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Chimney Flashing Installation in Seattle
New flashing for chimneys that have none, were never flashed right, or just got a new roof. Step plus counter flashing, proper reglet, cricket if needed.
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
- Same-day service often available
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Chimney flashing installation is the job of building a water seal where none exists yet: a new chimney on an addition, a chimney that was only ever sealed with a bead of tar, a chase that the siding crew flashed with one flat strip, or a roof that was just replaced and left the chimney for someone else. The work is the same two-part system every time, step flashing woven with the shingles and counter flashing locked into the masonry, but on an installation we are starting from a clean roof deck instead of tearing out old metal.
That is a different job from fixing flashing that already exists. If your flashing is in place and the seal has opened, see chimney flashing repair; if the metal is rusted or lifted and has to come off, see chimney flashing replacement. This page is for the first install.
We install flashing on brick, block and framed chimneys across Seattle, Tacoma and Everett, and we are used to working alongside roofers. The quote is free, and we price match plus 10-25%.
Symptoms
Signs you need chimney flashing installation
- A new or rebuilt chimney that has no metal at all where it meets the roof
- A roofer finished the roof and told you the chimney flashing is 'not included'
- Only roofing cement or tar where the shingles meet the brick
- A single L-shaped strip around the chimney with nothing woven under the shingle courses
- Counter flashing caulked flat to the brick face with no groove cut into the mortar
- A wide chimney on the downhill side of the roof with no cricket behind it
Common causes
- New construction or an addition where the chimney went up after the roof was finished
- A re-roof where the old flashing was cut off and not rebuilt
- Siding or roofing crews sealing the joint with caulk because proper flashing was outside their scope
- No cricket, so water ponds against the uphill face of a wide chimney
How It Works
Our chimney flashing installation process
Before we bend any metal we look at what the flashing has to attach to. On brick we check that the mortar joints at flashing height are solid enough to hold a reglet; soft or missing mortar gets repointed first. On a framed chase we look at the sheathing and housewrap so the step flashing can lap behind the siding instead of in front of it. We measure the chimney's width against the roof slope to decide whether a cricket belongs on the uphill side and confirm the roof deck around the chimney is sound. You get photos and a written quote from that visit.
Prepare the base
We lift or trim the surrounding shingles, repoint any weak mortar at flashing height, and on framed chases confirm the housewrap is in place to lap over the metal.
Build the cricket if needed
On wider chimneys below a slope we frame and sheathe a small saddle that splits runoff around the chimney before the flashing goes on.
Weave the step flashing
One bent piece per shingle course, each overlapping the one below, so water is carried out onto the roof at every step up the side of the chimney.
Set the counter flashing
We cut a reglet into the mortar joint, bend the counter flashing to fit, tuck it in and lock it with mortar and fasteners so it covers the top of the step flashing without relying on caulk.
Finish, water test and photograph
The apron and back pan are fitted, corners sealed, shingles laid back over the step pieces, then we run water over the finished assembly and photograph it for your records.
Options
Repair and service options
An installation is the best moment to choose the details, because nothing has to be undone to get them right.
- Metal: copper for the longest life and for older brick homes; stainless or prefinished steel as a durable mid-range choice that can match the roof color; aluminum where cost matters, isolated from the mortar. We do not recommend galvanized steel for this climate.
- Reglet-set counter flashing: the standard on every install. Counter flashing glued to the brick face is not something we put on a new chimney.
- Cricket: for chimneys wide enough that water would pond on the uphill side. We quote it when it belongs and leave it out when it does not.
- Framed chase detail: on sided chimneys the flashing laps behind housewrap and siding, with a kick-out at the bottom so water does not run down the wall.
- Roofer coordination: if a roofing crew is on site we install the step flashing as their shingles go on and the counter flashing after, so the two systems lap correctly.
Your quote lists the metal, the cricket and any masonry prep as separate lines.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Chimney perimeter, which sets the linear feet of step and counter flashing
- Metal choice: aluminum, prefinished or stainless steel, or copper
- Whether a cricket has to be framed on the uphill side
- Brick versus framed chase, and the condition of the mortar at reglet height
- Whether the roof is open (during a re-roof) or finished and has to be lifted
- Any repointing or brick replacement needed before the reglet is cut
Every chimney is different, so you get a written quote after we look at the system. Ask about our price match and free second-opinion quote.
Safety & Seattle Conditions
Safety considerations
Flashing installation happens at the edge of the chimney on the slope of the roof, often on a roof that is still being worked on. Leave it to us; we bring the access equipment and we are certified and insured. If your project is a new fireplace or a rebuilt chimney, some of that larger work may need a permit; we will tell you if it does and what is covered.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
There is a reason an unflashed chimney shows up fast around here. Sea-Tac's normal annual precipitation is 40.34 inches, spread over roughly 150-156 days a year with measurable rain, and about 73% of it falls between October and March. A chimney that goes through its first wet season with nothing but tar at the roofline usually has stains on the ceiling by spring.
The damage does not stop at a drip. Winter lows at Sea-Tac average around 37F, with about 60 days a year touching 32F, so water that gets into the brick at the roofline freezes and thaws over and over. The Brick Industry Association notes that saturated masonry cycling through freeze and thaw cracks and spalls. Proper step and counter flashing, installed before the first November, keeps that water out of the joints in the first place.
Our Work
Chimney Flashing Installation in action
Flash it right the first time
Free quote, free second opinion, price match plus 10-25% off. Call 206-453-2045 for chimney flashing installation in Seattle, Tacoma and Everett.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Flashing Installation FAQ
My roofer says the chimney flashing is not part of the roof. Is that normal?
It is common. Many roofing contracts cover step flashing but not the counter flashing, which has to be cut into the masonry, and some exclude the chimney entirely. We work with roofers regularly: they lay the shingles, we install the step flashing as they go and set the counter flashing into a reglet afterward. Call us before the roof is finished and the two systems lap the way they should.
What is the difference between installation and replacement?
Installation means there is no proper flashing yet: a new chimney, a re-roof that left the chimney bare, or a joint that was only ever tarred. Replacement means existing metal is rusted or lifted and has to be torn out first; that is on our flashing replacement page. The finished system is the same; the difference is the tear-out.
Does my chimney need a cricket?
It depends on how wide the chimney is and how much roof drains toward it. A cricket is a small peaked saddle on the uphill side that sends water around the chimney instead of letting it pond against the back. Wide chimneys below a long slope almost always benefit; narrow ones on a ridge usually do not. We measure and tell you which you have.
Can you flash a framed, sided chimney chase?
Yes. On a chase the step flashing laps behind the housewrap and siding rather than into mortar, and a kick-out at the bottom keeps water off the wall below. If the chase was built and sided without flashing, we can remove the bottom courses of siding, install the metal, and reinstall the siding. Rotted sheathing found at that stage becomes a chase repair.
Can new flashing go on if the brick at the roofline is in bad shape?
Not until the masonry is sound. Counter flashing needs a solid mortar joint to tuck into, so we repoint soft joints or replace damaged brick first, then cut the reglet. We fold that prep into the same quote so there is one visit and one price, and the finished flashing carries our guarantee: if you are not happy, we are not done.
How soon can you install it?
Same-day service is often available for the site visit and quote, and the install is usually scheduled for the next dry window, since we water-test the finished work. If you are mid-re-roof we try to fit around the roofing crew's schedule so nobody is waiting on anybody.
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