Stop End

Gutter connection to wall and roof apron flashing

Gutters connect to walls when roof lines change and intersect with walls.

This is a typical plaster home with a conventional external gutter. The issue is the apron flashing (lead flat sheet) is tucked up behind the plaster (which is about 30mm thick) for weathering but when it meets the gutter it must be turned out the 30mm so water running down the lead apron is diverted into the gutter.

What I find 90 times out of a hundred is the roofer left enough lead so it could be bent out to divert rain water into the gutter - he did this because he would not know what thickness of cladding was to be installed.

However when the Hardibacker or Harditex or Insulclad or weatherboard was being fixed the lead was in the way so it was hammered down flat against the framing so it was out of the way. This means any water running down the lead flashing was directed in behind the cladding, not as intended when the lead was laid, so wets the framing and if it is H1 or untreated it decays.

 

Stop end offset

Failure to continue hidden flashing into gutter

This detail is not that common but illustrates the problem. The apron is actually a drain off from a valley further up the wall which could not be lifted up to where a conventional apron flashing would be installed. The apron is therefore back 40mm allowing for the Insulclad. The white is the polystyrene sheets not even plastered. The issue was the butynol was not turned out into the gutter correctly so water just ran in behind it and into the wall.

The gutter is a Taylor Fascia. The white in the end is a tube of sealant applied at some time. Why? Because it would have leaked as water had a direct pathway in behind the Insulclad. The sealant would have worked for a while, but then loses its adhesion, shrinks back, cracks and leaks. The downside is the framing is untreated so the first leak started the decay process which went dormant until the sealant failed and then its all over. 

The owner sold. New owner has no record of this work, has no understanding of what a stop end is, or what happens when the sealant cracks and needs immediate maintenance, or that it even needs maintenance, or that the decay is lying dormant to wreck havoc inside the walls.

The building code 'durability' is clear on this. Materials must remain durable with only normal maintenance. The question then is 'does normal maintenance require an owner to hire scaffolding to access this high stop end before every rain in case the sealant cracked'. NO it does not.

Sealant is not a substitute to a flashing. Good flashings do not need checking before every rain.

Regular painting does not fix this leak as the leak is behind the plaster.

Install moisture probes and you can have confidence stop ends are performing. If not follow the gallery below.

Stop End defect

Sealant is not a stop end

The white is sealant at the end of the lead apron flashing is a fake stop end. Good for a year or two then fails, water gets back in, wets framing again and causes more damage.

The reason I know this is no builder would go around and fill every crack or gap with sealant. The sealant is an after thought. After what???? After it leaked.

This new owner had a buildings inspection - this detail is not even mentioned as a weathertightness risk. Even worse is this building has 9 similar defective stop ends. They are everywhere. Even the photos on his report showed 4 of them. Not a mention.

I show some of these being deconstructed further down.

Stop End defect

Sealant shrunk and cracked leaking

This stop end is quite concerning. The lead apron flashing has an under flashing also in lead AND sealant in the end.

Two attempts at correcting this stop end and fixing leaks.

This is from the same house with Taylor Fascia and Insulclad. The top lead flashing has been lifted and a fake lead strip slipped underneath to what? I opened this up and found the fake lead flashing had no turn up at the inside so was doing nothing but adding to an invoice for maintenance the previous owner probably paid thinking he had fixed the problem.

See how the sealant has shrunk and pulled away.

Stop end opened

Leak flashing turned the wrong way

This image shows I have cut the Insulclad away to open the detail to get at it. The lead flashing has actually been turned around to the right behind the Insulclad providing a direct entry for water.

And that is what happened. Leaked and decayed the framing.

What is a real pity (apart from the untreated timber and no cavity) is the lead was actually long enough to be bent out to the front of the Insulclad and would have formed a weathertight detail. It is however too short to flash over the Taylor Fascia.

Stop End Damage

Wet and decayed untreated timber

In this image I have bent the lead flashing out of the way and exposed the framing. It is totally decayed.

I knew the framing would be decayed as my invasive probes into the bottom plate found totally decayed untreated timber. This means all the timber from the ground up is toast. This is a garage and the owner does not have the funds to repair it. The entire garage needs pulling down and starting again with treated timber, cavities, soffits (not parapets) and flashings. But we'll have to wait.

In the meantime all he can plan for is saving. He can't sell as he'll get zip for the house and he needs somewhere for his family to live.

Interestingly the Building Act section 3 only requires him to keep his family safe and healthy. We can achieve that by putting further decay on hold, repairing leaks so moulds don't grow and keeping an eye out for structural movement. Sounds risky but that's better than being homeless.

Not getting any sympathy from Council who negligently allowed untreated timber, no ventilation and defective stop ends in the first place.

 

Rebuilt Stop End

Water now deflected into gutter

I removed enough Insulclad so I could slip a new lead flashing underneath the existing lead flashing, with a turn up the wall so water could not track back and then formed the lead to run water back into the gutter and left enough lead to flash over the end of the Taylor Fascia gutter.

This will now function correctly.

It won't undo the decayed framing. But it will allow the wall to dry out and prevent moulds and pathogens from creating an unhealthy home.

Does schedule 1 accept this?

Remember it was the Government that approved untreated timber, no cavities and councils to accept alternate solutions without any baseline checks. Reckless decisions. Bad faith use of regulatory power. Now the same Governments set schedule 1 with weathertightness repairs as to what? Requiring a building consent? By the Council who negligently allowed this.

What is of concern to me is in 2010 DBH and BRANZ created a schedule of when a house required a reclad. They came up with if it had untreated timber and no cavity it required a reclad.

Perhaps they can pay for this owner to get one? Otherwise he is left to his own devices.