Answers · What the work involves
What are flashing and drip edge, and why do they matter?
The short answer
Flashing is the metal that makes a joint watertight where the roof meets something else — a wall, a chimney, a skylight, a pipe. Drip edge is the metal at the eaves and rakes that directs water into the gutter instead of behind it. Both are where leaks start, and both are commonly reused or replaced with sealant to save money.
The shortcut to watch for
Sealant instead of proper step flashing at a wall or a chimney. It looks finished, it costs a fraction of doing it properly, and it has a service life of a few years. When a roof that is only a few years old leaks at a chimney, this is usually why.
What to ask for in the quote
- New drip edge at eaves and rakes, not reused. It is inexpensive and required by code in many jurisdictions.
- New step flashing where the roof meets a wall, woven into the courses rather than run as one piece.
- Counter-flashing at chimneys, let into the masonry rather than surface-sealed.
- New pipe boots. The rubber collar on a pipe boot perishes long before the roof does and it is a very common leak.
Also asked
- Can old flashing be reused?
- Sometimes, if it is in genuinely good condition, and it is often proposed when it is not. The labour to fit new flashing is most of the cost, so reusing it saves little and risks the detail most likely to leak. Ask which flashing is being replaced and which is being reused, and why.
General information about roofs and about hiring, not advice about your building. Roofing contractor licensing, permits, insurance practice and deductible rules are set state by state and province by province across the United States and Canada, so your own authority is the current answer.