Getting a New Roof? What to Do About Your Chimney First

Why the chimney belongs in your reroof plan

Many Florida homeowners replace a roof on a schedule set by storms, age or insurance requirements rather than by the chimney. But the chimney is the largest opening in most roofs, and its flashing is part of the roof’s weatherproofing. When the old roof covering comes off, every layer at that joint is exposed. That makes a reroof the cheapest, cleanest moment to correct problems at the chimney that would otherwise mean cutting into new shingles or lifting new tile later.

The reverse also happens. A new roof goes on, the old leak continues, and it turns out the water was coming in through a cracked crown or a rusted chase cover higher up. The roof gets blamed, the roofer comes back, and nobody looked at the chimney. A little coordination avoids both outcomes.

Step 1: Have the chimney inspected before the roofers arrive

Book a chimney inspection a few weeks before the roof date, so there is time to plan repairs around the roof schedule. The goal is to separate what must happen while the roof is open from what can wait.

Flashing: new roof, new flashing

Where a roof meets a masonry chimney, water is kept out by two layers. Step flashing is woven into the roof covering along the sides, one piece per course. Counter flashing is attached to the chimney and laps down over the step flashing, usually set into a cut in a mortar joint. Together they let the roof and chimney move separately without opening a gap.

Florida’s reroofing rules say flashings are to be reconstructed in accordance with approved manufacturer’s installation instructions (Florida Building Code, Existing Building, reroofing). In practice, step flashing is normally replaced along with the roof covering. Counter flashing may be reused if it is sound and properly set into the masonry, or replaced if it is rusted, loose or was only glued to the face of the brick. That decision is best made with the chimney inspection in hand, before the roofing contract is signed, so the scope is clear. Counter flashing and the masonry work to seat it are covered under chimney flashing repair.

The cricket

A cricket (or saddle) is a small peaked section built on the uphill side of a chimney to split the water flowing down the roof and send it around the chimney instead of letting it pile up against the brick. The Florida residential code requires one on the ridge side of any chimney more than 30 inches wide, measured perpendicular to the slope, covered in sheet metal or the same material as the roof (FBC-Residential R903.2.2 via UpCodes). Many older chimneys were built without one. A reroof is the natural time to add it, and the roofer usually builds it as part of the roof.

Tile roofs need extra care

Clay and concrete tile roofs are common in Central Florida, and they complicate the chimney joint. Tile sits above the underlayment on battens or foam, its profile is curved, and it can’t be woven with step flashing the way shingles can. The waterproofing at a chimney on a tile roof depends mostly on the underlayment and the flashing beneath and around the tile, which is then cut and fitted to the chimney. Details vary with the tile system and the manufacturer’s instructions, so ask your roofer to explain how the chimney will be flashed on your specific roof.

Two practical points for tile roofs. First, chimney work after the tile is down means lifting or walking on tile, which risks cracking it, so anything that needs roof access is better done during the reroof. Second, tile is heavy and brittle, so equipment and materials for chimney work need to be staged with the roofer, not dragged across a finished roof.

Timing chimney work with the reroof

On a factory-built chimney, the chase cover is the part most likely to need replacing anyway. If it is galvanized and showing rust, replacing it with a sloped stainless chase cover before the new roof goes on avoids rust runoff staining new shingles or tile, and avoids a later crew working over the finished roof. On a brick chimney, a cracked crown is the equivalent job: have the crown fixed before tear-off, so mortar debris falls on the old roof.

Who does what: roofer or chimney company

The division isn’t fixed. Some roofers do all the flashing themselves; some prefer the chimney side handled separately. What matters is that every item on the list has a named owner before work starts, so nothing falls between the two contracts.

What about removing the chimney?

Some owners with a fireplace they never use consider taking the chimney down to below the roof line during a reroof, so the roof can be continuous. It is an option people weigh, and a reroof is the natural time to decide. It is not a service we offer. If you are considering it, the questions to settle before the roofer starts are: whether the fireplace below will ever be used again, how the flue and any remaining structure will be capped and sealed, what the change means for the roof structure and permit, and, for a factory-built fireplace, how the unit and its chase will be handled. A licensed contractor and your building department are the right people to answer those.

If you keep the chimney, the reroof is the time to make sure its top, sides and roof joint are ready for the next storm season. Our guide to why chimneys leak in heavy Florida rain explains which of those parts fail in which kind of weather, and water stains around a chimney covers what to do if a stain appears after the new roof is on.

If you are still deciding between trades, chimney flashing explained describes each piece and the crown guide covers the top of a brick chimney. Where a new roof has already gone on and water still appears, a leaking chimney flashing walks through the checks. Brick chimneys in older towns often need masonry work at the same time; chimney repair in Mount Dora is one local example.