If you’ve noticed a water leak in your house, you may have a problem with your roof flashing. The flashing is a metal or vinyl strip on your roof that blocks water from entering through skylights, roof valleys, and the area surrounding chimneys. The flashing redirects water to your gutters, but if the flashing fails to hold up, that water will seep into the roof and cause water damage to your interior.
Flashing is one of the most vulnerable areas of your roof. It can develop cracks and leaks over time as the elements wear them down. An inspection of your flashing might reveal a minor problem with one area of your flashing or may find the entire strip has corroded over time.
Generally, the cost of fixing flashing is anywhere between $15 to $25 per linear foot, which includes both the price of the new flashing itself and the caulking used to seal it in place (which is about $10 on its own or sometimes more). A total flashing replacement might cost anywhere between $300 to $600. You might also only be looking to replace the flashing around your chimney, which would cost you anywhere between $200 to $500.
A replacement may seem somewhat pricey, but you have to keep in mind that it isn’t just the flashing that’s being taken care of. A repair-person has to remove the shingles around the flashing, fix, or replace, and seal the flashing itself, then replace the shingles. The number of shingles to replace and the length of the roof valley will affect the overall cost. Sometimes, even the steepness of the roof can affect the price of a flashing repair as well, so keep that in mind.
If you need to replace more than one valley, the cost will go up. If you find a trusted contractor to take care of the repairs, however, they may lower the rates per roof valley to make it easier and more desirable to invest in repairing the valleys altogether rather than one-by-one.
The flashing is a crucial spot to pay attention to. It’s subject to the weather every day, and even if you can’t see the leaks from inside your house, the water may be rotting and damaging the inside of your roof once it leaks inside. Even if you don’t think you need to get your flashing replaced, it may be worthwhile to have an expert take a look at it every so often, just in case.
