Ledger for porch

jace_da_face

Hi all,

I have recently constructed a pergola over a patio. The pergola was attached to the house on one side via a 2" x 6" ledger which was bolted to the house and stretched out to 2 wooden posts in the ground. Following popular advice, I kept the ledger spaced from the house with stainless steel washers to prevent rainwater lodging between the ledger and the house thereby preventing premature rotting of the wooden ledger.

With the wood I now have leftover from that job, I wish to build a porch over the backdoor. The principle would be similar; a ledger attached to the stucco wall above the backdoor and beams connecting to wooden posts planted in the ground. The beams in this case will form a lean-to roof however and the whole construction will be small (3 square meters approx.).

In this case however, I would very much like to keep the ledger sealed if it is to be a porch. Can I just install the ledger flush to the house and run a good silicone bead at the joint? I would rather not have to anglegrind in to the wall to install flashing.

Surely silicone would work???

Poor Uncle Tom

Simple answer is no it will not work. It is a stopgap measure which will not last.

sydthebeat

jace_da_face wrote: »

Surely silicone would work???

have you ever seen silicone after about 2 months???? :eek:
discoloured, split, hard.....

it is not designed for this duration of use....

proper metal flashing is required, with a proper surface weatherproofing material...

jace_da_face

Flashing would appear to be the general concensus then. Would flashing tapes allow one to avoid metal flashing?