Parapets
Parapet walls stand up around the edge of a flat roof. Their tops (caps) and inside faces take sun, rain and freezing, and stucco cracks there let water get behind the roofing and down into the walls.
- Cracked or open caps sealed or rebuilt
- Inside faces wrapped with the roofing system
- Wall-to-roof corners reinforced so they don't split
Canales
Canales are the spouts that carry water off flat roofs through the parapet. They clog with cottonwood leaves and seed fluff, rust through, pull loose or lose their seal.
- Cleaned out and checked
- Resealed into the roofing
- Replaced when rusted or too small
- Extended so water lands away from adobe walls
Why it matters for adobe
Water running down or into an adobe wall can damage it. Keeping water on the roof headed out the canales — and away from the walls when it lands — protects the house itself.
See why canales leak.
Roofing questions
How often should I clean my canales?
At least once a year, and after the cottonwoods drop leaves and fluff.
Can a canale be replaced without redoing the roof?
Usually, by reworking the roofing around it.
Who fixes the stucco on parapets?
We seal and roof the parapet; larger stucco repair may involve a plaster crew.