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If You Don't Keep Water Out With Kick-Out Flashing, You Kick It In

By
Home Inspector with Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 3380-000723

The same principle has held forever - if you don't keep water out with kick-out flashing, you kick it in. 

Proper flashing is always a Best Practice.

Flashing is simple, but has to be done right.

Skipping any part of it will admit water.

Water does what water does - it is dynamically fluid!

Flashing diverts, pure and simple.

Flashing consists, as seen here, of step flashing, under each shingle, stepping, as it were, up the roof.

Counter flashing - which is a second flashing, covering the step flashing.

And then sometimes a form of siding.  If the counter flashing is glued properly to a surface, it is fine by itself.

This case has its problems because they forgot a step!

No, two.

They skipped the kick-out flashing diverting water away from the siding and into the gutter, and the covering over the step flashing - the counter flashing.

See how the wood is rotting?

It will continue to rot.  And water is getting through, and behind, the step flashing.

How do we know this?

Because from the garage, which abuts this location, we can see that intersection of roofs!

And what skipping a step, or two, causes.

If this was in a location not visible from below, we could only guess at what was happening inside.

Or use a thermal camera, if the location could be reached.

But here we can see it clearly!

And this has been happening since the "roofer" left these sellers this problem. 

This is no accident.  This was planned for by bad roofing!  Maybe planned for by ignorance, but planned nonetheless! 

ROOFERS SHOULD NOT BE IGNORANT OF THIS SORT OF THING!

My recommendation:  things are as they are and a home inspection observes them.  Sometimes things are visible and can be understood.  Other times, when they aren't visible, the home inspector will know what's happening, but might not be able to prove it as well as this photo proves this condition.  Water, though, always does what water does.  It is, as said, fluidly dynamic!

 

 

Posted by

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC  

Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia.

Office (703) 330-6388   Cell (703) 585-7560

www.jaymarinspect.com


Comments (7)

James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

Not good Jay not good at all.  Have a similar situation with a deck and the basement area.  Just a minor fix and the issue is no more. 

Apr 29, 2014 08:44 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

This same house had a deck flashing issue James, with leaking and rotting inside!

Apr 29, 2014 08:45 PM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Yes, water does a lot of damage if it's not diverted.  So sad as it was so avoidable.

Apr 29, 2014 09:01 PM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

The description if quite complicated and not understood by most buyers/sellers or agents.  What is clearly understood is the vision of rotting wood. 

Rotting wood means water where it doesn't belong.  Even a simple minded agent understands that.

 

Apr 29, 2014 09:27 PM
Clint Mckie
Desert Sun Home, commercial Inspections - Carlsbad, NM
Desert Sun Home, Comm. Inspection 1-575-706-5586

Hi Jay,

Although very important in the roofs construction for proper water deflection. You would be hard pressed to find a single kick put flashing in New Mexico. I call it but it is never installed before or after the fact.

Have a great day in Bristow.

Best, Clint McKie

Apr 29, 2014 11:00 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Around here there is older housing stock that had them and a long span where they were not installed until now we are back to seeing them all the time in new construction--thanks to them being "required by code."  They are certainly essential.

Apr 30, 2014 12:05 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

It was a set up from the start Debbie, by an incompetent "roofer."  Likely not a roofer at all...

And Lenn, not sure where this one will go from here.  The sellers are firm that their house is "perfect."

Clint - so, since it is not anywhere, you are the dope for suggesting it.  Years ago when I was saying that deck flashing was missing at the ledger beam people would actually call me to say that I was an idiot because, of course, flashing is for roofs.

They are Charlie.  This is an older house, with a very new roof!  Mayhap the "roofer" was unaware of the finer points of roofing?

Apr 30, 2014 05:39 AM