Hi. This is my first post and I don't even know if this is a proper question for the site - but here goes.
I inherited my father's 50 year old house with a leaking fieldstone fireplace/chimney which I remember leaking even when I was a kid. I am now 63. The leak(s) down the fireplace - which is a 12 foot wide fieldstone are now like waterfalls and I am desperate for help. I want and need to sell this home and can't do that until I fix this leak.
I have had a local roofer/chimney company do several things now to try to fix this leak. There has been some degree of success, but with the torential rainfall we had about a month ago, the problem was the same, even though I had a month of no leaks before that.
I should say I am in the Greendale, Wisconsin area.
The last thing we did after that torrential rainfall was to replace the flashing.
Yesterday there was a steady rain all day, but it wasn't torential.
When I finally looked at the fireplace, there was, sadly, a leak coming in from the top right-hand corner of the fireplace which abutts the wall facing north; the firplace runs north to south. For the first time in 50 years, there was a leak on the backside of the firplace, though the ceiling abutting that side of the fireplace has been affected and is pealing, though no leak.
My first question is, can anyone suggest a local company to inspect and/or work on this? I am not certain what to make of the work this current company is doing. I have now taken much info off this site, but I can't go up on the roof and would like someone to inspect the work they did on the chimney for me.
I know I also need to get a complete list from this current company as to what exactly, including materials and process, have they been using. I have nothing in writing. I only know that they didn't use copper for the new flashing, but I am not certain what they did use. I am about to ask for a complete list.
Lastly, I should add that I have not been charged anything yet for any of the work and the owner said he wouldn't charge for anything until this is fixed, which makes me trust him, though I am beginning to have my doubts. Thanks for any suggestions!
I inherited my father's 50 year old house with a leaking fieldstone fireplace/chimney which I remember leaking even when I was a kid. I am now 63. The leak(s) down the fireplace - which is a 12 foot wide fieldstone are now like waterfalls and I am desperate for help. I want and need to sell this home and can't do that until I fix this leak.
I have had a local roofer/chimney company do several things now to try to fix this leak. There has been some degree of success, but with the torential rainfall we had about a month ago, the problem was the same, even though I had a month of no leaks before that.
I should say I am in the Greendale, Wisconsin area.
The last thing we did after that torrential rainfall was to replace the flashing.
Yesterday there was a steady rain all day, but it wasn't torential.
When I finally looked at the fireplace, there was, sadly, a leak coming in from the top right-hand corner of the fireplace which abutts the wall facing north; the firplace runs north to south. For the first time in 50 years, there was a leak on the backside of the firplace, though the ceiling abutting that side of the fireplace has been affected and is pealing, though no leak.
My first question is, can anyone suggest a local company to inspect and/or work on this? I am not certain what to make of the work this current company is doing. I have now taken much info off this site, but I can't go up on the roof and would like someone to inspect the work they did on the chimney for me.
I know I also need to get a complete list from this current company as to what exactly, including materials and process, have they been using. I have nothing in writing. I only know that they didn't use copper for the new flashing, but I am not certain what they did use. I am about to ask for a complete list.
Lastly, I should add that I have not been charged anything yet for any of the work and the owner said he wouldn't charge for anything until this is fixed, which makes me trust him, though I am beginning to have my doubts. Thanks for any suggestions!