# The proper way to flash a stucco dormer?



## mastersplinter (Nov 23, 2012)

Hello, A customer had a new roof put on a year ago.It is leaking pretty badly There are 4 dormers on the back of the house done with stucco. What is the correct way to flash a new roof where the roof meets the stucco? Any pictures would be appreciated

I would think to cut a reglet with a grinder and tuck flashinginto this would be the correct way to do it.

The roofer bent the flashing with a 3/4 '' flare out from the stucco at the top of the flashing and pumped a few tubes of caulk in there. What would you do in this situation.


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## skyhook (Mar 17, 2007)

mastersplinter said:


> Hello, A customer had a new roof put on a year ago.It is leaking pretty badly There are 4 dormers on the back of the house done with stucco. What is the correct way to flash a new roof where the roof meets the stucco? Any pictures would be appreciated
> 
> I would think to cut a reglet with a grinder and tuck flashinginto this would be the correct way to do it.
> 
> The roofer bent the flashing with a 3/4 '' flare out from the stucco at the top of the flashing and pumped a few tubes of caulk in there. What would you do in this situation.


 If you are talking about roof to wall connections, and it has a comp shingle roof, you will need Z bar backing, step flashing, counter flashing and stucco repair.
Fix it right because once you touch it, you own it. Excuses will only make you look bad. If you are not willing to do it proper, walk away.

I recently repaired my own house where it was plagued with 40 years of bad repairs. 
A reglet was cut into the stucco but the roof to wall flashing, step flashing and counter flashing was all wrong. 
Made my newly finished family room job look like crap when it rained, leaked and bubbled up my new drywall, skim coat and perfect paint job.
I had no idea, someone would build a room addition onto an existing stucco wall and just cut a reglet. smear it with 208 and call it done. 

btw, pictures would be a great help. Good luck.


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## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

Looked at a job the other day for a guy who had a bay window that was added as part of a kitchen renovation. They didn't even bother to cut in a reglet, just put up a piece of flashing and caulked it. Problem with this is that the water that gets past the stucco (it always does) now drips down the felt paper and into the head jamb of the bay window.
If I'm reading the OP right, it sounds like the fix for these situations is the same. Break away the stucco and get flashing under the paper/housewrap so that water on that plain will go onto the new roof instead of into the house.


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## Kowboy (May 7, 2009)

What say the collective wisdom here, please?


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## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

We use step flashing from the shingles to the reglet (Z flashing).


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## A&E Exteriors (Aug 14, 2009)

Kowboy said:


> What say the collective wisdom here, please?


I need more info


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## Mr Latone (Jan 8, 2011)

Kowboy said:


> What say the collective wisdom here, please?


What it boils down to is trying to do something that is _always_ successful.

A strip of light gauge metal applied to the face of a wall (any type of wall) and sealed with caulk at the top edge works sometimes, but not always. One never knows when it will not work, but it is often enough that it is not "best practice"

The stucco or other siding material is effectively the counter-flashing so if a metal strip is applied (counter-flashing) it's best to be an integral part of the wall and should drain as effectively as the wall. Sticking it on the wall surface with caulk doesn't qualify as an integral part of the wall. Through convention, it has been decided that setting the metal strip in a ground out slot with caulking is preferable to just applying it to the surface. A "Z" type of flashing also drains as effectively as the wall, but may not be possible in a retro-fit

Some roof systems are designed with termination bars on walls where the roof terminates. These are a lot stiffer than some light gauge metal counter-flashing, and are accepted practice. The light gauge metal actually mimics that practice, so it's not that unusual to see.

Kowboy, the wall in your picture looks like it may be cement wall board with a textured finish (the outside corner looks that way). Cutting and installing a reglet flashing in a 5/16" wallboard isn't really possible without cutting all the way through. Short of having the flashing completely behind the wallboard (preferable, but may not be possible without removing wallboard), the face applied metal and caulk may be appropriate.


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