A cricket addresses the roof-side drainage path behind an obstruction. It is different from the cap above a chimney and from the flashing around its base.
A roof cricket is a small raised diverter on the uphill side of an obstruction, commonly a chimney, that directs water around it. If a contractor proposes one, ask how the design changes the drainage path and how it connects to the surrounding covering and flashing.
Why a roof may need a diverter
GAF's roof-cricket guide describes this water-diverting feature and the need to assess the obstruction and applicable construction requirements. The proposed detail depends on the actual roof. A homeowner should not assume that every chimney needs the same shape or that the absence of a visible cricket proves a defect.
A useful explanation begins with a roof photograph marked with the direction of runoff. Ask the contractor to show where water approaches the obstruction and where it will go after the work. That makes the recommendation understandable without requiring you to interpret a construction drawing alone.
Cricket, chimney cap, and flashing are different
A chimney cap is associated with the top of the chimney. Flashing addresses the junction between the roof and the obstruction. A cricket changes the roof-side shape behind it. A proposal to “fix the chimney” may include one, several, or none of these operations.
Ask the contractor to identify whether the investigation concerns the roofing, the masonry, the chimney top, or multiple components. A roofing repair should not be represented as a complete chimney rehabilitation unless those other services are expressly included and appropriately evaluated.
What needs to be inspected?
Request both a wide view of the roof geometry and close photographs of the affected junction. Ask which defects were observed and which areas remain concealed. Previous patches, the adjoining covering, and the flashing condition may all affect the repair plan.
If you have an interior stain, provide photographs, dates, and weather conditions. Do not assume the stain establishes the exact entry point. Ask how the proposed work follows from the investigation, and whether the contractor recommends any separate evaluation of the chimney itself.
A recommendation should explain what changes
Imagine a homeowner receives one estimate for sealant work behind a chimney and another for rebuilding that area with a cricket and new flashing. Those are different approaches. Ask the first contractor which joint is being treated and whether the work is temporary or intended as the complete repair.
Ask the second contractor what finding justifies the construction change, which surrounding materials must be removed, and how the new diverter will drain. The more extensive scope is not automatically the correct one; the diagnosis and applicable requirements should support it.
Both proposals should explain their limits. If masonry work is excluded, the homeowner needs to know whether an unresolved masonry condition could still require attention after the roof work is complete.
What belongs in a cricket construction scope?
- The obstruction and precise roof area being modified.
- The proposed shape and covering or metal finish.
- Framing or substrate work included in the construction.
- How the flashing and adjacent roof layers connect.
- Removal and reinstatement of surrounding materials.
- How concealed damage is documented and approved.
- Any separate masonry or chimney-top work excluded.
Do not use a universal dimension from a website as the job specification. The contractor should resolve the detail for the measured obstruction, roof slope, and applicable requirements. If a design professional or another trade is needed, establish that responsibility before construction begins.
Ask for photographs during the work, before the completed covering hides the connections. Save those with the final scope. They are useful if the area later needs maintenance or another contractor evaluates the roof.
A localized chimney-area problem does not alone establish a need for whole-roof replacement. Review the separate evidence for any broader recommendation in our repair-versus-replacement guide and request a roof repair assessment focused on the actual water path.
Common questions
Frequently asked
No. A cap is at the top of the chimney. A cricket is a roof-side diverter behind an obstruction; flashing addresses the junction around it.
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Editorial team
Our editorial team publishes homeowner guides with sources linked in the article. For a recommendation about your roof, request an inspection of the property.
