Window flashing help

[NJinspector]

Inspected a new home yesterday with brick veneer.

I expected to see termination beads around the side of the windows. Is this something that is only common with stucco? All that was there was a bead of caulk. I brought it up to the site supervisor who was walking my buyer around. He of course has never heard of termination beads, they let the water in and out the weep holes. Did I get this wrong? What should i see around windows with brick veneer?

Vinyl siding:

Most contractors I have talked to, dont use cap flashing on windows with vinyl siding. The J channel, if done right is cut with enough overhang to direct water away from the window. But, if the cap flashing is installed, can we always see it? Or can we simply look for conditions that may exist because of lack of flashings, such as moisture below and around windows.

thanks

[hausdok]

You're thinking of stucco. A bead of caulk is more than you'll find on most older homes where there's nothing. Back in the day, flashings were used above windows and below sills to direct water to the outside of the wall. Caulk would be cosmetic only; and the flashings and sillpan were there to drain any water that passed through the veneer to the outside.

Most of the vinyl siding guys use the J-channel without head flashings while using self-adhering or nailed-on splines around the windows behind the fan-fold. However, the smart ones use head flashings. The complex I used to live in was brand new when I moved in. 7 years later, they had to strip off the vinyl siding and do extensive repairs all around the complex because head flashings hadn't been used. Now that they've got head flashings over every window and door, no sign of infiltration in 5 years.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[stuccoman]

It is not just for use when stucco is there it is all claddings.

Look at page# 5

http://www.pella.com/lowes_thermastar/t ... pdf#search

[hausdok]

Hi,

While I applaud Pella for stepping up to the plate and actually committing to detailed instructions, I don't think that pointing to one manufacturer's installation instructions provides the consensus of the window industry. I'd certainly use those instructions to back me up on a Pella installation but they'd be useless for a Milgard of Pozzi installation.

OT - OF!!!

M.