Local pros for chimney and fireplace repair in Rosemont

A wide chimney that sits partway down a sloped roof catches a lot of water on its uphill side. In Rosemont, a City of Orlando neighborhood, that is one of the places we look first when a leak shows up behind or beside the chimney. Water running down the roof hits the back of the chimney and has nowhere to go, and a small ridge called a cricket is the standard detail for sending it around.

A cricket, also called a saddle, is a small peaked structure built on the uphill side of the chimney. It splits the water and directs it to either side, where the side flashing carries it down. Building codes call for a cricket behind wider chimneys; the Florida Residential Code's chimney provisions include that requirement, and the width that triggers it is set there.

Where a chimney is wide enough to need one and does not have it, water and debris pile up behind it, and the flashing there tends to fail first. Signs of trouble include staining on the ceiling or wall behind the fireplace, rot or soft decking in the attic behind the chimney, leaves and debris building up behind the chimney on the roof and rust or gaps in the back flashing.

Tell us where the water shows and whether it is worse in heavy rain. Building or repairing a cricket involves both the roof and the chimney. It is framed and sheathed, covered with roofing or metal, and flashed into the chimney's masonry with counterflashing. We coordinate with your roofer where the roofing needs to be woven in, and we handle the flashing and any masonry repair at the back of the chimney.

Please stay off the roof. Our technicians inspect from safe access and the attic where possible. Free inspection, free written estimate and no hidden fees, from our locally owned and operated company. Rosemont homeowners get 10% off a job booked within 72 hours after the free inspection, 100% satisfaction guaranteed.