Meramec Roofing

Why roofs fail

Gutters built into the roof itself, counterflashing cut into brick, and an attic that turns into an oven in July. Not much of this is standard.

St. Louis put the gutter inside the roof. That is where it goes, and the yard is the one place you cannot see it from. St. Louis has its own name for three of these.
Garage Point 1: ridge caps 1 Ridge caps: first to fatigue in the swings Point 2: the field of the roof 2 The field: thaw cycles and age Point 3: valleys 3 in the valleys Point 4: flashing 4 a lower roof meets a wall Point 5: vent boot 5 Vent boot Point 6: eaves and gutters 6 Eaves: refreeze and plugged gutters back water up
  1. 1 Ridge caps. First to fatigue in a climate that swings hard in both directions.
  2. 2 The field. Thaw cycles work the covering harder than the calendar suggests.
  3. 3 Valleys. Litter holds water against the covering exactly where it should be leaving.
  4. 4 Flashing. The chimney, and where a lower roof runs into a brick wall.
  5. 5 The vent boot. A rubber part with a life measured in years, not decades.
  6. 6 Eaves and gutters. Refreezing and a plugged box gutter back water up under the edge.

The six

Why so little of this is standard work

A winter that crosses the freezing line dozens of times, working every nail, sealant strip and joint with each pass. A July that cooks under-ventilated attics and ages coverings from below. A canopy that keeps valleys damp and gutters full in the older suburbs. And, on the pre-war and city stock, the specialty details (cornice gutters, brick counterflashing, parapets) that fail long before the shingle field does.

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