A common design flaw in most homes, where the roof line comes into contact with the fireplace, is the lack of a small gable to whisk water away from the bricks of the fireplace.But this often leads to water being pushed back up the roof line under the shingles and leads to water damage to the structure.
The most common solution is to place layers of flashing under the roofing shingles and into the bricks of the fireplace.
When this fails a cacophony of flashing, caulk, neoprene and tar paper is the more expensive "answer".
But all of this can be avoided altogether by the elimination of any contact between the fireplace and any large amount of water by building an inexpensive gable which pushes water to the sides of the fireplace.
What's the point of all this?
That my young cousins are making a financial killing by retrofitting roofs with a cheaper (but better performing) solution to a common problem in rain prone areas.
5 comments:
You have just reminded me of my first house and the buckets that had to come out and be positioned around my bedroom whenever it rained. Entirely due to worn lead flashing around the chimney.
Excuse my ignorance but are there rain prone areas in Texas?
Well UBJ another One to Grown On moment for the family I see. Keep filling them up with options and when they become Men they'll know they can make money without waiting to be chose.
I'm going to let one of my relatives know about this. He had major roof and ceiling damage from one of the massive snow storms this past winter.
I have to build a new house in next summer season. I must try to consider your design. I hope it 'll give new look to my house. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful design with us.
@ doll - Yep... We get lots of rain down here near the Gulf.
The town just south of mine is said to be second to only Seattle as the most humid city in the contiguous US.
@ Freeman - Yeah... some of these kids are making more than their parents (But they are also doing more WORK than thier parents too.)
@ Kit - After centuries of building homes, it seems that more people would have noticed this simple fix for a major design flaw.
@ LR - "Form follows fuction" so the purpose should be more important than the looks.
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