Budget will always be a factor. But while looking to save money is often a priority, there can be a right way and a wrong way to approach it. The decisions made upfront during design can have a lasting impact on the value and quality of the finished building.
CopelandBEC recently worked on a single-family residence where this lesson was learned the hard way.
Corners were cut when it came to the initial installation of a chimney cap flashing. While we estimate (conservatively) that this may have saved the owner $1,000 up front, it also allowed for water to get behind the flashing and into the chimney’s wood-framed structure.
Over time, water intrusion led to significant deterioration of the wood framing and damage to the interior finishes. The entire masonry-clad chimney had to be demolished and rebuilt to repair the damage, this time with a fully-soldered and sloped-to-drain copper chimney cap with proper flashing transitions.
All of these repairs cost the owner approximately $40,000.
The short-term allure of saving a few bucks in this case, as it is in many, was ultimately far more costly in the long run. Investing in the proper approach at the beginning could have delivered this owner a 40x return on investment.
Download a PDF version of this case study below. ⬇️
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