Dana Point cantilevered deck
Ipe deck on a steel cantilever. The ledger flashing failed at year eleven; the rim joist stayed wet behind stucco for two winters and the wall cavity grew mold.
Chapter 1
The pathology
A stain on the ceiling below the deck, and a wall that had been wet for two winters.
The deck looked perfect: ipe boards on a steel cantilever, cable rail, an open view. The only sign was a brown ring on the ceiling of the room below, which a painter had covered twice.
Behind the stucco the rim joist was soft enough to push a screwdriver into. Salt air had been carried in with every storm, and the fasteners at the ledger were bleeding rust.
- Deck age
- 11 years
- Visible sign
- ceiling stain below the door threshold
- Ledger flashing
- lapped the wrong way at two joints; no end dams
- Membrane
- stopped short of the rim, never terminated
- Framing
- rim joist and sill plate decayed over 9 ft
- Cavity
- visible mold on the sheathing
Chapter 2
Diagnostic reconstruction
We reproduced the leak on demand before removing any stucco, so the repair would be aimed at the actual path.
Water appeared inside within six minutes, at the ledger, not the door.
Saturation followed the ledger and dropped off 18 in above it.
Confirmed the unterminated membrane and reverse-lapped flashing.
Cold band along the rim, matching the meter readings.
Scope of repair
- Deck boards lifted at the house; ledger exposed and re-flashed with end dams and sheet-membrane termination at the rim.
- Decayed rim joist and sill plate replaced; steel connection cleaned and recoated.
- Wall cavity dried, cleaned and cleared before closing.
- Under-deck drainage added and tied to the perimeter line.
Chapter 3
Restored state
The same spray test, at the same pressure, for the same duration. Nothing came through.
Is your house doing this?
Tell us what the water did. One call, one team, from the diagnosis to the repair.