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Porches & Decks

Existing Deck Attached to Home with Aluminum Siding

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

So I have a homeowner with a very large deck, 18 x 50 that runs the entire back of the house. It was built over 25 years ago and did conform to local code at the time. Homeowners are selling but the new buyers want flashing installed in between the existing ledger board and the house. As it turns out, the deck was installed to house through the aluminum siding above and below and is very firmly attached to the home in that manner. There has never been any leaking or water penetration and seems to be in very good condition. The boards all run perpendicular to the home and the ledger board so we are talking about 70-80 boards. I don't see how flashing can be installed without ripping the entire deck apart along with the existing siding underneath the ledger board right above and and below the board. There is no way to try to insert flashing above or below the deck since it is very firmly attached to the home. My inclination is to leave as is and to consider the siding as a form of flashing that has been without issue these many years. Opinion?

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Comments (3)

PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
5 years ago
If the boards run perpendicular to the house, I don't know why there is a ledger, there should be joists running parallel to the house. I guess they bolted one of the joists to the house through the siding.

There is a few ways this can be flashed without ripping the boards off.

1. cut the siding and slip the flashing under the siding and about 1 1/2" on top of the boards and slip jay channel matching the siding to cover the edge. This way all the water that runs along the siding will clear bolted ledger/joist. This would be the easiest way is accepted by the buyer.

2. Snap the line along the wall about 3" out and cut the deck boards. Use Z-Flashing over the ledger, slip another joist from the top and add a decking board parallel to the house. It will give you sort of a border along the house. You end up with something like this.
HU-255838407 thanked GN Builders L.L.C
HU-255838407
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

Thank for the suggestions, however, I guess I failed to mention that they want the flashing installed underneath the deck. "Seller will Install flashing at the attachment of ledger board to the house underneath the deck". That was the specific request. Thanks again for any suggestions...
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PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
5 years ago
Nobody installs flashing under the deck, there is nothing to flash so the flashing under there is useless.

The whole idea of deck flashing is to prevent the water get behind the ledger.

That said, I misunderstood your first post, when you said the deck boards where perpendicular to the ledger, so the joist would run parallel in that case. In your case, you have the joist run perpendicular and the boards run parallel which is a typical way of doing that, and that even better, all you have to do is take a decking board or two by the house install the Z-Flashing and put the boards back in.

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