Where roofs actually leak
Flashing is the sheet-metal work that seals every point where the roof stops being a plain surface: against a wall, around a chimney, down a valley, at a skylight, along the eave. It is a fabrication skill in its own right, and it is where the large majority of leaks begin.
The reason is sequencing. Flashing details are layered, each component lapping over the one below so water is directed outward at every stage. Get the order wrong and the assembly looks finished from the ground while quietly channelling water inward. Because the sequence is invisible once complete, we photograph each stage before it is covered.
Chimneys are often a masonry job too
A leak at a chimney can be the flashing, the crown, the cap, or open mortar joints in the brickwork — and treating only the flashing when the masonry is the route in will not solve it. We say clearly which it is. Wide chimneys generally also need a cricket, the small saddle that diverts water around the up-slope side, and it is one of the most commonly omitted items on a competing quote.
- Step and counter-flashing at wall intersections
- Chimney flashing, crickets, crown and cap work
- Valley metal replacement with underlayment renewed beneath
- Pipe boots, vent collars and small penetrations renewed as a set
- Skylight and equipment curb perimeters re-detailed
Renew the small ones together
Pipe boots are cheap per unit and are a frequent cause of a leak that has been running quietly for years. If we are on the roof and several are the same age, renewing all of them at once usually costs very little more than doing the one that is currently failing — and it removes the next three call-outs.
Serving Erie County
We cover Derby, Hamburg, Lake View, Orchard Park, West Seneca, Buffalo, Eden, Angola, Blasdell, Lackawanna, Evans and Boston. If you are just outside that area, ask — we will tell you honestly whether we are the right people for the job.