Parapets and coping
What a parapet does, and how it fails
A parapet is the low wall around a flat roof, and the coping is the cap that sheds water off the top of it. Brick and stucco take on water through the joints and cracks, and the water finds the way down into the building.
A ceiling stain on the top floor often traces back to the parapet, not the roof surface.
Coping caps shed water off the top of the wall
Flashing seals where the roof meets the wall
What we find
Four things that let water in
Open joints
The sealant between caps dries and splits, and rain runs in.
Cracked or missing caps
A cracked cap lets water straight into the wall.
Loose brick or stucco
Wet masonry under the caps loosens, and the repair has to start there.
Pulled-away flashing
Where the membrane meets the wall, the flashing lifts and water gets behind it.
Re-seal, reset or replace
How we decide what the coping needs
We look at the caps and the masonry under them, then tell you which one fits.
| Replace | Re-seal or reset | |
|---|---|---|
| When it fits | ReplaceThe caps are cracked, loose or the wrong size. | Re-seal or resetThe caps are sound and the joints have opened. |
| What we do | ReplaceTake the old caps off and set new ones with flashing under them. | Re-seal or resetClean the joints and seal them, or lift and set the caps again. |
| The masonry | ReplaceRepair brick or stucco under the cap before the new one goes on. | Re-seal or resetRepoint any loose mortar first. |
Questions
Before you call
Can you fix just the coping?
Often, yes. If the caps are sound and the joints have opened, we re-seal or reset them and say what else we saw. If the brick under them is moving, we tell you, and you decide.
Why is there a stain in my top-floor ceiling when the roof looks fine?
Water travels. On a flat roof it often enters at the parapet, the coping or the wall flashing, runs down inside the wall, and shows up a floor or two away. We trace it before we price a repair.
Does the city need a permit for a re-roof?
Rules differ by town. At the visit we tell you whether your town asks for a permit for the work, who applies for it, and where it shows on the estimate.
Water coming down the wall?
Send a photo of the stain and the parapet if you can. We will tell you what to look for.