Repair of chimney flashing, counter-flashing and crown where brick chimneys meet the roof on Springfield homes.
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Chimney flashing is the metal and sealed joint that keeps water out where a brick chimney passes through the roof. In Springfield the usual failure is at the counter-flashing set into the mortar joints and at the step flashing along the shoulders, not in the brick itself. Repair means finding which layer has failed and replacing that layer.
A brick chimney is a wall that a roof has to be fitted around. Where the two meet there are several metal and sealed joints working together, and water finds whichever one has failed. Across the city a great deal of the housing is pre-1940, and on those houses the joints around a chimney have often been patched more than once. A patch on the ceiling below does nothing to stop the water.
A technician looking at a chimney starts with the flashing rather than the stain. Counter-flashing is the piece set into the mortar joints of the brick and bent down over the base flashing, so water running down the masonry is shed over the metal instead of behind it. Step flashing is the stepped piece woven between shingles along each side of the chimney, where the roof plane meets the brick. The crown is the sloped mortar cap at the top, which sheds water away from the flue.
Chimney flashing work is a repair to a joint, not a rebuild of the chimney, and the scope follows what the joint needs. Some jobs are a few failed mortar joints re-pointed and the counter-flashing reset. Others mean lifting shingles along both sides, replacing step flashing that has rusted through, and rebuilding the crown. The price moves with that scope, and it is explained and approved before any work starts.
The brick is rarely the problem. Water gets around the masonry at the metal and mortar joints, and the leak can show up far from the chimney because water runs along the framing before it drips.
Brick is dense and sheds water well on its own. What it does not do is seal itself to a roof, and every point where the chimney passes through the roof is a joint. A leak most often starts where the metal stops overlapping, where the mortar has cracked, or where the step flashing has been nailed too high. In each case water slips past the joint and runs down the back of the flashing or along a rafter, which is why the stain in a room can sit a long way from the real entry point.
A surface sealant can slow a leak for a while, but it does not fix a failed joint and tends to harden and crack. Working at roof height beside a chimney is also where homeowners most often get hurt.
Roof cement and mastic are attractive because they are easy to apply, and they can make a leak stop for a few weeks. The state's own guidance on slate roofs says that roofing mastic and sealant are not a viable repair because they harden, crack and let water in, and the same reasoning applies to the metal and mortar around a chimney. Sealant laid over a loose piece of counter-flashing traps the water behind it rather than stopping it, and the repair that follows is then larger.
It depends on how much of the roof is changed. The city's Building Division, part of the Code Enforcement office, decides what a given repair needs, and building permits must be obtained before construction begins.
Springfield's one- and two-family permit application has a roof covering category, and a chimney flashing job that replaces covering or structural members near the chimney may fall under it. A small counter-flashing reset and a re-pointed joint may not need the same paperwork as a rebuilt crown or a full flashing package, but that is the building division's call. The technician will say what the job looks like from the roof, and the division will say what it needs.
The scope of the joint work, the height and pitch of the roof, the access for a ladder or staging, and the condition of the mortar and decking decide the price. No figure is printed on this site, and the price is explained and approved before work begins.
A chimney on a short single-story ell is a different job from one that rises through the ridge of a three-story pre-1940 house. Height and pitch change the time on the roof and the equipment needed to reach the joints.
A homeowner can look at the chimney from the ground, photograph any stain and note when it appears, and check the attic from the inside without touching the roof.
Start with the timing. A stain that appears only after wind-driven rain points to flashing on the windward side. A stain that appears after a thaw points to meltwater that backed up against the chimney. Note which room it is in and where the chimney runs through the wall, and photograph both. From the ground, look for bent metal, gaps between the brick and the flashing, and mortar that has pulled away at the crown.
Do not climb onto a roof to look at a chimney, and do not stand on a steep roof when it is wet, icy or snow-covered. The state's guidance on snow and roofs warns against using ladders in icy conditions, and the same caution applies to any roof work in winter. Do not chip at mortar or pry at a flashing edge from a ladder. If the chimney is leaning, cracked through its height or shedding brick, keep people away from the base and call a technician or a mason right away, because a chimney that moves is a structural matter and not only a flashing one.
The first look is from outside at the chimney's height, the crown and the roof lines around it, then from the attic at the chimney wall. The attic shows whether water has reached the sheathing or the framing, and the stain pattern points toward the entry.
Counter-flashing is the most common point of failure. The technician checks whether the metal is still set into the joint, whether the mortar holding it has broken down, and whether seasons of freeze-thaw have bent the metal up.
Step flashing sits under the shingles along each side of the chimney, so the shingles have to be lifted to see it. The technician looks for rust, cracks in the metal and nails that have backed out. Replacing a single step piece is only worthwhile when the shingles around it are still sound.
The crown sheds water off the top of the chimney. Cracks in the crown let water run down inside the masonry, where it can reach the flue and the attic.
The written note names each layer that has failed, what was checked and found sound, and what is proposed. It also says what was not seen, such as the inside of the flue or the masonry behind the flashing.
The most common chimney repair. The old counter-flashing is removed from the mortar joint, the joint is cut back and re-pointed where it has broken down, and new metal is set into it and sealed. It is usually done when the base flashing is still sound and only the upper edge has come loose.
Used when the metal between shingles has rusted, cracked or pulled loose along one or both sides. The shingles are lifted, the old step pieces come out, and new ones are woven in as each course is laid. This is careful work because each piece has to shed water onto the course below it.
Covers cracked or washed-out mortar at the top of the chimney, and the addition of a cap where the flue has none. It does not fix the flashing below the crown, but it removes the water that would otherwise run inside the masonry and reach the attic.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what chimney flashing and repair should cost.
Springfield's winters bring heavy wet snow and repeated freeze-thaw, which is the combination that works on a chimney joint. Meltwater runs down the roof, freezes at the cold edges, and then thaws and refreezes in the gap between the brick and the metal.
The housing here runs from pre-1940 single-family houses to multi-family buildings, and many have brick chimneys that have stood through several coverings. A chimney that has been re-roofed more than once often has its flashing tucked under a layer that no longer matches the roof above it, which is why a technician checks each layer rather than only the top course of shingles.
The same chimney detail can sit on a house in the city and on a house in Enfield, Suffield, West Suffield or Somers across the state line. The flashing method is the same, but contractor registration in those four towns follows Connecticut's rules and everywhere else on this site follows Massachusetts'.
Leak tracing and repair at eaves, valleys, chimney flashing and wall joints on Springfield's older roofs.
Repair of the metal at valleys, dormers, ells and wall joints, where most leaks on additions and older houses begin.
Roof work in Springfield's local historic districts, where Historical Commission approval may be needed before any exterior change begins.
A written roof condition report for Springfield owners and buyers, covering decking, flashing, ventilation and remaining life.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Watch the timing and the location. A leak that appears beside the chimney, and follows wind-driven rain or a thaw, usually comes from the flashing or the crown. A leak that appears well away from the chimney, along a rafter line, may have followed the framing from the chimney or may have another source. A technician traces the water path in the attic before deciding.
A reset is only as good as the mortar and the base flashing under it. If the joint is sound and the base flashing is intact, a reset is often the whole repair. If the mortar has broken down, the joint has to be re-pointed first, and the reset becomes part of a larger job. The technician states which case applies after looking at the joint.
Water running off a corroded metal edge carries rust onto the masonry, which leaves a streak down the brick. The streak tells you the metal has been failing for a while, but not how far the failure goes. The technician checks the metal itself, the joint it sits in and the flashing beneath it.
A cap or crown repair removes water that reaches the top of the flue, and that matters when the mortar is cracked or the crown is missing. It does not fix flashing at the shoulders or the counter-flashing at the joint. If the leak is at the sides of the chimney, a cap alone will not stop it.
A homeowner, or someone who can answer for the building, should be on hand to show the attic and the areas where the stains appear. The phone line is answered around the clock, but the visit timing depends on when a technician is free, and no arrival time is promised. A written note is left for the homeowner after the visit.
The repair is the same, but exterior work visible from a public street or park may need approval from the Springfield Historical Commission before it starts. Ordinary maintenance can go by certificate of non-applicability with no public hearing. Ask the Commission whether a given job qualifies, since the technician will not decide that for a property.