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Wichita, Ks; With all the rain we have had in the Wichita area lately I thought it was a good idea to talk about roof repairs and roof leaks.
This is a roof repair that we completed about a month ago. The roof was approximately 10 years old. The chimney flashing was reused and not replaced or installed properly when the roof was replaced. The roofers used an ice and water barrier underlayment to help prevent leaks. This is a great option and the right decision but the best underlayment in the world will not stop poor workmanship or prevent leaks when an old flashing goes bad. When doing a repair or having a new roof installed always find out what is included.
Here we have another failed attempt by multiple roofing companies. This presidential IR roof is only 6 years old and has developed a constant leak in the chimney. The roofer that installed the roof reused all the shake step flashing, headwall flashing, and cricket. The house is about 25 years old and the roofing flashing is at the end of its life cycle and should have been replaced. Once the leak was discovered, the homeowner took the easy way out and paid someone to come out and "fix" the leak. They added one step flashing at the bottom and used clear caulking around the entire chimney to help slow down the leak. The proper repair and what should have happened when the roof was replaced is to take the siding off, install new bottom headwall flashing, new step flashings, and a new cricket flashing at the top. It would have cost less at the time of roof installation and now the homeowner has to deal with an unwanted roof leak and added expense that should have been avoided.