Roof guide
Chimney flashing and the stain beside the fireplace
Louisville has a lot of brick and a lot of old chimneys. Where the two meet the roof is where roofs leak.
What flashing does
A chimney pokes up through the roof, so water running down the slope hits it and has to go somewhere. Flashing is the layered metal that steers that water around the chimney and back onto the shingles. There is a step piece woven into each shingle course and a counter piece let into the mortar joints above it.
Why it lets go
Mortar joints erode and the counter flashing pulls loose. Sealant applied by a previous roofer dries out. On older houses the flashing may be a single bent sheet caulked to the brick, which was never going to last. Wind and ice lift the edges a little more every year.
What it looks like inside
A stain on the ceiling near the chimney, or running down the wall beside the fireplace. Sometimes a musty smell in the room. Because it only shows after a long rain with wind from one side, people live with it for years.
How we fix it
New step flashing woven into the courses, new counter flashing set into ground out mortar joints and sealed, and a cricket behind the chimney if the slope needs one. We photograph the old flashing before, the new layers as they go in, and the finished chimney line. The price is written before the first shingle lifts.
When it is more than flashing
If the brick itself is spalling or the chimney crown is cracked, the water is coming through the masonry, not around it. Our report says so and points you to a mason. We do not sell flashing for a problem flashing cannot fix.
Book your free roof check
Tell us where the house is. We reply the same day.