Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving Blessings 2011


We hope everyone is enjoying Thanksgiving with their families and friends.  We at Allen and Deans are very thankful, as 2011 has been a very good year.

But much more importantly, I would also like to express my thanks, appreciation and gratitude for the men and women in our Armed Forces, past and present, who will not have the opportunity to share this Thanksgiving with their families and friends.  Because of their sacrifices, I have the opportunity to do what I do and live in the best country on the planet, in FREEDOM.

May God Bless and protect you all.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Chimney Cricket not Jiminy Cricket Installation

There are time when we receive calls at Allen and Deans about leaking chimneys.  In most instances the metal flashing has rusted or corroded allowing water to enter.  However, there are times when the chimney is positioned at the eave (bottom of the roof) and there is no cricket.  Rain water flowing down the roof hits the back of the chimney.  Over a long period of time, water will begin to infiltrate or penetrate in or around the metal flashing, which is the last line of defense for the chimney.  This is usually the case in older homes here in Raleigh.

Here is a photo of a brick chimney we worked on recently. Note how wide the chimney is.  It almost serves as a dam for water as the water runs directly into the back wall.



Add some pine straw or leaves behind the chimney and you can easily see how water and moisture can stay behind the chimney and not flow away to the sides and off the roof.

A cricket is nothing more than a wooden structure consisting of 2"x4" lumber for the base structure and 7/16" OSB for the angled platform.


The last photo is the cricket completed with "ice and water shield", new metal step and counter flashing and new, 3-tab, self-sealing shingles.
Now when it rains, the water is safely directed to either the right side or the left of the chimney falling harmlessly into the gutters below.


Roof Damage from Storm

From time to time, we encounter roof repairs in Raleigh from storms.  In this case, we were asked to repair a pavillion or shelter roof damaged from the tornado earlier this year.  Here you can see what we were faced with.  As you can see there was damage to the decking (sheathing), fascia board on both the eaves and rakes, trim, drip edge and the shingles.






Here is a picture of the roof repair upon completion. It features a GAF Royal Sovereign, Autumn Brown shingle.