The short answer
Dry verge is priced per gable, and the figure depends on the length of the verge, the height needed for access, the state of the existing edge and the type of tile. We cannot honestly quote a single typical price per gable, so this page explains what moves the cost, and a firm figure has to wait for a look at your own gable.
Why there is no single price per gable
Where a roof meets a gable wall, the tiled edge running up the slope is called the verge. Traditionally the tiles there were bedded in a band of mortar and sloped slightly inward. Dry-fix instead holds those edge tiles with clips or screws, so no mortar is needed to keep them on.
People understandably want a figure per gable, but published cost guides for dry-fix usually quote the ridge, not the verge. MyBuilder's 2026 guide to dry ridge gives typical UK ranges of £40 to £60 per linear metre, and £500 to £1,000 as a typical installation. We have no sourced figure for dry verge itself, so we do not pretend to. A number we invented would mislead you.
Verge work is also less standard than ridge work. A short gable on a low bungalow and a tall, steep gable on a three-storey house are different jobs, even though both are called one verge. Only a survey of your own gable produces a fixed price.
What moves the price of a dry verge
Several factors decide the cost, and most can be seen from a photograph or a short visit.
- Length and pitch. A longer or steeper verge uses more material and takes longer to work along.
- Height and access. A gable over a single-storey extension may be reachable with a ladder or low platform. A tall gable usually needs scaffold, and scaffold is a significant cost in its own right.
- What is there already. Old mortar has to be chipped away and the edge tiles lifted. If the undercloak beneath, the strip that supports the tile edge, is rotten or missing, it must be replaced before anything else.
- Tile type. Plain clay, interlocking concrete and slate each need a verge unit that suits their profile and thickness. Matching an older tile may mean sourcing reclaimed ones.
- Condition of the timber. A bargeboard or the rafters at the edge can rot where a mortar verge has leaked for years.
- Number of gables. Several verges done in one visit are cheaper per gable than one done alone, because set-up and travel are shared.
All of this is why a phone estimate, without photographs, is rarely reliable.
Dry verge against re-mortaring the edge
The cheaper-looking option is often to re-bed the verge in mortar. That can be right where the existing edge is sound and the building has heritage status, since a mortar finish may be the look the conservation officer expects. But the cost comparison is not simply materials.
Mortar verges crack, shrink and let in water. When water gets under the edge tiles it works into the rafters and the bargeboard, and the repair bill grows. BS 5534:2014 treats mortar as insufficient on its own for verge tiles, so a mortar verge still needs mechanical fixing. A dry system builds that fixing in.
Dry verge also takes less time to fit once the edge is prepared, because there is no waiting for mortar to cure, and it is less dependent on dry weather. Over the life of the roof, it tends to need less attention. There is a longer discussion of the options in our page on dry verge systems, and a note on ageing in dry ridge and verge lifespans.
Where the cost can grow
The surprises on verge work nearly always come from what is behind the old mortar. When the edge tiles come off, the undercloak, the bargeboard and the top of the wall are all exposed. Rot, a missing batten or a crumbling wall top has to be put right before the new system goes on, and nothing of that shows from the ground.
That is the reason we survey first and photograph what is visible, and why we agree the extra work in writing before it starts. If rot turns up behind the mortar, you are told what it is, why it matters and what putting it right involves, so the bill holds no surprises.
Scaffold is the other big swing. On a high gable the access alone can rival the price of the dry system, and it is sensible to use that scaffold for other work at the same time, such as gutter repair or chimney pointing, rather than put it up twice.
How a quote is built and what to ask
A sound verge quote lists the length to be done, the system and tile type, what happens to the old mortar and edge timbers, the access method, and what is included for waste. It should say whether the cost covers replacing damaged undercloak, and what the price will be if more is found.
Ask which system is going on, whether it is tested to BS 8612:2018, and to see the manufacturer's fixing instructions. Ask how the verge will be matched to the existing tile, and what happens at the ridge end of the gable.
Our survey carries no charge and records your gable in photographs. A single written price follows, and 10 years of workmanship guarantee back the finished verge. If you are also thinking about the mortar side of the roof, it helps to read what mortar mix is used for ridge tiles before deciding, and the rest of this work sits under ridge and verge repairs.
