Chimney Flashing Repair in Van Nuys: Written Report, Licensed Technicians

If you're selling or buying a home near the Sherman Oaks flats or along the Van Nuys border, a Level 2 chimney inspection is almost certainly part of your escrow process. NFPA 211 requires it for any property transfer, and the inspector runs a camera scan of the flue interior while also evaluating the exterior envelope. Flashing failures show up constantly on these reports. A straightforward step flashing repair on a single-story ranch, the kind built by the thousands along Moorpark and Ventura corridors in the 1950s, is a smaller job when the underlayment is still sound. But if the Level 2 report flags water intrusion that has already reached the chimney's mortar joints, you're looking at flashing replacement plus masonry work, which pushes the cost up.

The escrow timeline matters here. Buyers' agents in Studio City usually give sellers 10 to 14 days to address chimney deficiencies flagged in the Level 2 report. Wilson & Son Chimney Contractors can typically schedule flashing repair within that window, but the scope depends on what we find once we pull the old counter flashing from the reglet. If the cricket behind the chimney was never installed - common on homes near the Sepulveda Pass approach where roof pitches are steeper - water pools against the uphill wall and the damage underneath is worse than the surface suggests. We provide a written scope and fixed quote before any work begins, so there are no surprises mid-escrow. If the chimney also needs joint repair, our [chimney masonry repair](/services/chimney-masonry-repair) crew handles that in the same visit.

We start with a water test. Before pulling anything apart, a technician runs a controlled stream along the chimney-to-roof intersection while a second person watches the firebox and attic space for moisture. This tells us whether the leak originates at the flashing, the crown, or the mortar joints - three problems that produce similar stains on your ceiling but require completely different fixes. On homes along the Sherman Oaks flats, where low-slope roofs meet brick chimneys at shallow angles, the step flashing is almost always the failure point. The original galvanized steel has corroded after decades of exposure to Valley heat cycling and occasional heavy rain. We strip it down to the roof deck, inspect the underlayment, and replace any rotted sheathing before new flashing goes on.

For the replacement material, we use lead-coated copper counter flashing set into freshly cut reglet joints and sealed with high-grade polyurethane caulk. Aluminum is cheaper, but it fatigues and cracks faster in the temperature swings between a 105-degree August afternoon and a 40-degree January night - conditions that are routine on the Van Nuys border side of Studio City. If the chimney sits on the downhill slope of your roof, we install a cricket (a small diverter saddle) behind it to route water around instead of letting it pool. Every completed repair gets photographed and documented, which is critical if the work is tied to a Level 2 escrow report. If the inspection also flagged cracked brick or deteriorating mortar, we coordinate that with our [chimney repair](/services/chimney-repair) service so you don't need a second crew on your roof. For additional guidance on flashing standards, refer to the NRCA's published recommendations.