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Discussion Forum

house wrap under deck ledger?

MNScott | Posted in General Discussion on October 1, 2007 10:01am

I’m having the north side of my house resided because of hail damage. Before the siding company shows up and puts new vinyl up I would like to add a deck ledger for a future deck. The siding contractor will apply the appropriate flashing when they install the new siding.

Should I cut the house wrap away from under the ledger before I put it up, or should I leave it alone? If there isn’t any house wrap should I apply it under the ledger before installing? If there isn’t any house wrap under the siding I intend to have it added before the siding is replaced.

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  1. Shep | Oct 01, 2007 10:37pm | #1

    I like to apply Vycor, or another self-adhesive, self-sealing membrane behind the ledger. This way, any penetration from the fasteners will be sealed.

    I also like to pack the ledger out with 1/2" presure treated plywood shims behind each lag that holds the ledger, so any water that gets behind it, will be able to easily find its way out, and not get into the house. I cut the ply strips about 2" wide, bevel the top edge to shed water, and cut them for length about 1/4" less than the width of the ledger. I then nail them to the back of the Ledger with SS nails.

    I then install a flat copper flashing over the Vycor and attach the ledger to the house.

    And then I install a copper z-flashing over the top of the ledger to minimize any water getting behind the ledger. Of course, the house wrap has to go on top of all this, so the water will shed away from the house.

    This may seem like overkill, but it's much easier to do it this way, than to go back and repair any damage from water infiltration.

     

  2. CAGIV | Oct 01, 2007 10:40pm | #2

    Install the ledger to the house, cap the ledger with Z flashing, run a strip of vycor over the top part of the flashing that rest against the house sheathing, then lap the house wrap over the flashing.

    So when water runs down the house wrap in back of the siding it hits the horizontal portion of ledger , the vertical portion along the wall acts as a dam to keep it from running up the wall, the vycor is cheap insurance and probably over-kill.

    At least that's way I have our guys do ours.

    Team Logo



    Edited 10/2/2007 9:50 am ET by CAGIV

    1. Shep | Oct 01, 2007 10:52pm | #3

      You don't put any wrap or Vycor behind the ledger?

      1. CAGIV | Oct 01, 2007 11:12pm | #4

        I&W sheild or Vycor, what ever we have on hand.  Guess I left it out.  we also fill the holes with silicone

        We don't space them off like you. 

        Edited 10/1/2007 4:14 pm ET by CAGIV

        1. Shep | Oct 01, 2007 11:19pm | #5

          OK. Just making sure yer not getting sloppy <G>

          I'm not sure when I started spacing the ledger. Its gotta be 8-10 years. I read some article that recommended it, and it seemed like a good idea.

          I haven't done the fill the holes with silicone thing, tho I've heard about it.

          Edited 10/1/2007 4:19 pm ET by Shep

          1. CAGIV | Oct 02, 2007 01:04am | #6

            Me?  Sloppy?  You looking at my desk?

            seriously though.  I've read the same articles about spacing a ledger, I just don't really see the point if you keep the water out from in back in the first place.  I guess there's always a chance, personally I just don't see the point with flashing.

            The silicone in the holes is probably a waste of a tube of silicone but it's cheap insurance I guess.

            I'd rather build the deck free standing from the house but it drives our already "high" price up.   We don't end up building to many decks, the one's we do are nicer to start with it.   I'd probably pass on looking at an all PT deck these days unless we were dead slow.

             

          2. Piffin | Oct 02, 2007 01:38am | #7

            I don't think that caulk there is a waste.I am attaching one photo of one I have prepped for the ledger like the OP is doing now.After that are two photos of rot at a porch attachment. The worst of the rot was from ingress at a door jamb. The roof spills onto that deck and had no gutter or diverter there since it was built about 1977. Rain spillage was splashing back onto the door and walll all that time, and probably years when ice piled up too in winter and nobody around.But if you look at dsc09, in the lower left corner of the photo, you can see between the ledger and the siding, there is a dark black barrel?It is some 1" PVC or ABS cut to use as a shim standoff with the galv lag bolt run through it. There is another where the worst of the rot is, but it doesn't really show.
            Overall they did a darn good job for standards of that era, with tarpaper and standoffs and all.but there was plenty sign of rot being worse where those lag bolts penetrated the wall. I think filling that ABS gasket with caulk could have made it a compression gasket that would have helped.But like I said, the water splashing on the door was the worst of it. No pan or tarpaper was put under the threshold there. 

             

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          3. Shep | Oct 02, 2007 04:20pm | #9

            I think we're both basically on the same page- our techniques are just a bit different.

            I only build a deck or two a year, and tend to take my time when I do. Since I work by myself, for myself, I can get away with that.

            But the important thing, IMO, is that we try to do all we can to make a long lasting product.

            The next deck I do will be at my own house, if I ever get the dang permits filled out and submitted.

          4. CAGIV | Oct 02, 2007 04:49pm | #10

            One thing I have to say about our Housing Authority, the Permit process is pretty easy.  And turn around  is quick, usually in 5 days or so. 

            They do have an automated inspection scheduling line that you have to use and it is a complete PITA though.

             

  3. User avater
    DDay | Oct 02, 2007 05:12am | #8

    As other have said, grace for under the ledger. Grace Ice and water is 3'x75' or you can go with their roof detail membrane which is the same thing but 18" wide and half the cost.

    http://www.graceathome.com/pages/roofing.htm

    FHB has had some article on deck ledgers in the last few years, that will give you the visual of how everything should be install. Basically everything overlaps from the bottom on up to keep the water from ever getting behind anything. The I&W is your insurance. I like to space the ledger off the water a bit too, just to make sure anything that ever got behind and wet the ledger could dry out. You can just cut some strips of PT scrap.

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