Flashing, Vents and Pipe Jacks: Documenting Small Items on a Roof Claim

Small roof items like pipe boots, vents and flashing are easy to overlook in an estimate. They are also easy to document well if the crew counts and photographs them before tear-off. List each one, its location and its condition, and ask for any that the estimate leaves out.

Disclosure: we make Supplement Snap, which helps roofing crews document damage found at tear-off and export a report. It does not decide coverage, negotiate claims or guarantee approval. This page is general guidance, not legal or claims advice.

A few missing pieces across a job add up, and an estimate built from aerial images cannot count every penetration. The table lists the items to record. A complete count also helps the crew know what to order.

Walk each slope with a clipboard or phone notes. Number each penetration, write its type and size, and photograph it. Use the same numbering in the report so the adjuster can match item to photo.

Measure step flashing and counter flashing in linear feet along walls, and record chimneys and skylights as separate items. Note whether existing flashing is damaged, reusable or missing, and show it.

Carriers and contractors sometimes disagree on whether an item can be reused. Photograph its condition and write down why you replace it, such as corrosion, cracking or a different profile needed for the new roof. Avoid saying it must always be replaced.

Example: Pipe boots, 4, sizes 2 in and 3 in, photos 31 to 34. Step flashing, 36 linear feet along the east wall, photo 35. List each as a numbered finding and give counts.

On one roof the crew counts four pipe boots (two 2 inch and two 3 inch), three box vents, one chimney with a 6 foot front and two 4 foot sides, and 36 linear feet of step flashing along a sidewall. The crew photographs each item before removal and numbers the photos 31 to 44.

The carrier's estimate lists two pipe boots, two vents and no chimney flashing. The request lists the difference line by line: two additional pipe boots, one additional vent, chimney flashing at 14 linear feet, step flashing 36 linear feet. Each line points to its photo numbers. These counts are an example only.

Some flashing can be reused when the new roof goes on. Whether it should be depends on its condition and the new roofing. If you replace an item that looks reusable, explain why: corroded, cracked, wrong profile, or sealant that failed. Photograph the problem. If you are not sure, say so rather than overstating.

Chimneys and sidewalls take several pieces of flashing. Rather than listing it as one lump, break it into step flashing, counter flashing and a cricket or saddle if the chimney is wide enough to need one. Record each piece's length. Local code and the manufacturer's instructions may call for details that differ from the old installation.

Walk the roof for bathroom fan vents, kitchen vents, plumbing stacks, attic ventilation, satellite mounts, and electrical masts. A quick pass with a numbered list or a sketch of the roof helps. Photograph each one even if you are not requesting a change, so the file shows the whole roof.