This typical south Saint Joseph ranch home initially had a poor design in that a valley directed the water to flow into the side/back of the chimney. Most homes that have chimneys have the same situation that this chimney had with the exception of the valley intersecting with the chimney.

A majority of the attics/roofs we inspect the chimney is the source of most know and unknown leaks in that most lazy roofing contractors simply adjust the existing flashing and simply apply roofing cement and granules on top of the flashing. Over-time those sealants which are exposed to the harsh heat and cold temperatures expand and contract, dry out and crack form allowing ice to expand those cracks and allow melted water or rain water to flow into the attic wetting the insulation and flowing onto and through the drywall/plaster ceiling below. If you are lucky the moisture never may reach the interior of the home.

Quick Facts

Project Location: 4670 Beechnut Drive Saint Joseph MI 49085

Products Used: Shingles: CertainTeed LandMark Pro Heather Blend

Project Details

As a certified roofing contractor in Saint Joseph Michigan my family has over 40 years experience in eliminating leaks of all kinds including properly flashing and change the roof structure around chimneys to eliminate the pain of leaking chimneys.

We believe in sitting down with each customer and educating the homeowner on their options to obtain a worry-free roof and why our system of protection is the best choice to ensure that everything they own under the roof is protected. Most roofing contractors are lazy – it’s just that simple. While the roof may look great from the ground it’s the details that makes the difference between not only a roof that actually has a warranty through proper ventilation to the type, style and placement of under-layments and flashing that makes the difference.

On this home as all of our customers choose to do we install Winter Guard Ice and Water Shield around all roof protrusions including the cricket/saddle we built behind the chimney to divert all rainwater including ice and snow around the chimney. With this chimney we also had the added task of modifying the hip-rafter on the right side of the chimney to allow the diverted water to flow easily around the chimney and into the gutter.

You can clearly see where the laze roofing contractors simply applied tar and granules to the brick chimney ruining the beauty of the bricks and making it virtually impossible to clean up without replacing the bricks.

At Dennison Exterior Solutions & Gutter Toppers we start with a clean roof deck and build the cricket/saddle behind the chimney so that the small valleys we create allow any moisture to flow around the chimney. We then install Winter Guard Ice and Water Shield to the decking around the entire chimney including on the entire cricket/saddle. We then install new step flashing to the wall and on top of the water and ice shield. Next, we surface mount Counter-flashing with a hemmed caulking lip for a high-grade roof sealant that also includes a tape sealant to span surface irregularities and then install the new shingles.

This process creates the peace-of-mind our customers expect when they hire us to solve problems and end service calls.

Shingles: CertainTeed LandMark Pro Heather Blend

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