The Property

Lead Repairs and Details – Manchester City Centre

This project involved specialist lead repairs and detailing to a commercial property in Manchester City Centre. The building contains a high-profile clothing store and sits within a busy shopping and hotel district, making access, coordination and presentation important throughout the works.

The Lead Lads were engaged to complete repairs to existing lead details across the roof area. The work included replacing a parapet capping, renewing selected flashing details and forming a customised lead ridge detail.

Although the scope was relatively focused, the project required careful leadworking because the building was in a central location and the existing roof details were already showing signs that a wider future roof refurbishment may be beneficial.

Why the Leadwork Needed Repairing

The existing lead details had reached a point where targeted repair and renewal were required. On commercial buildings, parapets, flashings and ridge details are often exposed to wind, rain and movement, especially where different roof coverings and masonry details meet.

While the repairs helped address key weak points, the roof also showed that a broader scheme to replace older leadwork, slate roof areas and related details may offer better long-term value in future. This is often the case where several separate defects appear across the same roof area.

Leadwork Standards and Technical Approach

This project followed a standards-led approach focused on durable repairs, correct material selection and careful integration with existing roof details.

• BS 6915 informed the installation and repair principles for the lead sheet details.
• BS EN 12588 governed the rolled lead sheet material specification.
• Lead Sheet Association guidance informed welding, bossing, welted panel formation, fixings and movement allowance.

Where lead repairs are carried out, the detail still needs to allow for natural thermal movement. This means using suitable lead code, forming joints correctly and avoiding over-fixing. For this project, Code 5 lead was used to form the replacement capping, flashing and ridge details.

Specification of Works

Preparation and Removal

• Roof areas inspected and repair zones identified.
• Access and working arrangements planned for the city centre location.
• Defective lead capping and flashing details removed where required.
• Existing roof interfaces checked before replacement leadwork was formed.
• Working areas prepared for new Code 5 lead details.

Substrate and Support

• Existing parapet and ridge support areas checked for suitability.
• Interfaces prepared to receive new lead cappings and flashings.
• Support and fixing points reviewed to avoid restricting lead movement.
• Existing roof details cleaned and prepared before installation.

Leadwork Installation

• New parapet capping formed using Code 5 rolled lead sheet.
• Selected flashing details replaced and dressed into adjoining interfaces.
• Customised lead ridge detail formed to suit the existing roof arrangement.
• Welted panels formed where required to provide clean joints and movement allowance.
• Lead bossed and dressed around changes in direction.
• Lead welding completed where required to maintain continuity.
• Fixings positioned to secure the leadwork without over-restraining the sheet.
• Finished details checked for weathering and integration with the surrounding roof.

Finishing and Protection

• Patination oil applied to new exposed leadwork.
• Completed repairs inspected for finish and weathering performance.
• Surrounding areas cleaned down following the works.

The Materials

This project used a simple but important group of materials selected for targeted lead repairs and bespoke roof detailing.

• Code 5 lead
• Patination oil
• Leadwork fixings
• Lead welding materials

If you are trying to understand which code of lead is right for a similar repair, our shoppable lead chart is a useful starting point. For broader product learning, see The Lead Handbook and our lead roofing guides.