Questions covered in this guide
Name the drainage feature
GAF describes a roof cricket, also called a saddle, as a small peaked feature that sends water around an obstruction such as a chimney. Its presence or absence in a photograph does not determine what your roof requires.
Collect the history around the chimney
Write down past leak locations, dates of repairs, and whether staining appeared after rain, snow, or another event. Provide photographs that are already available or can be taken safely from the ground or inside. Ask the roofer to assess the uphill side of the chimney and explain the proposed drainage arrangement. If chimney masonry or other adjacent work needs a specialist, identify that separate trade before accepting a roof-only answer.
Make an obstruction review worksheet
Sketch the chimney and nearby roof surfaces. Leave spaces for the contractor to mark water paths, the proposed cricket or other detail, and any neighboring roof or wall changes. Ask who determines the design and applicable requirements. Add rows for chimney-related work, roofing work, and the connection between them. Record whether each item is included, excluded, or awaiting assessment. This exposes responsibility gaps without asking you to design flashing or calculate a required cricket size.
Compare solutions, not a single patch
Have the installer explain how the proposal addresses the assessed condition and what would trigger additional work after removal. Ask for photographs of the completed professional work for your records. Do not climb behind a chimney to clear or modify a detail yourself. Keep this scope separate from the general roof surface budget. The national calculator cannot diagnose the leak, establish a cricket requirement, or price masonry and roofing coordination for your particular house.
Putting it into practice
The page focuses on the uphill drainage problem at an obstruction and the division between masonry and roofing work. Its sketch records an assessed solution without prescribing a universal cricket size or code rule.
Sources and supported claims
GAF describes a roof cricket as a small peaked or triangular structure that diverts water around an obstruction.
Source ↗ · national · Checked 2026-10-12
GAF identifies chimneys and other roof penetrations as locations where a cricket may be used.
Source ↗ · national · Checked 2026-10-12