Roofs and flat roofs
The lead valley beside a dormer is split and the dormer cheeks are dry. What length of valley is the defect?
The defect is the split length of lead valley beside the dormer, not the cheeks. The cheeks are dry, so the note is the valley running beside them, where the lead has split. A valley collects water from two slopes, and a split in that lead is a leak path along the length that has opened. The survey has recorded the split and the dry cheeks. It has not specified how much lead to renew, and it has not proved how far water has tracked under it.
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?
Lead valleys fail where they split, where they hole, and where they do not turn far enough up the dormer. Dry cheeks point away from the side cladding and toward the valley itself. Water can still run under a split and show inside away from the cheek. The survey saw the split from where it could look. It did not strip the valley and it did not water-test it. Dry cheeks are part of the note, not a guarantee the lining is sound for its whole run.
Ask a roofer to inspect that valley and to say what length of lead needs renewing, including the turns beside the dormer. Tell the solicitor the defect is the split valley and that the cheeks were dry. Do not commission new dormer cladding on this note alone. The survey has not designed the leadwork and it has not cleared the other valleys on the roof.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the split in the lead valley rather than in the dormer cheeks?
- Were the cheeks dry on the day?
- Has the length of lead to be renewed been left unspecified?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the split valley as the defect, not the dry cheeks.
- Ask a roofer what length of that lead valley needs renewing.
- Do not reclad the dormer on the strength of this note alone.
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
If the ceiling under the dormer is dry, is the valley sound?
Not proved. A dry ceiling on the day does not close a split in the lead. Water may not have come through yet, or it may be tracking somewhere the survey did not see. The cheeks were dry, which keeps the note on the valley. The split is still the defect, and the length to renew has not been specified.
Does one split valley condemn every valley on the roof?
No. The defect recorded is this valley beside the dormer. Other valleys were not given the same finding. They should not be ignored if the report mentions them, but this question is the split length next to the dry cheeks. The survey has not ordered a whole-roof valley renewal.