Kickout flashing.

In this article we will discuss the importance of kickout flashing. You may be asking, what exactly is kickout flashing. Glad you asked. Kickout flashing, as part of the roof system, "kicks" rain water "out" or away from the wall. Its a very simple piece of metal, that should be installed by the roofers at the time the roof is installed.This often overlooked flashing is extremely important to the health of a residential structure, yet many roofers or builders believe that it is not necessary as long as the step and counter flashing is intact. This belief is, simply put, incorrect!

Kickout flashing is installed where a roofline meets a vertical wall and just before the roof edge terminates. It is meant to direct water away from the wall and into the gutter system. Water is a sneaky beast. It will find the smallest hole or crack and get behind the siding or brick. As a builder/remodeler, I have seen many walls that look perfectly intact from the outside but as soon as you pull the siding, you find the sheathing destroyed. Inevitably, it is directly in line with the edge of the roof where there was no kickout flashing to move the water away from the wall. In these cases the destroyed sheathing is only the beginning of the problem. Fungal growth inside the wall, damage to the insulation, and even damage to the drywall is possible. All because someone didn't think that kickout flashing was necessary. It is necessary and home owners would be well served to make sure that it is properly installed in the appropriate locations.

So when your home inspector calls out missing kickout flashing, its not just because he thinks it would be a good idea, its because not having it can cause significant damage to the structure and cost you (the buyer) a fortune.

REX Home Inspection