Why lead?
Lifespan
Being one of the worlds oldest building materials, lead has been tried and tested for thousands of years. And has been known to last over 500 years. In usual cases, when fitted correctly, it is expected to easily last 150 years. Far beyond most other roofing materials, especially modern man-made alternatives.
Over 40 years, lead works out to be 50% cheaper than other alternatives. And almost 100% cheaper over just 65 years.
Appearance
Lead has been used on some of Britain's most beautiful and well know buildings. But also on millions of ordinary houses. It is well know for being a material that ages more beautifully than most other building materials, and requires virtually no maintenance over it’s entire lifespan.
Environment and Carbon Footprint
It’s greener than it looks!
It can seem strange that a metal is considered environmentally friendly.
Even in the 21st century, when the eco-credentials of the building industry are the more important than ever, lead is still one of the most sustainable materials around.
It is a completely naturally occurring element, unlike the cheaper man-made alternatives that are usually petrochemical based, non recyclable, and have a much shorter lifespan.
Lead is the most recycled of all building materials. Nearly 100% of it is reclaimed, recycled and reused. Even the recycling of lead is far more environmentally friendly that other metals because of the low melting point of 327°C, less energy is needed.
Because of this, lead has an energy rating below other metals used for roofing, and far below the man-made alternatives. Even at the end of its life, it is simply recycled and reused again and again, unlike a lot of the alternatives that can’t be recycled and will simply end up in land fill.
Versatility
Lead is sometimes know as an old, dated material that is difficult to install. But because of it’s eco-credentials and versatility, it is more relevant today than ever.
As much as it is used on old, listed, and historic buildings, it is also preferred by many architects as the material of choice for many modern and contemporary projects.
When used to clad a building, it can be easily shaped and moulded to fit almost anything.
