Chimney Cricket Installation
A peaked saddle built behind your chimney that splits roof runoff and sends it around the masonry instead of against it — framed, flashed and shingled to match, so wide chimneys stop leaking along the back wall.
What is a chimney cricket?
Picture your chimney standing in the middle of a sloped roof. Every drop of rain that falls above it runs downhill and slams into the chimney's uphill face — and unlike the rest of the roof, that spot has nowhere to drain. A chimney cricket, also called a saddle, solves the problem the way a boat's bow parts water: it's a small peaked structure framed against the back of the chimney whose two sloped planes split the runoff and steer it around the masonry and back onto the open roof. Wide chimneys need one badly enough that modern building code requires a cricket on any chimney wider than 30 inches measured across the roof slope.
What ponding water does back there
Without a cricket, the uphill side of a wide chimney becomes a dam. Water ponds against the brick, backs up beneath the shingles and sits on the flashing until it finds a way through — and in North Texas it gets plenty of chances, between spring gully-washers, hail that bruises shingles at exactly that vulnerable seam, and winter freeze–thaw that wedges every small gap wider. The damage builds out of sight: rotted decking and rafter tails, corroded flashing, saturated brick and mortar, and eventually the brown ceiling stain that finally sends a homeowner to the phone. By then, the fix involves carpentry, not just flashing. Plenty of older DFW homes were built before the 30-inch rule or simply skipped it, which is why the leak-behind-the-chimney call is one of the most common we get after a big storm.
Built into the roof, not stuck onto it
A cricket only works if it's watertight where it meets both the roof and the chimney — so we build the whole assembly, not just the hump. Texan Flue frames the saddle to match your roof pitch, decks it, and laces it into new step flashing and counter flashing cut in our own metal shop and let into the mortar joints, not smeared on with caulk. Then we shingle it in material matched to your roof so the finished cricket reads as original construction. Because we fabricate our own flashing, valleys and saddle pans, odd chimney widths and steep pitches are routine rather than a reason to improvise. If the flashing around the rest of the stack is tired, we can renew it in the same visit — see our chimney flashing service.
Signs your chimney needs a cricket.
Chimney wider than 30 inches
If your chimney spans more than 30" across the roof slope and has no saddle behind it, code — and physics — say it needs one.
Debris piled behind the chimney
Leaves, pine needles and shingle grit collecting on the uphill side show water is stalling there instead of draining.
Ceiling stains near the fireplace
Brown rings on the ceiling or wall around the chimney chase are ponded water that finally found a path inside.
Rusted or lifted flashing
Flashing that's corroding or pulling away on the chimney's back side has been sitting in water it was never meant to hold.
Spongy roof behind the stack
Decking that flexes underfoot uphill of the chimney means rot has already started in the sheathing below.
Moss or dark streaks on the shingles
Growth and staining on the uphill face mark the spot where water lingers after every rain.
Framed, flashed, shingled — watertight.
$49 Inspection
We measure the chimney, check the decking and flashing behind it for hidden rot, and show you photos of what's up there.
Design & Quote
The cricket is sized to your chimney width and roof pitch, and you approve an exact, all-in price before work begins.
Frame & Flash
We frame and deck the saddle, then lace in step and counter flashing fabricated in our own shop and set into the mortar joints.
Shingle & Water-Test
Shingled to match your roof, hosed down to prove it sheds — with photos of the finished work before we leave.
Chimney crickets, answered.
How much does chimney cricket installation cost in DFW?
Most cricket installations in Dallas–Fort Worth run $500–$1,500 depending on chimney width, roof pitch and shingle matching. Repairing water-damaged decking behind the chimney adds to the price, which is one more reason not to wait. You approve an exact, all-in quote after a $49 inspection.
What is a chimney cricket, exactly?
A cricket — also called a saddle — is a small peaked structure built on the roof directly behind the chimney, on its uphill side. Its two sloped planes split the water running down the roof and steer it around the chimney instead of letting it pile up against the back wall of the masonry.
Does code require a cricket on my chimney?
Modern building code calls for a cricket whenever a chimney is wider than 30 inches across the slope of the roof. Plenty of older DFW homes were built before that rule or simply skipped it — which is why so many wide chimneys here leak along the back side. We'll tell you during the inspection whether yours needs one.
What happens if I skip the cricket?
Every rain, the roof funnels water against the back of the chimney where it ponds, backs up under the shingles and works past the flashing. Over time that rots the decking and rafters, corrodes the flashing and soaks the masonry — damage that costs far more to repair than the cricket that would have prevented it.
Will the cricket look like an add-on?
No. We frame the cricket to match your roof pitch, flash it into the chimney with step and counter flashing, and shingle it in material matched to your existing roof. Done right, it reads as part of the original roofline — most neighbors never notice anything changed.
Often paired with a cricket.
Send the water around, not in.
Book a $49 inspection and get an exact, upfront price on a cricket built into your roof — before the next storm tests the back of that chimney.
(469) 980-1178One call keeps the fire where it belongs.