Kick-out flashing: what to look for and how to write it up
Kick-out flashing is a small bent piece of metal at the bottom of a roof-to-wall joint. It turns water away from the wall and into the gutter. When it’s missing, rain runs down the step flashing and straight behind the siding.
It costs a roofer a few hundred dollars to add. The rot it prevents can cost thousands.
Where to look
Check every spot where a roof edge stops against a wall that keeps going:
- A garage roof meeting the side of a two-story house
- A porch or bay window roof meeting the main wall
- Dormers, where the dormer wall meets the roof below
Signs it’s missing
From the ground, look below the joint. Water that gets behind the siding usually shows up as:
- Dark streaks or staining down the siding
- Swollen, soft or peeling trim at the bottom of the wall
- Stains on the interior wall or ceiling on the other side
Push gently on the siding right under the joint. If it gives, say so in the finding.
How to photograph it
Take two shots. A wide one from the yard so the client can tell where on the house it is, and a close one of the joint itself. Circle the joint and draw an arrow to any staining.
A finding your client will understand
Missing kick-out flashing (Repair)
Kick-out flashing is missing where the garage roof meets the side wall. Staining on the siding below suggests water is getting behind it. Have a qualified roofer install kick-out flashing and check the sheathing behind the stain.
Three parts: what you saw, why it matters, and who should fix it. Leave out the jargon the client doesn’t need.
What it should look like
A correct kick-out sits at the very bottom of the step flashing and angles out past the siding, so water lands in the gutter instead of on the wall.
In Raftmark, “Missing kick-out flashing” comes in the starter comment library under Roof, Flashings, with the category and trade filled in. Say “no kick-out at the garage” into the mic and it drafts this finding for you to check.