Roofs and flat roofs
Should bonnet hip tiles, seen beside a swept valley, be treated as a verdict on the laced valley on the rear slope?
No. Bonnet hip tiles seen beside a swept valley are not a verdict on the laced valley on the rear slope. The survey recorded the hip tiles and the swept valley as details in view. It has not decided that the laced valley is sound, clear or built the same way. A swept valley and a laced valley carry the courses differently. Seeing one does not inspect the other. The rear slope stands on its own note, which may be no more than a distant look.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Bonnet tiles are curved pieces that close a hip. A swept valley turns the courses around the valley line. A laced valley weaves courses from both slopes across each other. Each can hide weak mortar or a tight throat. From the ground the surveyor can name the pattern. That is not a water test, and it is not a comparison that clears the rear valley because the hip nearby looked regular. The two valleys should stay described as separate details.
Ask the solicitor whether leaks have been reported at the rear valley, and keep that question off the bonnet hip. A roofer with access can trace the laced courses and the bedding. This visit did not, and it has not specified repairs. Do not tell a lender that one traditional detail has approved the others. They are separate features of the covering, seen to different degrees.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Where do the bonnet hip tiles sit relative to the swept valley?
- How much of the laced valley on the rear slope was in view?
- Does the report keep the two valleys as different details?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not treat the bonnet hip as a verdict on the rear valley.
- Ask the seller about leaks at the laced valley.
- Get a roofer onto the rear valley if that detail matters.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Can debris in the swept valley be assumed to block the laced one?
No. They are different junctions. Debris in the swept valley is not a finding about the laced valley on the rear slope. The visit did not clear either channel and did not test how water runs. Each throat has to be looked at on its own.
If both valleys look traditional, has the covering been passed?
A traditional appearance describes the tilework that was visible. It is not a pass. Courses were not lifted and water was not run through the valleys. Bonnet hips can look neat while a rear valley is tired. Leave the laced valley as its own open detail.