I got about 1.75" of rain the other night and a long slow leak in my roof finally made it through the sealing. I bought this house last year and I was left the name of the roofer who replaced the shingle roof 5 years ago. I called him up and he told me that it's not his flashing that the water is most certainly coming through the actual brick of the chimney and that I should call a mason contractor to fix the chimney. Is it customary for a roofer to not even come by to check to make sure his flashing was done correctly? There is also a dormer right next to the chimney so the chances that it's the flashing should be even greater correct? Is there a way to tell which it is? Should I get an estimate from a mason or should I insist that the roofer come and check it or should I call a different roofer to check the original roofer's work?
Should he come by? Yes, but there's really no way to force the roofer to come by. Playing the devil's advocate, how long do you feel a roofer should warranty their work? Generally there's a one year warranty. You also have to remember that the first time the roofer is hearing from you you're complaining about his work and you haven't given him any money. Strictly speaking there is no business relationship or responsibility for him to have to deal with you, unless you could prove gross negligence, and even them, I'm not sure what your state's laws are in this respect.
Not sure where you are, but here in NY we had a crap load of rain and there were a number of things that leaked that normally don't. I don't know what the configuration of your dormer/chimney/roof is, but I've seen some designs that were doomed from the start. Situations that only leak in extreme storms can be difficult to track down. It is also possible that the roofer is right about the chimney, so I'd probably try not to burn any bridges until you know exactly what's going on.
Since the original roofer seems resistant, it's probably best to locate a different recommended roofer. If it does turn out to be the original roofer's negligence, you'll have to see what remedies your state allows.
Most likely bad flashing. There may be a 20-30 year warranty on the shingles but flashing may not be covered. Myself, when I was younger, I'd be on the roof looking at chimney and around it; maybe, even repair with roofing cement. You did not say how old your house is. Mine is 33 years and in fact I have a chimney guy coming out this week to cap off one of my fireplaces and seal the cement on the top of the chimney which is degrading.
When I moved in the house 33 years ago, the roof was leaking and builder told me to go in attic during rain to see where water was getting in. When I looked along side of chimney, I could see daylight. He fixed that one but I had to sue him for other stuff ;) Frank
What he might mean is: "I do good work, so if it leaks, it must be some other problem. So why come out?"
I saw the electrician who did the townhouses I live in at a n'hood party once (he still lived in one of them), and I wasn't asking for a repair, just chatting, but I told him how he (or his men) had made one (or two) mistakes, and he didn't like my saying that. Insisted he hadn't. I was sorry that I had brought it up. I didn't know how to back out gracefully. I thought he would just laugh, but I had challenged his competence**
If it's safe, you could get on the roof with a garden hose uphill from the fashing and let the water run over it, while someone in the attic (or the top floor but it will take longer to see) watches to see if it leaks. You could yell at each other or use cell phones to talk to each other, but use an earpiece so you have both hands free.
IF it is a blowing rain that causes the leaks, you could simulate that too.
Or you could wait until it rains again.
I'm not sure about how hard it would be to test the chimney.
**If an electrician has a crew, does the boss really check every wall switch in the house to see that it does what it is supposed to, or does he rely on his men? They actually made 3 mistakes, all small imo. a) The two-way switches in the front hall were wrong, so that if one was off, the other one didn't do anything.
b) The switches at the stairs were backwards. They were by the down staircase, but the one closer to those stairs controlled the upstairs landing and upstairs hall. And the one farther from the downstairs stairs controlled the basement landing and the basement ceiling.
c) The switch in the powder room was located near the light over the sink, but that made it on the side of the door with the hinges, instead of the other side where switches are supposed to be. That one was not worth fixing, and I still sometimes look in the wrong place after 24 years.
If his worker did these wrong, should he have noticed them?
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