Talked to a roofer about my flashing and it changed my approach

I was up on my roof last weekend trying to fix a leak around the chimney. My neighbor who does roofing for a living saw me and came over. He said I was using the wrong type of flashing and that step flashing needs to be woven into the shingles, not just nailed on top. Turns out I had been doing it backwards for years on my own house. His five minute explanation saved me from having to tear it all apart again. Has anyone else had a contractor point out something basic you were doing wrong?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

wren_walker624mo ago

My neighbor caught me trying to hammer a flat piece of aluminum over my shingles and just laughed for a solid 30 seconds before telling me to put the hammer down. Turns out I had the flashing upside down AND backwards, which is apparently pretty impressive for someone who has owned a house for 12 years. He showed me how the step pieces tuck under each shingle like some kind of roofing origami, and now my chimney doesn't leak anymore. So yeah, I feel your pain on the "wait, I've been doing it wrong this whole time?" moment.

1

jessica_dixon4mo ago

Oh come on, you fixed a leak! That's a win in my book.

10