Balcony flashing breakthru?

[Marc]

These balconies are showing up by the hundreds in new subdivisions around me. I had thought that it was not possible to properly flash a deck that sits on joists that are simply extensions of interior joists.

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Has there been a breakthru in deck flashing?

Marc

[John Dirks Jr]

Even though the joists may penetrate the wall, I see what looks like a ledger of sorts above the joists. Is it possible that could be flashed well enough to prevent water intrusion?

[Marc]

Even though the joists may penetrate the wall, I see what looks like a ledger of sorts above the joists. Is it possible that could be flashed well enough to prevent water intrusion?

That's a flashing/counterflashing pair. The flashing part is a pan. The counterflashing does not extend horizontally beyond the threshold of the door.

Perhaps the reasoning is that it acts as a narrow roof of sorts to keep rainwater from reaching the unflashed areas beneath it. It doesn't inspire me and I can't decide whether to write it up.

Marc

[kurt]

We call it a horse collar; it's just like a horse collar with flanges, and you bring the cladding over the flanges to counter flash it. The top inside of the horse collar is reglet-ed into the joist, or caulked.

[Marc]

We call it a horse collar; it's just like a horse collar with flanges, and you bring the cladding over the flanges to counter flash it. The top inside of the horse collar is reglet-ed into the joist, or caulked.

Anyone writes that up?

Marc

[kurt]

I do. No one does it though. We've done them on a couple repairs. About the most you're ever going to find is what you got now.

[Jim Baird]

...I agree it looks like best thing going for a penetrating floor member. It means it will last a little longer.

[BADAIR]

no worries

gap @ brick mold will be blamed when the rot appears

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[Marc]

I wrote it up: An inspection once every three years by a licensed contractor, licensed architect or licensed engineer. Hopefully it'll intercept the rot before it causes a collapse but more likely it'll just end up as a CYA on my part for the day when a balcony does collapses, folks get hurt and the lawyers come running.

Marc

[Jonathan Ellis]

Marc,

That sounds like a good approach. I don't see any other way to treat that other than an ongoing maintenance issue. Hopefully there is some type of peal and seal membrane wrapping the cantilevered joists from the house wrap to the surface of the stucco, but even that can fail over time. That design defies a good water-proofing solution.

Jon

[kurt]

There's good and excellent ways to do this, but it's complicated and detailed to a degree that builders/developers just plain don't get. Kelly has done flashing improvements and retrofits on these, and it's complicated. Well, not complicated, but very specific and detailed.

[Mike Lamb]

I had thought that it was not possible to properly flash a deck that sits on joists that are simply extensions of interior joists.

After framing, before moisture barrier and siding is installed, a header flashing gets installed over the joists. Then the siding, etc. becomes the counter flashing. Then the deck boards get put on. Doors need their own pan flashing. Coordinating everything right during construction is a perfect storm.

Most thru wall joists I see have no flashing and get caulked all around. I'm not that concerned about rot. They leak into the building.

[John Kogel]

I had thought that it was not possible to properly flash a deck that sits on joists that are simply extensions of interior joists.

After framing, before moisture barrier and siding is installed, a header flashing gets installed over the joists. Then the siding, etc. becomes the counter flashing. Then the deck boards get put on. Doors need their own pan flashing. Coordinating everything right during construction is a perfect storm.

Most thru wall joists I see have no flashing and get caulked all around. I'm not that concerned about rot. They leak into the building.

Rot is a definite concern here, where I have seen in recent years, manufactured I-beams with the OSB webs, cantilevered out of the walls of wood condo buildings. OSB soaks up water and rots 10 times quicker than solid wood beams or fir 2 X 10's.

[hausdok]

Is it possible that those don't go through the wall at all and that they are made to fit around some steel that's tied into the structure behind the wall cladding, so it only looks like the balcony is supported by those timbers?

[Marc]

Is it possible that those don't go through the wall at all and that they are made to fit around some steel that's tied into the structure behind the wall cladding, so it only looks like the balcony is supported by those timbers?

No. This new subdivision is three, four miles from my home. I watched these houses go up. No structural steel here.

There are several dozen with this issue.

Marc