Deck flashing details during home inspection

by MR
(Canada)

I just bought a house (but I am not moving in until May) and I know nothing about buildings. But after reading a bit about decks, I'm starting worrying that my future deck doesn't have any flashing.

Can you see on the following pictures if it has any? The home inspector said nothing about that though. Thanks!

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Editor's Comments

It is very wise of you to get a home inspection prior to buying and to have had the insight to think of the flashing around your deck. When a deck is connected to the ledger it becomes very important that it be flashed properly.

That means two layers of mechanical flashing, behind and over top and then extending upward at least 8" under the siding.

Steps To Flashing A Ledger For A Deck

If you have never seen this done - and it is a lot of work if you have to do it after the house is already constructed - then you must read this article and then come back here.

Photos Do Not Reveal Much

Unfortunately your photos of the ledger do not confirm one way or the other if the deck ledger has been flashed properly. My guess is it looks like the builder understood what had to be done.

But there is no way of knowing for sure unless you surgically removed the siding and took a peek in to verify. This is a very finicky job and you may want to hire a siding expert to do this fairly quickly for you as you will find it a bit of a hassle and not so easy for a first timer.