Expert: Dave Johnson - 3/11/2009

Question
We've had a property assessor state we need flashing between the deck ledger board and the siding.  Our deck was built with the house and passed inspection.  Our home has vinyl siding that runs the full length of the home, from top to bottom, side to side. The deck was then attached OVER the siding, with bolts transferring the load.  The entire length of the bolt was sealed with silicone. Behind the siding, thru siding, between deck ledger & siding , and thru to washer and nut.  We have not had any moisture problems or leaks in our basement below the deck.(our home is 3 yrs old)  If we do indeed need flashing, how is it installed without compromising the seal around the bolts?

Answer
Hi Teresa,

Wow, too bad! If the place hasn't leaked in 3 years, I'm surprised the assessor is insisting it be "fixed".

There is no effective way to do this without taking the siding off,
so you'd need to cut around the ledger board, remove the siding, do the flashing and replace siding with appropriate "j" channels.

Best of luck, and if you need more, please mail me again

Dave