How to work on a central lead valley

[FooManChu]

Hi. I'm after some help on how to best approach repairing some slate tiles which are between a central lead valley on a single story building. I've not got an exact picture of my roof at the moment, but the diagram below is quite close except that the roof on the right is hipped such that its not easy to place a roof ladder onto it. Is there a particular way it can be done without simply walking astride across the slates which will no doubt crack quite a few.

Would some form of timber framed platform be required?

Any advice appreciated thanks.

 

[catlad]

I would probably access via the hopper into the lead gutter
but if you don't feel comfortable with that get a scaffold tower erected.

 

[bobasd]

you should post pics showin the elevation from the ground up to the hopper, an along the gutter showin both sides of the left an right slate pitches.

you can safely walk along the lead valley.

buy roof hooks an fix them to 25mm x 40mm lengths of tile lath.
the lengths are cut to go up the roof an reach the ridge as roof ladder stiles.
short off-cuts of same section laths to act as treads are screwed to the stiles.
youve now made a made to measure roof ladder. you can safely work off this diyladder.
only use it as a roof ladder.

while you are up ther clean an repair the gutter if it needs it.

 

[FooManChu]

The valley is very very narrow so it does not look as if I could place a foot onto the valley. I have a roof ladder and the valley can easily be accessed via a flat roof where water runs onto from the one end of the valley. I'm just concerned on how to get to the valley. If I place my roof ladder onto the ridge tiles on one side, I still have to "take a leap of faith" to get onto that ladder.

I'll take a photo Tomorrow and post so that its much clearer.

Thanks so far.

 

[FooManChu]

Ok, so here is a picture of my roof valley taken from an upstairs window (the house is part two, part one story). So I can literally walk from a flat roof onto the valley.
However as you can see the valley is extremely narrow so walking on the valley would be very difficult. Both roofs leading onto the valley can have roof ladders on their ridges.
So the question is, how is the best approach to repair any of the slates and how best to get to them given the valley width. How could I distribute the weight to safely work there?

Thanks in advance.

 

[foxhole]

You could use small sheets of ply (about 1/2m square)joined to match roof line angle, make up two then place one either side of small section you can work on moving them as you go .

 

[catlad]

That is one poorly thought out valley! I would put a scaffold plank in the gutter resting on one side of the roof and then I could put a short ladder up the other side resting against the plank to stop it damaging anything.

 

[noseall]

That is one poorly thought out valley!

And one nackered roof.

 

[bobasd]

out of sight out of mind -
very poor lower slate courses with nail fatigue probly cause for needin all the tingles.
an thevalley is to narrow - common sense says its got to be wide enough to walk on. even chimneystack back gutters need standin space.

strip the lot on both sides of the gutter.
an also deal with the missin an cocked slates at the hip.
same with any damaged or delaminatin hip tiles.

past attempts to work on those pitches probly caused more damage.
dont attempt any leaps or chances - its never worth it. if your out of your depth get a roofer in.

 

[datarebal]

the tingled slates are there because they have been ripped out in the past. third course up is a give away, the easiest to get a standard ripper to.
probably had a gutter issue some time before

 

[FooManChu]

Thanks for the advice. Trouble is its not exactly out of sight, out of mind, as I took this from an upstairs window and can see if every day. Yep the ridge tiles have blown in places and do need seeing to.

 

[FooManChu]

Actually bobasd, to make the valley wider would the bottom course of slates on both roofs need to be cut down?

 

[bobasd]

yes.
but if the roof was to be re-laid then its just a matter of settin-out the battens to give a wider valley.