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Regardless of your roofing system or style, whether you have an asphalt lifetime shingle, DaVinci composite shake shingle, or a concrete tile roof, the performance, longevity, and performance of the roof are based in large, by metalwork and flashings being used on the roof. As homeowners, we typically only see the end result when we look up at our roofs. We see the style, the color and the value it adds to our home. We don't think about issues that could come up or problems down the road when we look at our roof. We don't see the flashing or underlayment that play a key role in preventing leaks, we only see the roofing shingles. We certainly don't see the quality of the workmanship or any corners that may have been cut to get a job done faster.
We see many roofs with old flashings that have been on a home for more than one roof cycle. Tough to get to areas like chimneys, walls, or cricket areas are places we see this happening the most. In many cases, it isn't negligence or laziness, it's a simple fact that the flashings look good from the top surface. We see time after time when we pull old flashings out there are issues that we would never be seen from just looking at the top side of the flashing. It could be rust, old screws, solder joints that have gone bad, nails in the wrong place. It looks fine on the top of the flashing but from the backside, we see where a leak has been occurring.
No matter what kind of roofing project you have, make sure you know whether old flashings are being reused or if new flashings are being installed. Make sure it is written down. Make sure you know what kind of flashing and the type of metal that is being used. General terms like W style valley metal or new chimney flashing can vary a great deal in quality and performance. The most expensive project is the one that you have to do twice.
