The Importance of Deck Flashing

So yesterday I’m mowing my lawn and my new neighbor stops over to introduce himself. After some small chit chat I mention to him that his deck, which I can see from my back yard, is not built to current standards and probably not to any standards and that IMO is dangerous.

He told me his Home Inspector called out that the ledger was not properly attached to the structure.

He then tells me he is planning on installing hardwood over the entire first floor and he found major structural issues when he removed the linoleum in the breakfast nook.

House is 14 years old.

Also notice that this part of the deck is attached to a cantilevered structure.

How long has it been since the said inspection? Looks like that would have been obvious from below.

Not exactly sure but not more than a couple of weeks.

I thought it would have been obvious as well, he told me he put his foot through it from above after he pulled the linoleum.

Looks like the sliding door assembly was leaking (as most usually do from poor installation tecniques). Deck flashing may not be the original culprit.

The outer ply of the plywood was probably still intact (with nice looking paint) until his foot went through it. This looks to be rotted from the inside out, not outside in.

I see what your saying Jeff but it was rotted due to the ledger never being flashed to begin with, was it leaking at the door, yes, but the reason is no flashing.

Plus it’s a no no to attach in that manner to a cantilevered structure.

I would say the “nice looking paint” below was fresh as there is no way it wasn’t stained or warped as viewed from the damage above and if you look close you can see some staining. If I had to guess I’d say this damage was covered up.

It was wrong from the word go, the ledger was actually bolted right through the vinyl siding.

http://www.decks.com/images/articles/ledgerboard.jpg

Agree… now that we have the ‘rest of the story’! :wink:

Many a homeowner has pulled off an aging outdoor deck to discover siding, sheathing and framing that’s the consistency of oatmeal and home to a thriving colony of carpenter ants. More often than not, a major contributor is worn or missing flashing. Without flashing, there’s nothing to prevent water from seeping behind the ledger board that connects deck framing to the house.

Over time, trapped water leads to decay-not only in wood building materials but even in metal fasteners that hold the deck together. The result is never good, and often expensive and time-consuming to repair.

Where did you copy that from?

Most likely a spam bot that registers on forum to insert backlinks. User need to be deleted.

Yes SPAM it is.

There don’t seem to be many decks here in Los Angeles.

I thought I was going to inspect a real deck today, but it turned to a 1st floor patio cover attached to a 2nd floor balcony, and someone just threw down some wood planks over it all to try to say they had a deck. And they glued outdoor carpeting all the way around, including the sides, to hide the evidence.