Roofs and flat roofs
The valley board is soft and the lead above it was still holding water on the day. Which material is the defect?
Only the soft valley board is the defect in that note, not the lead that was still holding water on the day. The board is the timber under the metal, and softness under a probe is a timber finding. Lead that held water has not been described as split, holed or short. The two materials touch, and they are not the same failure. A visual survey records which one gave way. It does not condemn the lead for a fault in the board, and it does not design a new valley from that probe.
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?
A valley board can soften from an old leak or from damp trapped under the sheet, even when the metal above is still containing water. Holding water on the day means the lead did that job then. It does not mean the board is dry, and the probe says the board is not firm. Read the softness as the timber. Read the holding as the lead's performance on that visit, which is a limited observation and not a lifetime for the sheet.
A roofer who can turn the lead should confirm how far the board is soft and whether the lead can go back. Ask the quotation to name the board as the softened item and to say separately whether the lead is reused. A new-lead price that never mentions the timber misses the defect. A price for stripping both slopes misses it as well. The material named by the probe is the valley board.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How much of the valley board was soft, and where did you probe it?
- Was the lead split or holed anywhere, or was it holding water on the day?
- Which of the two materials are you calling the defect?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the quotation to name the valley board, not only the lead above it.
- Do not strip both adjoining slopes as the answer to a soft board.
- Confirm whether the lead can be reused once the board has been repaired.
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 the board be rotten if the lead was holding water?
Yes. Lead that held water on the day does not clear the timber under it. The soft valley board is the defect the probe found.
Does the soft board condemn the tiles on either side of the valley?
No. The note is the board beneath the lead. The adjoining tiles are a different material and were not described as that defect.