An M & J trade partner inspects the chimney’s base; roofing cement covers its shingle-to-base-flashing juncture.
The juncture along the roof cricket was repeatedly sealed with asphalt roof cement in an attempt to keep out water.
Efflorescence-stained stone veneer indicates that a lot of water had moved within the masonry chimney.
The base flashing along the sides (and front) were also efflorescence-stained.
The flashings along the back, sides, and front are nailed to the face of the stone (the peeled-back caulk reveals a nail head). Through-wall flashing was not installed—an all-too-common defect the author encounters (see JLC May ‘23, “Getting to the Bottom of a Stone-Veneer Leak”).
The cracked concrete chimney cap had been heavily caulked in an attempt to keep out moisture. The mortar joints of the cap stone had also been also heavily "sealed."
Caulked mortar joints of the corbeled out 1-inch-thick bluestone cap. Multiple colors of caulking on the chimney crown, veneer, and base flashings suggest numerous attempts over the years to stop leaks.
After assembling an impressive scaffold anchored to the building at multiple levels to provide lateral strength, the masons begin to remove the stone veneer and the cracked crown on the chimney.