Water intrusion around a chimney often begins where several exterior systems meet. At this Draper, Utah home, the stone-clad chimney was surrounded by multiple roof planes, brick walls, stucco surfaces, and narrow roof transition areas. The original construction did not provide a dependable path for moving rainwater and melting snow away from the chimney.
Water was able to enter behind the stone veneer near the lower roof connections. Instead of remaining on the exterior surface, moisture traveled into the concealed chimney and wall assembly. RAM Builders Stucco & Exteriors opened the affected areas and developed a repair that corrects the roof geometry, reconstructs the chimney exterior, and creates a continuous metal water-management system.
The original chimney included a wide stone base with sloped stone shoulders leading to a narrower vertical chimney. Although this design created an attractive architectural feature, it also introduced several difficult roof and wall intersections.
Roof runoff was directed toward the sides of the chimney, where the roofing terminated near stone, brick, and stucco surfaces. Every change in material created another location that needed properly layered flashing. If the original flashing was too short, improperly overlapped, terminated against the face of the stone, or disconnected from the concealed weather barrier, water could move behind the veneer.
Stone and mortar can shed a large portion of rainwater, but they are not the complete waterproofing system. A properly constructed stone or stucco assembly relies on concealed flashing and a weather-resistive barrier to capture incidental moisture and direct it back outside. Industry guidance calls for the WRB to be integrated with flashing and for flashing to be installed where the downward movement of moisture is interrupted.
At this property, the confined areas beside the chimney created vulnerable water collection points. Rain, wind-driven moisture, and snowmelt could reach the roof-to-chimney joint and enter behind the decorative stone instead of draining over the exterior.
A lasting chimney repair cannot be completed by placing sealant over the visible stone joints. Surface caulking may temporarily cover a gap, but it does not correct damaged sheathing, missing flashing, reversed waterproofing layers, or an improperly constructed roof transition.
RAM Builders removed the affected stone, stucco, lath, and other exterior materials to expose the concealed chimney chase and adjoining roof areas. Opening the assembly allowed the repair team to examine the sheathing, framing, waterproofing, and roof connections that could not be inspected from the finished exterior.
The original chimney included a wide stone base with sloped stone shoulders leading to a narrower vertical chimney. Although this design created an attractive architectural feature, it also introduced several difficult roof and wall intersections.
Roof runoff was directed toward the sides of the chimney, where the roofing terminated near stone, brick, and stucco surfaces. Every change in material created another location that needed properly layered flashing. If the original flashing was too short, improperly overlapped, terminated against the face of the stone, or disconnected from the concealed weather barrier, water could move behind the veneer.
Any deteriorated or unsuitable substrate discovered during demolition can be removed and replaced before new waterproofing materials are installed. Rebuilding from a sound structural surface gives the flashing, WRB, stucco, and future exterior finishes a stable base.
This approach follows RAM Builders’ established roof-to-wall repair process, which includes targeted exterior removal, framing and sheathing repairs, flashing reconstruction, WRB integration, and restoration of the finished stucco system.
The original stone shoulders created irregular surfaces and several difficult inside corners. The repair changes this geometry by constructing a clearly defined, sloped roof transition between the chimney chase and the surrounding exterior walls.
The markings in the construction photograph show planned framing members at approximately 12-inch intervals. This closely spaced support structure provides a solid base for the new sheathing and metal roof assembly. The framing creates a controlled slope so water can move away from the chimney instead of remaining in a concealed pocket beside it.
Once the supports are installed, plywood sheathing can form a continuous roof deck over the transition. This creates a smooth and predictable surface for the underlayment and custom metal roofing. It also reduces unnecessary joints and abrupt material changes around the chimney base.
The resulting assembly functions as a roof diverter or cricket-style transition. Its purpose is to intercept water approaching the chimney, divide the flow, and direct it toward open drainage areas. Utah’s residential code addresses chimney crickets where qualifying chimney dimensions and roof conditions are present, and it requires the intersection between a cricket and chimney to be flashed and counterflashed like other roof-chimney intersections.
Unlike a narrow bead of sealant, the new metal assembly creates a continuous water-shedding surface between the chimney, brick, stucco, and adjoining roofing.
The vertical metal legs help stop runoff from reaching the wall and chimney substrates. The lower metal edge overlaps the stucco below, allowing water to drain onto the finished exterior rather than behind it. At the chimney, the metal turns upward so the stucco, WRB, and counterflashing can be layered over the vertical leg.
The sequence of these materials is as important as their size. Upper waterproofing layers must overlap lower layers so gravity continuously carries water toward the exterior. The metal roof should be integrated behind the upper WRB or counterflashing and extend over the lower exterior finish. Corners, end conditions, and changes in direction must also be fabricated so water cannot bypass the metal at an open seam.
The dimensions shown in the project photographs describe this specific repair configuration. Final metal dimensions, fastening, material selection, counterflashing, and termination details should follow actual field measurements, manufacturer requirements, and applicable building standards.
After the structural and metal work is completed, the chimney and adjoining wall surfaces can be restored. The exterior finish is installed only after the concealed drainage system is complete.
Depending on the final project design, restoration may include new lath, compatible stucco base coats, finish stucco, masonry detailing, termination accessories, and finish matching. The weather-resistive barrier is integrated with the metal flashing before the finished cladding covers the connection.
The effectiveness of the repair is determined by the concealed construction, not only by how the finished chimney looks. The completed system should provide:
Utah’s residential code specifically addresses through-flashing and weep provisions for masonry used as veneer on a framed chimney. These components help moisture that reaches the concealed assembly return to the exterior instead of remaining trapped behind the veneer.
This Draper chimney project demonstrates why exterior water damage requires more than a roofing patch or cosmetic stone repair. The source of the leak involved the relationship between the roof, chimney, masonry, stucco, flashing, and concealed wall system.
RAM Builders Stucco & Exteriors is correcting the failure by removing the affected exterior, rebuilding the chimney substrate, reframing the drainage transition, installing a custom metal roof, integrating the flashing with the WRB, and restoring the exterior finish. RAM Builders provides construction repair services in Draper involving interconnected exterior components such as framing, roofing, stone, stucco, soffit, and fascia.
When water is entering behind stone or stucco, correcting the complete building-envelope connection helps protect the sheathing, framing, insulation, interior finishes, and surrounding exterior materials from recurring moisture exposure.
Contact RAM Builders Stucco & Exteriors to request an evaluation for a leaking chimney, failed roof-to-wall connection, damaged stone veneer, or exterior water intrusion problem in Draper or the surrounding Utah communities.
