A new roof is the best chance you will ever get to fix the chimney properly, and it is also the moment chimneys get hurt most often. When we get called to a leaking chimney in Aurora or Centennial and the roof is less than two years old, the story is nearly always the same. The roofer did fine work on the shingles, then rushed, skipped, or reused the parts where the roof meets the brick.
New roof chimney flashing is the item that matters most, but it is not the only one. A reroof touches the step flashing, the counterflashing, the cricket, the cap and chase cover, the crown, the siding on a framed chase, and the pipe boots on a prefab or furnace vent. Each one can be done right, done cheap, or skipped, and you usually cannot tell the difference from the driveway.
This guide is about coordinating a roof replacement from the chimney's point of view: what lives inside a roofing contract, the shortcuts to watch for, who talks to whom before the tear-off, and what you check a week after the crew leaves. For how flashing is actually rebuilt, our chimney flashing repair guide covers that in depth.
Why Front Range Reroofs Go Wrong at the Chimney
Hail is the engine behind most roof replacements along the Front Range. A single June storm can put thousands of roofs on the schedule at once, and the crews are stretched thin, often working from a scope written by an adjuster rather than by someone who looked at the chimney. Roofing is a fast, repetitive trade at its best. A chimney is the one spot that is slow, custom, and involves masonry, which is a different trade altogether.
Colorado raises the stakes. High-altitude sun, freeze-thaw, and sideways rain wear out a flashing detail in two or three winters that would last a decade somewhere gentler. The chimney deserves its own conversation before the tear-off, not a line item that reads "flash as needed."
The Chimney Items That Live Inside a Roofing Job
The bottom three feet of every chimney is part of the roof, and a reroof either rebuilds those parts or disturbs them. Here is what is in play.
Table 1. Chimney components touched by a roof replacement, what each does, and who usually owns it.
| Component | What it does | Who normally handles it | What to insist on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step flashing | L-shaped metal woven into each shingle course along the chimney sides | Roofer | New metal on every course, never reused |
| Counterflashing | Metal let into a saw cut (reglet) in the mortar joint, lapping over the step flashing | Chimney company, or a roofer who cuts masonry | Cut into the joint, not surface-mounted and caulked |
| Cricket or saddle | Small peaked roof behind the chimney that splits water and snow around it | Roofer frames it; chimney company flashes it to the brick | Required on wide chimneys on the uphill side |
| Cap and chase cover | Keeps rain, hail, animals, and embers out; the chase cover is the lid on a framed chase | Chimney company | Confirm it goes back on straight and fastened |
| Crown | Sloped concrete top of a masonry chimney that sheds water away from the flue | Chimney company | Inspect before the roof goes on; a cracked crown leaks through perfect flashing |
| Siding on a framed chase | Wraps the wood structure around a prefab fireplace flue | Roofer or siding sub | Kickout flashing at the bottom, siding tucked under the chase cover |
| Pipe boots and storm collars | Seal round metal vents for prefab fireplaces, furnaces, and water heaters | Roofer | New boots sized to the pipe, storm collar resealed |
| Roof-to-wall transitions | Where the roof dies into a dormer or chase | Roofer | Continuous step flashing with a kickout at the eave |
The roofer's scope naturally stops at the shingles and step flashing. Ours starts at the masonry. The counterflashing and the cricket sit on the seam between the two trades, which is exactly why they get missed.
The Classic Shortcuts, and Why Each One Leaks
The same six shortcuts show up over and over on roofs only a few years old, and none of them look bad on the day the crew packs up.
Reusing the old flashing
Old step flashing is bent, nail-holed, and often rusted at the fold. Roofers sometimes slide new shingles under it because pulling it disturbs the counterflashing above. Water finds the old nail holes within a season.
Caulk instead of reglet-cut counterflashing
The most common one. Metal pressed flat against the brick with a heavy bead of sealant on top instead of bent into a saw cut in the mortar joint. The bead splits away from the brick within a few years, and every rain runs behind it. Our flashing repair guide explains why counterflashing has to go into the joint.
No cricket on a wide chimney
A chimney sitting broadside to the slope with no cricket behind it becomes a dam for rain, snow, and ice. Model building codes call for a cricket behind chimneys wider than 30 inches across the slope, and once the new shingles are on, adding one means tearing them back off.
Shingles run tight to the brick
When shingles are cut hard against the chimney with no step flashing behind them, water wicks up the cut edge and into the roof deck.
Chimney shortened or cap knocked off
A crew removes a cap to get it out of the way and forgets it, or reinstalls it loose and the first wind takes it. Worse, a crumbling top course gets knocked off during tear-off and the chimney is left shorter. That can push it below the height the 3-2-10 rule requires, which changes how it drafts, and in Colorado's thin air there is less draft to spare. Our cap versus crown explainer covers why both top pieces matter.
Debris down the flue
An open flue is a hole in the roof during tear-off. Granules, nails, and felt land on the smoke shelf or the damper, and on a gas appliance they can settle on the burner. If the cap comes off, the flue should be covered and the firebox checked afterward.
Table 2. Common reroof shortcuts at the chimney, how to spot them, and how they usually announce themselves.
| Shortcut | How to spot it | Typical first symptom |
|---|---|---|
| Reused step flashing | Rust streaks, mismatched metal, paint over old metal | Attic staining along one chimney side |
| Surface-caulked counterflashing | Metal flat on brick with a thick sealant bead, no groove in the mortar | Ceiling stain near the chimney after driving rain |
| No cricket on a wide chimney | Roof plane runs flat into the uphill side of the chimney | Water and ice pooling behind chimney, spring melt leaks |
| Shingles tight to brick | No metal visible between shingle courses and masonry | Rotting deck at chimney corners |
| Cap missing or loose | Open flue tile visible, cap crooked or gone | Water in firebox, animal noise, rusty damper |
| Debris in flue | Granules and nails in the firebox, damper will not seat | Smell, poor draft, stuck damper |
Get the Roofer and the Chimney Company Talking Before Tear-Off
The most useful thing you can do is put the two trades in contact before anyone climbs a ladder. One phone call between your roofer and your chimney company, a week or two before tear-off, sorts out who does what. The split of responsibilities, roofer versus chimney company, part by part, is laid out in our chimney flashing repair guide.
What matters for scheduling is the order. Masonry work such as a crown rebuild or repointing soft joints happens before the shingles go on, and the counterflashing goes in after the step flashing because it laps over it. That is why a chimney repair crew often makes two short visits on a reroof: one before tear-off, one after the shingles are on.
Your Before, During, and After Checklist
You do not need to climb on the roof to manage this well.
Before the tear-off
- Photograph the chimney from every side you can reach: from the ground with a zoom, from an upstairs window, from a ladder if you are comfortable. Get the cap, crown, flashing lines, and brick faces. These are your record if something is damaged or removed.
- Book a chimney inspection before the roof date. It catches crown cracks, spalled brick, and failed counterflashing while there is still time to add them to the roofing scope or the insurance claim.
- Read the contract for the chimney line items: new step flashing, counterflashing method, cricket, pipe boots, chase siding. Vague language means the cheapest option.
- Ask the roofer to cover the flue while the cap is off, and close the damper so debris stays out of the living room.
During the job
- Walk out at the end of the first day and look up. Is the cap still on? Is the chimney the same height as your photos?
- When the shingles reach the chimney, look for shiny new step flashing between courses.
- If a cricket was in the scope, confirm it is framed before the shingles cover it.
- Ask how the counterflashing is being finished. If you hear a masonry saw, that is a good sign.
After the crew leaves
- Compare your before photos to the finished chimney. Same height, cap on straight, no fresh chips in the brick, no debris on the crown.
- Open the damper and shine a flashlight up. Granules and nails on the smoke shelf mean the flue was left open.
- Look at the counterflashing line. It should sit in a groove in the mortar with a thin sealant line, not a thick bead on the face of the brick.
- Schedule the one-week leak check described below.
If the Reroof Is a Hail Claim
Most Front Range reroofs are hail claims, and the adjuster's scope is what the roofer bids against, so chimney items that are not on it tend not to get done. Get the chimney photographed and written up before the scope is finalized. How to document chimney hail damage, what is covered, and what counts as ordinary wear is all in our storm and hail damage insurance guide.
Why a Reroof Is the Cheapest Moment to Fix a Crown or Add a Cricket
Access is most of the cost of chimney work. On a normal service call we set ladders and roof jacks, protect the shingles, haul material up, and clean up after. On a reroof, the roof is already open, the crew has a dump trailer in the driveway, and nobody worries about scuffing shingles headed to the landfill.
A cricket is the clearest example. Framing one while the deck is exposed is quick carpentry, and the new shingles tie into it as one system. Adding it a year later means cutting into a new roof and paying for access all over again. A crown rebuild before the shingles go on drops concrete dust on a roof about to be torn off; the same job afterward means tarping a new roof. Our crown repair and rebuild service handles either timing, but before the roof is always easier.
The same logic applies to a new chimney cap, a chase cover, tuckpointing the top courses, and a rusted storm collar. If it is on the top three feet of the chimney, do it while the roof is open. For how we quote these items, see our pricing page.
The One-Week-After Leak Check
New flashing that is going to fail usually fails on the first hard rain, not in year five. That makes the first week or two after the reroof a valuable test window.
- After the first rain of an hour or more, check the attic framing and sheathing around the chimney with a flashlight. Fresh water tracks or drips on the nails mean call the roofer now, while the warranty conversation is easy.
- Check the ceilings below the chimney, especially the corner where it passes through.
- Open the damper and feel the smoke shelf. Damp soot after rain means water is coming down the flue, which points at the cap or crown rather than the flashing.
- If no storm arrives in two weeks, a careful hose test on the flashing area while someone watches the attic does the same job. We can run this as part of a post-roof inspection.
If you find water, the pattern tells you where to look, and our chimney leak guide walks through reading it. A chimney that stays dry in September can still leak in February when snow piles behind it and freezes, which our ice dam and snow damage guide covers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a new roof always need new chimney flashing?
The step flashing should always be replaced, because it is woven into the shingles and cannot be reused once the old shingles come off. Counterflashing that is sound and properly set in the mortar can sometimes be bent up, left in place, and bent back down over the new step flashing. Surface-caulked counterflashing should be replaced.
Can my roofer do the chimney flashing, or do I need a chimney company?
Many roofers do excellent step flashing. Fewer cut reglets into masonry, and fewer still look at the crown, the cap, or the flue. Ask who is cutting the counterflashing and whether anyone is inspecting the top of the chimney. If the answers are vague, bring in a chimney company for those parts.
What is a cricket and does my chimney need one?
A cricket, also called a saddle, is a small peaked roof on the uphill side of a chimney that splits water and snow around it. Model codes call for one behind chimneys wider than 30 inches across the slope. If your chimney has ever leaked or built up ice on its uphill side, it almost certainly needs one.
Will insurance pay for chimney flashing during a hail claim?
Often, if it is damaged and documented. Adjusters can include flashing, caps, chase covers, and crowns that show hail damage. They will not usually pay for pre-existing wear. Get the chimney looked at and photographed before the scope is finalized.
How soon after a reroof should I check for leaks?
After the first substantial rain, ideally within two weeks. Check the attic around the chimney, the ceilings below it, and the smoke shelf above the damper. Problems that show up early are easy to hand back to the roofer under warranty.
The roofer took my chimney cap off and did not put it back. Is that a big deal?
Yes. An uncapped flue takes on rain and snow, invites birds and squirrels, and lets debris and embers move in both directions. Call the roofer first, since they removed it. If the cap was damaged or lost, have it replaced right away.
Should I get a chimney inspection before or after the roof replacement?
Ideally both, but if you can only do one, do it before. A pre-roof inspection finds the issues that are cheapest to fix while the roof is open. A short post-roof check confirms the cap is on, the flue is clear, and the counterflashing was finished properly.
Can a reroof change how my fireplace drafts?
It can. If the chimney was shortened, the cap was swapped for a more restrictive one, or the roofline was raised, the chimney may no longer clear the roof by enough to draft well. If your fireplace smokes after a new roof and never did before, the roof is the first place we look.
Plan the Chimney Before the Roofer Shows Up
If you have a roof replacement scheduled anywhere in the Denver metro, call us before the tear-off date. We will inspect the crown, cap, brick, and flashing, write up anything that belongs in the roofing scope or the insurance claim, and coordinate with your roofer on who handles the counterflashing and the cricket. After the shingles are on, we come back for the finish work and a look down the flue. Call (720) 207-9232 with your roof date and a couple of photos of the chimney.
