Zinc work: gutters, downpipes and wall copings.
A roof is only finished when the water also comes off it properly. Zinc work is the part you can see: the gutter, the downpipe and the coping on top of the wall.
Four simple steps
Request a quoteMeasuring and inspecting
I come out, measure your roof and look at exactly what it needs.
A keen quote
You get a clear quote with no obligation. No surprises afterwards.
We build your roof
Once you agree, we schedule the work for a time that suits you.
Handed over watertight
The roof is handed over fully watertight, with a 10-year guarantee.
Green streaks down the wall?
Then water is running where it should not. Give me a call and I will see whether it is the gutter, a seam or the downpipe.
What this work includes
- Zinc box and eaves gutters
- Rainwater outlets and downpipes
- Wall copings and cover caps
- Valley gutters and connecting pieces
- Repairing seams and soldered joints
- Done in one go during a roof renovation
Zinc work, and what you notice of it
Zinc work
Zinc lasts a long time, fifty years is not unusual, but not forever. It thins out, soldered joints let go, and at some point water comes through a seam or a corner. I replace complete gutters, fit new rainwater downpipes and install copings on upstands and garden walls.
The signs
Green streaks down the wall, a damp patch under the gutter, or a downpipe that overflows in a heavy shower. During a roof renovation it is also the moment to take the zinc work along: the gutter is open anyway and the roof edge is already loose.
How zinc grows old
Zinc does not wear visibly, it thins. From the inside, through the water that runs past it every day. That goes well for decades and then suddenly does not: a pinhole appears in a corner, or a soldered joint lets go. So I look not only at the place that leaks but at the thickness of the rest. If the zinc is thin everywhere, replacing one corner is only a postponement. If the damage is in one spot and the rest is sound, I repair that spot and that is that.
What people ask about this
That depends on the rest. If the zinc is equally thin everywhere, replacing a section only postpones things. If the damage is on one corner, I repair that corner.
That water is running out along the gutter or downpipe instead of through it. Usually a seam, a corner or a blockage.
Up to the connection with the sewer. If the blockage is in the buried pipe, I say so honestly and point you elsewhere.
What kind of roof is it?
The classic zinc gutter along the roof edge. Lasts fifty years, but thins out and eventually lets go at the soldered joints.
The pipe from gutter to drain. If it overflows in a heavy shower there is usually a blockage or the bore is too narrow.
The capping on an upstand or a garden wall. Without one the brickwork soaks up water, and that comes out again inside.
Where two roof surfaces meet. A sensitive spot, because all the water from both sides has to pass along here.
Every corner has a soldered joint, and that is exactly where zinc starts to leak after thirty years.
During a roof renovation the gutter is open anyway and the roof edge is already loose. That is the logical moment.
Request a quote for zinc work, no obligation.
Fill in the form or give me a call. I come out, measure it up and tell you what is needed. A 10-year guarantee on watertightness, and you are tied to nothing.
Roof edges and fascia
Where nearly all wind damage begins: aluminium roof trim and new upstands.
Lead work
Lead flashing at the chimney, the wall and the roof window, where leaks most often start.
Roof maintenance and inspection
Having a look every five years often prevents a bigger repair.