# wood (fascia/soffit) immediately next to chimney wall is rot out



## hiba (May 3, 2017)

I noticed the fascia/soffit immediately next to chimney wall is rot out.
Please see the picture here: 









I have two questions hope you can help:

1) I am going to hire a guy from angie's list. who should I call to fix the wood rot:  roof guy, gutter guy, chimney guy, or other?

2) should I redesign the chimney counter flashing: either direct the water toward downslope, or extended the flashing over so that water will not drip on the fascia/soffit? Thank you very much!


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## sportbikerider78 (May 3, 2017)

Can't see pics.  Drag and drop them in.


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## hiba (May 3, 2017)

sportbikerider78 said:


> Can't see pics.  Drag and drop them in.


Hi sportbikerider78, 

I fixed the picture. Sorry about that


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## bcrtops (May 3, 2017)

Flashed wrong -- roofers still haven't figured out that water runs downhill.

Get an "old-timey" carpenter that truly understands construction, & knows how to fix youngsters mistakes!

Yes, water should be to the downslope, not over the edge like that (creating your problem).


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## begreen (May 3, 2017)

paging @Hogwildz for some flashy advice.


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## bholler (May 3, 2017)

Honestly the flashing doesn't look to bad at all and it looks fairly new.  The flashing may have been fixed due to water issues but the rot wasn't.  It does look like you could use a diverter though I see evidence of water running down the face of the chimney.  It should be diverted back onto the roof to avoid that.

It is hard to say from that pic though there could be a flashing problem.

And bc there are plenty of younger guys who know what they are doing and plenty of old guys who are hacks.


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## hiba (May 3, 2017)

bcrtops said:


> Get an "old-timey" carpenter.



Thank you for replying!
how do I find "old-timey" carpenter? angie's list is a good start?

Many thanks


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## hiba (May 3, 2017)

begreen said:


> paging @Hogwildz for some flashy advice.


Sure, thank you for your advice


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## hiba (May 3, 2017)

bholler said:


> Honestly the flashing doesn't look to bad at all and it looks fairly new.  The flashing may have been fixed due to water issues but the rot wasn't.  It does look like you could use a diverter though I see evidence of water running down the face of the chimney.  It should be diverted back onto the roof to avoid that.
> 
> It is hard to say from that pic though there could be a flashing problem.
> 
> And bc there are plenty of younger guys who know what they are doing and plenty of old guys who are hacks.



Hi @bholler, 

Thank you very much for your reply. 

I wish I took a better picture when I am up there. basically the water run into two directio
1) down slope to north side
2) to east side (where the rot happening)

How can I divert the water. 
I read this site （http://www.jwkhomeinspections.com/kick-out-flashing-san-antonio-home-inspections.html), and it contains this picture:
http://www.jwkhomeinspections.com/system/files/userfiles/Kickout.jpg
is this what you envisioning of diverting the water?

Many thanks


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## bcrtops (May 3, 2017)

Not a "kick-out" you need as that not a fascia with gutter.  (Its a verge rafter (like fascia rafter, if you please))

What you need, is the flashing to be angled, so as to have all the water flow back onto & down the roof (& dressed/folded nicely so it looks good from the ground).  A half of a saddle-back.  Proper term being 1/2 of a cricket (which you almost never see these days, as current builders, just don't know how to do thinks right -- or don't care, or get paid by the sq.ft., so the sooner they are done the sooner they get paid!).


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## Sodbuster (May 3, 2017)

Yes, just a raised piece of metal, (like a drip edge) that tucks under the shingles at an angle that allows the water to run out and around your chimney, not right into the edge. Hope this makes sense.


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## Destructor (May 4, 2017)

How old is your house? Two potential problems regardless of flashing. The wood used on newer homes doesn’t last the way it did on old homes, the end grains abutting the chimney exposes it to moisture and it just isn’t going to dry out quickly. If the flashing is leaking than that makes matters worse. Also any insulation adjacent to the chimney should be removed, it’s just going to absorb moisture.


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## hiba (May 4, 2017)

Destructor said:


> How old is your house? Two potential problems regardless of flashing. The wood used on newer homes doesn’t last the way it did on old homes, the end grains abutting the chimney exposes it to moisture and it just isn’t going to dry out quickly. If the flashing is leaking than that makes matters worse. Also any insulation adjacent to the chimney should be removed, it’s just going to absorb moisture.


Hi Destructor, 

Thank you very much for your reply. the house is 20 years old, I plan to change the roof this year or next. With that wood rot, I might consider change roof sooner. One thing I'd like to clarify about "any insulation adjacent to the chimney", what kind of insulation could exist between the fascia/soffit and chimney wall?

Once again, Many thanks


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## hiba (May 4, 2017)

Sodbuster said:


> Yes, just a raised piece of metal, (like a drip edge) that tucks under the shingles at an angle that allows the water to run out and around your chimney, not right into the edge. Hope this makes sense.



Hi Sodbuster,

do you mean add raised piece of metal, so that all water will flow in direction of 1, instead of 2?



Many thanks!


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## hiba (May 4, 2017)

bcrtops said:


> Not a "kick-out" you need as that not a fascia with gutter.  (Its a verge rafter (like fascia rafter, if you please))
> 
> What you need, is the flashing to be angled, so as to have all the water flow back onto & down the roof (& dressed/folded nicely so it looks good from the ground).  A half of a saddle-back.  Proper term being 1/2 of a cricket (which you almost never see these days, as current builders, just don't know how to do thinks right -- or don't care, or get paid by the sq.ft., so the sooner they are done the sooner they get paid!).



Hi bcrtops,

I am intrigued by "1/2 of a cricket", is it something like this (but only left half)



so that all water flow to direction of 1



Many thanks for your suggestion


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## Destructor (May 4, 2017)

Twenty years isn’t bad for today’s wood, which would include wood used 20 years ago. Do you have insulation in your roof or ceiling. If you have cathedral ceilings insulation may be between your rafters and possibly your soffit. One of those pictures looks as though batt insulation is exposed. If not and the soffits are hollow then no worries.


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## Sodbuster (May 4, 2017)

Yes hiba direction 1, out into the center of your roof, keep it as far away from the chimney flashing as possible. I would also look for some bad caulking (probably gone now); by that I mean caulking that was installed in an ill advised way thereby keeping water trapped and not letting the area dry out. It's like caulking the inside of a leaking wall, that water has to go somewhere.


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## hiba (May 4, 2017)

Sodbuster said:


> Yes hiba direction 1, out into the center of your roof, keep it as far away from the chimney flashing as possible. I would also look for some bad caulking (probably gone now); by that I mean caulking that was installed in an ill advised way thereby keeping water trapped and not letting the area dry out. It's like caulking the inside of a leaking wall, that water has to go somewhere.



Hi Sodbuster, 

Thank you for your suggestion. I was intrigued by your comment "It's like caulking the inside of a leaking wall, that water has to go somewhere."


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## hiba (May 4, 2017)

Destructor said:


> Twenty years isn’t bad for today’s wood, which would include wood used 20 years ago. Do you have insulation in your roof or ceiling. If you have cathedral ceilings insulation may be between your rafters and possibly your soffit. One of those pictures looks as though batt insulation is exposed. If not and the soffits are hollow then no worries.


Hi Destructor, 

Thank you for your suggestion. From ground, it's hard to say if it's batt insulation, I am going to hire someone to take a look. When the roof so high, everything start to get complicated.


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## bcrtops (May 4, 2017)

hiba said:


> Hi bcrtops,
> 
> I am intrigued by "1/2 of a cricket", is it something like this (but only left half)
> View attachment 197281
> ...



Yes, but not nearly so extreme of angle -- you only need 1/8" per ft. for water to flow, though I'd give it a bit more.  End needs to be "boxed" so no water goes over that verge & closed off to look good from the ground.


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## hiba (May 4, 2017)

bcrtops said:


> Yes, but not nearly so extreme of angle -- you only need 1/8" per ft. for water to flow, though I'd give it a bit more.  End needs to be "boxed" so no water goes over that verge & closed off to look good from the ground.


Hi bcrtops, 

Thank you very much spending time to help me out. really appreciate!


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## xman23 (May 5, 2017)

That roof doesn't look to bad. Still laying flat. If the roof has more life I would fix up that area with a cricket to run the water downhill.


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## bholler (May 6, 2017)

All you need is a peice of metal like sodbuster said to divert the majoity of the water coming doen the roof back doen the inside of the chimney and down the roof to the gutter yes doing half of a cricket would be a little better and when you reroof you might want to do that but the metal will work fine.  And yes new growth wood will not last as long with water leaking onto it.  But if that flashing is good there would be no issue.


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## jatoxico (May 6, 2017)

Cricket is a good way to go. Had a similar situation on my old house and its not just rain you need to worry about but snow that caused the problem. It would build up freeze and refreeze then find its way into any weak point. Cricket solved the trouble.


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## billb3 (May 7, 2017)

flashing could have extended further to help keep the area under it drier.
a cricket  of some sort would also help
neither of the above will be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Plastic wood up against the chimney and vented soffit.


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## hiba (May 7, 2017)

billb3 said:


> Plastic wood up against the chimney and vented soffit.



Hi billb3, 

Could you elaborate "Plastic wood up against the chimney and vented soffit"?

Thank you very much


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## hiba (May 7, 2017)

jatoxico said:


> Cricket is a good way to go. Had a similar situation on my old house and its not just rain you need to worry about but snow that caused the problem. It would build up freeze and refreeze then find its way into any weak point. Cricket solved the trouble.



Hi jatoxico, 

Thank you for reply. we had extensive snow during winter, that might be same situation as yours. If it's handy, can you share a photo of yours, how you set up cricket...?

Many thanks!


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## hiba (May 7, 2017)

bholler said:


> All you need is a peice of metal like sodbuster said to divert the majoity of the water coming doen the roof back doen the inside of the chimney and down the roof to the gutter yes doing half of a cricket would be a little better and when you reroof you might want to do that but the metal will work fine.  And yes new growth wood will not last as long with water leaking onto it.  But if that flashing is good there would be no issue.


Hi bholler, Thank you for your suggestion, I really appreciate


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## hiba (May 7, 2017)

xman23 said:


> That roof doesn't look to bad. Still laying flat. If the roof has more life I would fix up that area with a cricket to run the water downhill.


I am debating about roof life. a roof company come to estimate the new roof, I asked how is the roof, all he gave me is the cost to replace one. Is there any guy offer the service to evaluate the roof? if I search in Angie's List Inc what should I search for?

Many thanks!


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## jatoxico (May 7, 2017)

hiba said:


> Hi jatoxico,
> 
> Thank you for reply. we had extensive snow during winter, that might be same situation as yours. If it's handy, can you share a photo of yours, how you set up cricket...?
> 
> Many thanks!


Sorry hiba old house. Pretty standard stuff though.


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## Hogwildz (May 9, 2017)

bcrtops said:


> Flashed wrong -- roofers still haven't figured out that water runs downhill.
> 
> Get an "old-timey" carpenter that truly understands construction, & knows how to fix youngsters mistakes!
> 
> Yes, water should be to the downslope, not over the edge like that (creating your problem).


The roofers most likely laid the roofing over the crappy carpenters deckwork. Yes, the roofers should have either had the carpenters fix the issue before laying the roof down, or fixed it themselves. In new work developments, all work is bid by the square and per bid specs. If the work was not part of the roofers bid, then it ain't getting done for nothing. FYI, roofers are the ones who have to cover many carpenters crap work, including decking.


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## Hogwildz (May 9, 2017)

There are 3 options here:
1. Install a diverter on the roof 18" or so above chimney. Basically an "L" bend flashing with 2" to 3" vertical bend, and 18" to 24"or so pan on roof side. Installed on an angle to divert the water back to the main field and away from the problem area. Quickest, easiest, may solve the problem, may not.


2. Remove the shingles behind the chimney about 2' to 3' up, install a new base flashing that extends up the chimney wall under the counter flashing, also extends a couple inches over the edge where the problem area is, and lets any water run off away from the soffit and fascia. The other end extends 8"-12" past the chimney corner, and is worked in with the shingles as not to buck water. Better than #1.


3. Add a cricket, which is merely 2" x 4" built up on the rake edge(area over the soffit and fascia issue area), with a triangular pc of plywood decking to slope downward to the main roof surface past the chimney corner. Then lay ice and water shield over the cricket, and reshingle with step flashing along the chimney along down the slope. Run the first step flashing at least 1" past the corner of the chimney to divert water away from the chimney corner and out onto the main field. You may have to cut a new reglet in the back of the chimney higher and install new reglet flashing to accommodate for the new slope. The new shingles on the cricket will be run perpendicular to the main field shingles, or make a metal pan to lay in there and leave the shingles off. Basically 1/2 of the cricket picture posted in the thread. Best solution, better than 1 & 2. The truly proper way to complete.

All solutions require you to remove the shingles in the area and inspect the roof decking and replace if needed, as well as sectioning in new soffit and fascia at same time. Ice and water recommended in all 3 options. Overkill is better in this area.

The attached photos give you an idea of each option. For reference only.

Lucked out, and found a shot for the cricket with nice wood piles in the background ;-)


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## Hogwildz (May 9, 2017)

From what I see in the photos, you are nowhere near needing a new roof. PM me if you have more questions, and I'll give you my phone number. If you were closer, I'd come help you with it. If you want to buy a plane ticket to Chitown, I'll fly out over a weekend  and do it. Cheaper to DIY. Your on the right track and reseach is golden.


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## Highbeam (May 10, 2017)

Note to self. Don't buy a house with masonry chimney and if I must, it needs to be at the peak! I don't even like roofing valleys, so this cricket work looks awful.


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## Hogwildz (May 10, 2017)

Highbeam said:


> Note to self. Don't buy a house with masonry chimney and if I must, it needs to be at the peak! I don't even like roofing valleys, so this cricket work looks awful.


Nothing wrong with chimneys if properly flashed. Been done since man started making homes other than caves and huts. Crickets are pretty easy, and can't really be seen much from the ground.


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## sportbikerider78 (May 25, 2017)

Good advice here.  That's why I keep coming back...whether ya like it or not!


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