Serving West Plano, Willow Bend, Los Rios, downtown Plano, and the Legacy area with cricket installations built for wide chimneys and Plano's rough spring weather.
Drive through Willow Bend or the older streets near downtown Plano and you'll spot the same problem on roof after roof: a wide chimney or metal chase sitting flush against the shingles with no diverter on the up-slope side. On the two-story homes that fill West Plano and Los Rios, that gap is exactly where water, leaves, and hail debris collect during every heavy spring storm. A properly built cricket — sometimes called a saddle — redirects that water around the chimney instead of letting it pool against the back wall, and it's one of the most overlooked fixes on Plano roofs.
Any chimney or chase wider than about 30 inches measured across the roof slope creates a dam effect. Water sheeting down the roof hits the flat back side, has nowhere to go, and backs up under the shingles and flashing. Over time that means rot in the roof deck, staining on interior ceilings, and rust streaks on metal chase covers. A cricket splits that water flow and sends it around both sides of the chimney, which is standard practice anywhere a wide masonry structure or factory-built chase interrupts a roof slope.
Plano's building boom from the 1980s through the 2000s left the metro with an enormous number of two-story homes using prefab factory-built fireboxes inside sheet-metal chase chimneys, alongside a smaller number of full masonry stacks in and around historic downtown Plano. Both types are vulnerable without a cricket, but for different reasons: masonry chimneys rely on mortar and crown integrity that clay-soil movement can crack over the years, while metal chase covers are thin enough that spring hail and straight-line wind routinely dent, lift, or peel them at the seams. Add North Texas freeze-thaw swings, and any small gap where a cricket should be becomes an entry point for water almost immediately. Homes in Legacy-area developments and newer West Plano additions with wide chase widths are especially common candidates because builders in that era didn't always spec crickets on standard chase designs.
A cricket is only as good as its integration with the surrounding roof and flashing system. Our approach includes:
This is different from a routine chase cover replacement, since a cricket addresses water diversion upstream of the cover, not the cover itself.
We install properly sized crickets on Plano's wide chimneys and chases before storm season does more damage.
(214) 225-8874Some Plano homeowners call about a leak expecting a simple caulk job, only to find the real issue is a missing cricket. Look for recurring leaks after every hard rain despite prior patching, standing debris or shingle granules piled against the chimney's up-slope side, or a chase cover that's been replaced more than once at the same spot. If a chimney inspection turns up water intrusion with no obvious crown or flashing failure, an undersized or absent cricket is often the reason, and it's worth reviewing alongside any chimney repair estimate.
Pricing for a cricket depends on the width of the chimney or chase, the roof pitch, whether the structure is masonry or a metal factory-built chase, the materials used to match your existing roofline, and how much flashing rework is needed to tie everything in cleanly. A steep roof over a Willow Bend two-story takes more time and access equipment than a low-slope roof over a single-story Los Rios ranch, and that affects labor. All Lowes Chimney Sweep services in Plano start at $99, and every job includes an up-front, no-surprises price before work begins. Request a Free Online Quote or call to have someone take a look at your specific chimney and roofline.
"Very pleased with the professionalism and promptness of service. The chimney sweep was done quickly and efficiently at significantly less cost than the first quote I got from another company. Happy to recommend Lowes Chimney Sweep to anyone in Plano!"
"Outstanding chimney sweep service from start to finish. They were punctual, courteous, and left our chimney spotless with no mess in our home. I won't use anyone else for chimney services in Dallas TX!"
More reviews from homeowners across the metroplex are on our reviews section, or learn more about our team before you book.
If your chimney or chase is wider than roughly 30 inches across the roof slope and you're seeing water stains, rust trails, or debris piling up on the up-slope side, that's a strong sign. This is especially common on the wide metal chase chimneys found throughout newer West Plano and Legacy-area homes.
Yes. Full masonry chimneys near historic downtown Plano can be just as vulnerable, particularly once clay-soil movement shifts the structure slightly and opens gaps at the crown or flashing where a cricket would normally divert water.
A cricket won't stop hail impacts, but it does keep water from pooling and finding its way under dented or lifted chase seams after a storm, which is often the bigger long-term problem. Pairing it with a solid chase cover gives the most protection during Plano's rough spring weather.
In most cases a cricket can be built onto an existing chimney or chase without a full roof replacement, tying into the current flashing and shingles. We evaluate the roof condition first since a badly worn roof section nearby may need attention at the same time.
We serve Plano seven days a week, including Sundays, so scheduling around a busy household or an active leak is usually not a problem. Call or request a Free Online Quote and we'll get a time on the calendar that works.
Straight answers from our DFW chimney pros before you book.
