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What changes the price of a roof valley?
A roof valley price in Cheshire turns on the length of the channel, the lining, how many tiles must come off, and the access. This guide does not print a valley figure, because the quotes only match once those lines match.
Last reviewed:A valley is a channel, not a whole roof
A roof valley is the inclined channel formed where two sloping surfaces meet. Water is supposed to run down that channel to the eaves, not sideways under the tiles. When it fails, the stain indoors is often nowhere near the channel, because water can travel. The first houses this guide has in mind are in Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach. The comparison method is the same wherever you post.
This page does not print a valley price. What you can compare is the specification.
What you can see without going up
Stay on the ground. HSE defines work at height as any place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury, including a fall through a fragile roof, and it says to avoid that work where it is reasonably practicable [S1]. Photos from a side window, from the garden, and of the ceiling stain are the useful ones.
Note, if you know them:
- Whether two roofs meet above the stain, or whether you are looking at an eaves gutter.
- How long the meeting of the slopes looks, even as a rough description such as "from the ridge to the gutter" rather than a measured metre you took from a ladder.
- Whether leaves sit in the channel, which you may see from the ground in winter.
- Any roof window next to the valley. HSE says fragile rooflights are a particular hazard [S2].
Do not lift a tile to see the lining. Do not walk the valley because it "looks like a path".
HSE: work at height. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
What the written price has to pin down
Citizens Advice says some traders charge for quotes, so ask first, and to try to get written quotes from at least 3 traders [S3]. It describes a quote as a fixed price and an estimate as a rough guess, and says the trader cannot charge more unless you agree extra work or there was a genuine mistake in the written price [S3]. A written quote should include a fixed total, a breakdown, how long the price lasts, whether VAT is included, and when it can rise [S3].
NFRC says an estimate for refurbishment can change once tiles or slates are removed and the sub-structure underneath is seen [S4]. Put that in the instruction you send: the first price is for a defined valley, and timber found soft after the lining comes off is a new agreement [S3].
NFRC also says to select up to three roofing contractors and not to choose automatically on the lowest figure, but on the advice and your confidence in the contractor [S4]. It says to ask for a guarantee on refurbishment work, and it recommends an insurance-backed guarantee [S4]. A short valley repair may not come with one. Ask, and do not write one in if the answer is no. Membership of the federation is voluntary [S4].
VAT is a separate line. A business registers when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or is expected to in the next 30 days [S5]. Ask if the valley total includes it. If a deposit cannot be avoided, Citizens Advice says not to agree to more than 25%, and to get a receipt [S3].
Access, and a repair that grows
HSE says sloping roofs require scaffolding so people and materials do not fall from the edge, and edge protection at the eaves of a terrace, at the rear and the front [S2]. Short-duration work, measured in minutes, may use properly secured ladders and proper roof ladders [S2]. A valley that runs from ridge to eaves is rarely a task of a few minutes. Ask the roofer to say so in writing if they think it is.
If opening the valley becomes a re-cover, the Planning Portal says you will not normally need a building control application when less than 25 per cent of the building envelope is affected and less than 50 per cent of the roof is affected [S6]. You will need approval if you exceed those limits, if you alter the structure, if the new covering's fire performance is significantly different, or if the new material increases the weight of the covering by 15 per cent or more [S6]. GOV.UK lists replacing roof coverings on pitched and flat roofs among works that can need building regulations approval, separate from planning permission [S7]. NFRC's competent person scheme in England and Wales applies where more than 50 per cent of the roof area is replaced [S4].
GOV.UK: find your local council for building control. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
| Line on the quote | What you are comparing |
|---|---|
| Channel described | Valley, not an eaves gutter, and the slopes that meet |
| Length | Named, even if measured by the roofer rather than by you |
| Lining | Material named, and whether the old lining comes off |
| Tiles or slates | How far each side they will lift, and who reinstates them |
| Soft timber | A stop-and-agree rule once the lining is off [S4] |
| Access | Scaffold, or a short task they are prepared to defend [S2] |
| If it grows | Whether the area would pass the re-cover limits [S6] |
| VAT | Included or not, beside the £90,000 threshold [S5] |
Inside the house
A ceiling stain under a valley is not automatically the valley. Say when the mark appears. Rain that tracks the weather points at the roof. A mark that appears after a shower points at a pipe. Making good the ceiling is often missing from a roofing price. Ask whether the quote stops at the lining or includes cutting out wet plasterboard. Decoration can be a third trade. Leaving it out is fine if the paper says it is out.
Lead, or another metal, is a common valley lining. This guide does not specify a code of practice for that metal. It asks you to make the roofer name the material. A smear of sealant in an open joint is not the same line as a new lining. If they will not know until they are up there, the quote should price the opening separately from the lining, and the lining should be agreed before it is fitted [S3].
Neighbours, leaves, and the ceiling below
A valley often sits over the boundary between your rear addition and the main house, not over the boundary with next door. If it does sit on a party wall, say so, because the roofing price and any party wall notice are different pieces of paper. This guide does not decide that for you.
Leaves and moss in the channel are a maintenance visit. A split lining is a replacement of that lining. Ask the roofer to say which they have priced. Clearing debris and then discovering a split is the moment to stop and agree the larger job, which is the same rule Citizens Advice gives for extra work [S3].
Write the postcode on the job so the roofer knows which street they are pricing. The room below may need a decorator after the roof is dry. Keep that out of the roofing total if you will hire it separately, and write "ceiling left as found" so nobody assumes the brown stain disappears with the lining. If the plaster is sagging, say that. Do not poke it.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- Stain in a bedroom under the meeting of the main roof and a rear addition. Photos of the ceiling and of the slopes from the garden. Ask for a written valley price and a note if timber is soft.
- Leaves sitting in a valley seen from a landing window. Ask whether the job is clearing and resealing, or a new lining. Say nobody should stand in the channel.
- Valley beside a roof window. State that the window is fragile [S2]. Ask for the access method.
Anyone in the UK can post or register. QuoteZila is a new, early-stage project, so how many roofers reply depends on who has joined near you [QZ5]. Up to five matched local businesses can quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Comparing two valley quotes
Lay the lining and the access side by side before the totals. Citizens Advice says a price which is a lot lower may mean the work is not the same work, or the trader may not have the skills [S3]. Pay by card, in stages, rather than cash for the whole job up front [S3]. Check the roofer's insurance yourself [S3].
Edge protection is set out by HSE roof work. Approval for a re-cover is on GOV.UK.
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
Roofers are the trade. Scaffolders if you are hiring access yourself. The wider leak brief is the roof repair cost guide. All services. All cost guides.
Questions about roof valleys
How much does a roof valley cost in Cheshire?
This page does not print a figure. A short valley over a porch and a long valley between two gables are different jobs. Compare quotes that name the same length, the same lining and the same access. Ask what happens if the boards under the lining are soft.
Is a valley the same as a gutter?
No. A gutter sits at the eaves and takes water off the edge. A valley is the internal channel where two slopes meet and water runs down the slope to the eaves. Tell the roofer which one is leaking, or say you can only see the stain indoors.
Do valleys need scaffolding?
HSE says sloping roofs require scaffolding so people and materials do not fall from the edge, with edge protection at the eaves of a terrace, at the rear and the front. Where the work is short, measured in minutes, properly secured ladders and proper roof ladders may be used. Ask which access is in the price. This page does not tell you to climb.
Can a valley repair turn into a re-cover?
It can if the area opened up is large. The Planning Portal says a re-cover does not normally need a building control application when less than 25 per cent of the building envelope and less than 50 per cent of the roof are affected, unless the structure changes or the new covering is heavier by 15 per cent or more. NFRC's scheme in England and Wales applies where more than 50 per cent of the roof area is replaced.
Will the roofer charge to look?
Some traders charge for quotes, so ask first. Citizens Advice says to get written quotes from at least 3 traders. A quote is a fixed price. An estimate is a rough guess. NFRC says refurbishment estimates can change once the covering is removed and the sub-structure is seen.
Does QuoteZila check roofers?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Part of Cost guides. All services
Related trades
Cost guides
Related pages
- Slate Roof Work in Cheshire: What to Ask. A slate roof quote in Cheshire turns on area, pitch, access and the timber under the covering. Compare written quotes for the same slopes.
- Soffit and Fascia Cost: What a Quote Is Built From. The measurements and choices behind a soffit and fascia quote: metres of roofline, storeys, boards, gutters and access, with FMB board prices per metre.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ.
- QZ5: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home callout.
- S1: Introduction to working at height safely, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/introduction.htm
- S2: Roof work, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/roofwork.htm
- S3: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S4: Choosing a roofing contractor: homeowners, National Federation of Roofing Contractors. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.nfrc.co.uk/find-a-member/choosing-a-roofing-contractor/homeowners.html
- S5: When to register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- S6: Building Regulations: Work to an existing roof, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/roof/building-regulations-work-to-an-existing-roof/
- S7: Building regulations approval, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval