A craftsman at work

Producing a special project judged by your peers as good enough to win an award needs focus and careful attention to detail as well as exceptional hands-on skills, so needless to say requires a very good leadworker.

To produce award winning projects three times in seven years shows the consistent high quality standards of a leadworker who is a master of his craft and that is certainly the case when it comes to Vince McKee from Kent.

The first winner of the Murdoch Sponsor’s Award in 2006, Vince repeated the feat in 2009 and has now once again been judged the winner of the 2012 competition, for his work on a private house extension in East Farleigh, Kent.

The Sponsor’s Award was introduced by Associated Lead Mills who have sponsored the Murdoch Award since 2005. ALM wanted to recognise the smaller leadwork project (less than 5 tonnes) which were often overshadowed by the more eye-catching larger jobs, even though they might be just as complex in detail.

That is certainly the case with the latest winning entry, a Victorian country rag stone house in the west Kent countryside who’s owners wanted a rear projecting garden room in addition to the extensive renovation work being carried out.

Lead was a natural choice for the roof of the garden room in complementing the aesthetics of the main building and V McKee Plumbing secured the design and construction contract, which included the timber substrate for the roof and gutters.

Proper ventilation of the roof space was a key design concern, addressed by vented soffits and the use of Nicholson Ventilators with the rooflights and triangular roof vents, whilst at the same time ensuring there was adequate cross ventilation.

Various thicknesses of rolled lead sheet were used on the project including Code 8 for the side gutters (as no steps could be detailed), Code 6 for the main roof slopes and two flat roof areas and Code 5 for the valleys. The lead was laid on geotextile underlay, with wood rolls used for jointing the main areas and patination oil carefully applied throughout to provide the perfect finish.

The individual lead sheets were cut, prepared and fabricated at ground level and then lifted into place. The whole installation was completed without the need to lead weld any area on the roof.

Graham Hudson, Managing Director of Associated Lead Mills was particularly delighted with the winning entry. “Although there is absolutely no restriction on whose lead is used on Murdoch and Sponsors Award entries - provided it’s either milled or sand cast - it’s great to see that Vince actually used ALM lead on this project” he said. “Vince winning the Sponsors award for the third time is a tribute not only to his skills as a craftsman, but also to his consistent careful attention to detail and going that extra mile, which is what the judges look for.”  

• The 2013 Murdoch  Sponsors Award competition, is now open to entries from all LCA members for projects using up to a maximum of 5 tonnes of lead sheet to BSEN12588 or traditional sand cast material. Contact the LCA secretariat for further details