It seems I'm the only shop willing to make these sort of custom flashing kits across the Nation. Other shops do not understand these sort of needs, or do not want to bother dealing with Homeowners for such small $ orders like this.

This is where I come in

Why is this such a problem that you would need me?
This is a huge problem in all States, since clearly chimney flashing is the #1 most neglected area of roofs by even the most professional Roofers while reroofing a house. It is very rare they will even use aluminum flashing, let alone copper. Sadly using the cheaper steel flashing in stead only saves them about as much as the cost of a burger, but they don't seem to care. That painted steel they use over 95% of the time will not even last as long as just a low life 25 year shingle. Most Roofers I've seen will not even bother to replace that old flashing at all, no matter how rusty it is. As you can imagine steel flashing should never be reused even if it had not yet started to rust. It should always be replaced when reroofing a house, since it could not possibly hold up for the next couple decades like the new roofing should.

If your flashing is not already showing signs of rust you can do a simple magnet test to tell if you have steel flashing, since only steel with attract a magnet out of all the other many different types of metal: aluminum, zinc, magnesium, brass, copper, bronze, good stainless steel, titanium, silver, gold, platinum, and several others not mentioned here. These metals may oxidize, but they will not rust within a decade of exposure; causing unsightly stains, and developed holes soon after that.

Before any Roofer has had the chance to mess with the original chimney flashing there is a good example there of how that flashing is suppose to look on most houses, yet most Roofers will be quick to say it cannot be done this way ever again w/o rebuilding the chimney, but I have personally re-flashed hundreds of chimneys in this manner, proving that is simply not true. They're just too lazy to do it right. In most cases they will just smear some tar around the chimney to get them past their 1 year warranty, but that will not last more than half a decade at best. Here is a common example of the shoddy workmanship of several Roofers before I replaced the flashing seen on the right.

With my vast experience I have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to do the job right. These flashing kits I make have become a very popular item with clients all over the Country, since no one else seems to be offering this sort of personalized service to Home owners or Contractors.

Heck, it's a great way to use up my smaller cut-off scraps of the 20oz copper sheet metal I have left over from larger custom copper projects I build, so I am able to sell these kits for just $20 a sq', depending on the size and complexity + freight if needed. That's 20% less than my other custom work base rate.

Why not just aluminum to save money?
I can make these in painted aluminum parts as well if you want, but in my experience it is not worth the savings considering all the labor this sort of project takes and other disadvantages like the look of raw aluminum or paint scratching or flaking off, and fragility compared to copper. It is best to do this and have it done. Not have to worry about it again next time the roof has to be replaced.

 As much as 20 years ago I've seen Masons charge $750 just to re-flash a single flue chimney with just  painted steel. With inflation imagine what it cost these days. They had saved a grand total of $50 by using steel in stead of copper back then at only $3#. If done with copper you should not need to redo it again the next time it is re-roofed. Or even the next several times. Aluminum would easily last several decades, but the paint would flake off over time and begin to look terrible, so it is not as reusable as copper. It would also crack more easily when your next Roofer has to bend it up to fit the step-flashing in under it as they re-roof your house. Copper is much more malleable. Another advantage is how it will retard the growth of mildew and moss on the roofing below it.

What do you base the cost on with these irregular pieces?
The cost of these kits are based on the final weight to determine exactly how much copper went into it priced at that rate per sq', so you will not be paying for any cut-off waste or an inflated quote. That's one heck of an honest deal that you're not likely to find elsewhere. It's also a detail you can double check when your kit arrives.

Isn't this going to be too complicated?
Below are several photos of these chimney flashing kits installed by Home owners like you. Each piece in these kits are labeled and numbered as to where they go and in what order they are to be installed. We also round off the sharp corners, so there's less chance of getting cut while handling them. We also include the copper roofing nails you'll need, so all you should have to pick up locally is the mortar and some hand tools, as described in the 'PDF' file linked above.

What about a cricket or saddle?
The upper should have a saddle, but not required with a flashing kit order. It is highly recommended to divert the rain water and debris off to the sides of the chimney, as opposed to just a straight horizontal tray like you may have now. Especially if your chimney is wider across the upper edge and not close to the ridge. The common horizontal trays catch a lot of debris and if not cleaned out frequently that debris compacts and decomposes, holding moisture against the metal between rain storms. I make them to drain the water 2" out past the sides of the chimney with a wider outlet than any others I've seen, so debris is less likely to damn up. If you are interested in a custom saddle for the upper edge of your chimney please be sure to mention this in your e-mail, or I may not offer it. I try to refrain from up-selling my clients.

What info do you need from me to make a good custom kit?
(a) Good clear photos. Fortunately most people now days have a digital camera and know how to send picture through e-mail. I've successfully worked with thousands of client this way over the last decade. Most of my clients have been back East on the other side of the country.  It's important for me to see what your situation is up there, so I'll need some fairly close-up photos showing the sides of the chimney where it meets with the roof, as well as whole shots.

(b) The roof angle is important, so I can cut the counter-flashing at just the right angle, minimizing the copper you'll have to pay for and less cutting copper pieces there up on the roof to fit. The roof angle is based on how far the roof drops for every 12" straight out. It's best to have a level to make sure the 12" is horizontal, then just how far straight down from the end. You can use a board laid flat on the roofing to get a better idea of the real slope of the roof, as shingles can be lumpy.

(c) The measurements of the chimney at the point where it meets with the roof of course. These measurements should be as accurate as possible, so I can do as much cutting and bending for you as possible, so you will not have to do much customizing yourself up there up on your roof.

A little personal history:
I originally built a sheet metal shop in my basement to custom fabricate my own aluminum flashing and paid the 5X cost for roofers liability insurance for several years, but with no employees I could not do the volume of work it took to afford that expensive insurance. Over the last 2 decades my little sheet metal shop has grown and evolve to building many different custom aluminum, stainless steel, and now mostly copper rain management products that can be seen on this web site.

I use to be very intimidated by the high cost of copper even before it had doubled in cost back in 2006, so I used a clay red pre-painted aluminum flashing for chimneys, knowing it is a lot better than just the cheap steel that is normally used. I stopped using aluminum all together for chimney flashing around a decade ago. The cost difference between using a cheaper metal was not worth it. Especially considering the amount of labor this type of project requires.

There needs to be this 2 part flashing: the step-flashing is integrated with the roofing and sets up flush against the side of the chimney. Then the counter-flashing is mortared in between the bricks in horizontal lines only to overlap the step-flashing. This 2 part system allows for the movement that is caused with the expansion and contraction of these 2 very different types of structures: wood and brick, while maintaining this seal. Of course the bricks will expand with temperature changes differently than the wood structure of the house. Even 1/4" movement would be enough to rip open any other system used to seal the chimney to the roofing. This is not a new method by any stretch. It is a time tested technique used for centuries, and I have yet to see a better technique for this purpose. Elastic rubber membranes will remain flexible for only so long, and will not outlast even steel flashing.

Can CBD make us a reliable custom copper chimney flashing kit?
My base rate for custom work is $25 sq', Although, I've made up hundreds of these custom chimney flashing kits for clients across the Country for as little as $15 sq' for 16oz step-flashing and $20 sq' for 20oz copper counter-flashing as indicated in the final weight plus freight if you are not local to us. A single flue chimney flashing kit can run about $250 w/freight.

For a bit extra I can also build a custom saddle to match your roof angle with  support attached underneath for a simple sturdy installation, in stead of just the normal horizontal tray that traps lots of debris. They run $40 sq' + freight.

Below shows a duel sided discharge chimney saddle that is to replace the straight horizontal tray; like you may have now. I make it as seamless as possible and sealed with a cover piece over the splits soldered in place. You could make the plywood support for under the saddle, but there is a strong likelihood my copper saddle will not fit right over it just right, so it's highly recommended to have us fit it in and bond it to the wood, so it has an air tight seal and condensation will not form under the copper and make it all nasty. Otherwise you'll need to use an expensive high temp Water & Ice Shield underlayment, like I use on other projects: http://copper-by-design.com/cw/Edwards.html

Upper left side discharge chimney cricket

He has put together a great set of 70 photos on his Goggle account
Sadly the Roofer he hired to do this neglected to follow my instructions
and ruined parts of this kit, and needs to redo it.