the outline of the stack and its pots part of the roof's appearance. When moisture marks an upper room in this part of Hull, the inspection needs to separate defects in that high masonry from problems at the concealed lead junction below it.

On a Boulevard house, we arrange a working platform around the stack so the rear face can be inspected without leaning across fragile slate. The front setback and any bay projections determine the scaffold arrangement, while delivery space needs checking before heavy lead rolls and mortar materials arrive. We assess the stack's stability first, then open failed joints and lift adjacent slates only where necessary to inspect the soakers and rear channel. For these older Hull chimney details, replacement lead is divided and supported to allow movement, with masonry repairs using a mix suited to the existing brick.

Limited lead renewal at a Boulevard stack may take a few working days, but rebuilding damaged masonry and allowing suitable curing conditions can extend chimney work. The height above the slate slope, access around a projecting bay and the size of the concealed rear channel shape the price here. Aftercare involves observing the pots and flashing from a safe ground position and monitoring the affected chimney breast as it dries. A free survey can relate that Boulevard staining to photographs of what we find, followed by an itemised written quote separating lead repairs from any work needed to the brick stack.

What chimney flashing and leadwork in Hull involves

• Step flashings and soakersNew stepped lead flashing and soakers to the correct code, dressed into raked joints and wedged, not stuck on.
• Back guttersThe gutter behind the stack rebuilt properly, which is where a lot of stack leaks actually come from.
• Lead trays and cappingsDamp proof trays and cappings where the stack needs them, and flaunching renewed around the pots.

That is the short version. There is a fuller explanation of the work, the materials and the detailing on our chimney flashing and leadwork page.

Signs your Hull property needs this

• White salt staining coming through plaster on the chimney breast
• Damp patches on the chimney breast in an upstairs bedroom
• Staining on the ceiling around where the stack passes through

Why mastic on a chimney is a warning sign

If you look up at a stack and see black or grey sealant along the top edge of the lead, that is usually somebody's repair rather than the original detail. Lead flashing should be dressed into a raked out mortar joint and wedged, then pointed. Done that way it moves with the building and sheds water for decades.

Chimney and leadwork in Hull at a glance

What affects the price in Hull

• Access, since a stack on a ridge in the middle of a roof needs more scaffold than one on a gable
• Repoint against partial rebuild against full rebuild
• How much lead the detail needs and at what code

The survey is free, there is no obligation, and the quote is itemised so you can put it next to anyone else's and compare like for like.