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Roof Cricket
A roof cricket (also called a saddle) is a peaked structure built behind a chimney or other roof penetration to divert water around the obstruction.
Texas building code requires a cricket behind any chimney wider than 30 inches. Without a cricket, water pools behind the chimney, eventually penetrating the flashing and causing leaks and structural rot. Many older DFW homes lack proper crickets — JRH Construction builds code-compliant crickets during chimney reflashing and roof replacement projects.