Why the flashing fails before the shingles do
The historic brick mansions that define this neighborhood were built with masonry chimneys, dormers, and stepped wall returns that the roof has to wrap around. Every one of those transitions depends on metal flashing tucked into a mortar joint, and mortar is the part of the assembly that ages fastest. Decades of Inland Northwest freeze-thaw cycles crack the bedding mortar, work the counter-flashing loose, and open a path for water to run straight down behind the brick.
By the time a homeowner sees a brown ring on a plaster ceiling, the water has often traveled several feet from the actual entry point. We trace it back to the source rather than smearing fresh sealant over the symptom.
Chimney leaks: counter-flashing, crickets, and crowns
A chimney is the single most common leak point on the older homes near Coeur d'Alene Park. We look at four things in order:
- Counter-flashing seated into the mortar joint, regrooved and re-set wherever it has pulled away
- Step flashing woven into each course of shingle along the chimney sides
- A cricket or saddle on the uphill side of wide chimneys so snowmelt sheds around the masonry instead of pooling against it
- The chimney crown and cap, which crack and let water enter from the top down
On steep century-old roofs the uphill face of a chimney catches sliding snow and ice, so a properly built cricket is often the difference between a repair that lasts and one that fails again the next winter.
Wall and dormer flashing on stepped masonry
Many Browne's Addition homes have rooflines that die into a brick wall, a dormer cheek, or a parapet. These sidewall and headwall junctions need kickout flashing at the bottom and continuous counter-flashing up the wall, both of which were frequently undersized or omitted in old work and later patched over with tar. We remove the failed material, install proper step and kickout flashing, and integrate it with the wall so water is directed back onto the roof surface instead of into the wall cavity.
Working carefully on steep, century-old roofs
The pitches here are steep and the decking underneath is often old plank rather than modern sheathing. That changes how we stage a repair: we use roof jacks and fall protection sized for the slope, and we open only what we need so we don't disturb sound surrounding shingles. When the existing roof is a historic profile, we match materials and color as closely as the manufacturer allows so the repair disappears into the field.
If an inspection shows the flashing problems are widespread and the roof is near the end of its life, we will tell you plainly and walk you through a full roof replacement instead of selling you repair after repair.
What you get with DG Contracting
We are a family-owned company founded in 2013 and a GAF Master Elite contractor, a rating held by a small fraction of roofers nationwide. Our work in Browne's Addition is backed by a 15-25 year workmanship warranty plus the GAF Golden Pledge, and we are licensed and insured in both Washington and Idaho. Homeowners have given us a 5.0 rating across 288 Google reviews. Estimates are always free, and when a repair turns into a replacement we back every roof with a 15-25 year workmanship warranty.
Schedule a flashing inspection
If you have a recurring stain near a chimney, a dormer, or a wall line, the fix usually costs far less when it is caught before the deck and framing rot. Call DG Contracting at (509) 209-1894 for a free, no-pressure inspection. We will get up on the roof, find where the water actually enters, and give you a written scope before any work begins.
