Kickout Flashing: The Small Part That Stops Big Wall Leaks
Kickout flashing is a hand-sized piece of bent metal that most Orange County homeowners have never heard of, and its absence is behind a remarkable share of the rotted wall corners, stained stucco, and mystery interior leaks we are called out to diagnose. Without it, every drop of water the step flashing collected on the way down the slope is dumped directly onto the face of the wall. This guide explains what a kickout does, why so many older homes lack one, how to spot the damage, and how a retrofit is done.
What a Kickout Diverter Actually Does
Step flashing runs along a roof-to-wall joint and carries water out onto the roofing course by course. At the top and middle of the run, that works perfectly. At the bottom, the roof ends at the eave, but the wall continues to the ground. The last piece of step flashing has nowhere to send its water except straight down, into the joint between the gutter end and the wall. A kickout is simply the final piece of step flashing with its bottom edge bent outward at an angle, so water is kicked away from the wall and into the gutter instead of behind it. How the rest of the assembly works is covered in Step Flashing Repair in Orange County.
Why It Is Missing on Most Older Orange County Homes
Tract homes built through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s were framed, papered, and stuccoed before modern residential codes required a diverter at this location. Roofers of that era ran step flashing to the eave and stopped, and the stucco crew troweled over the whole thing. The result is that on most pre-2000 houses in Orange County, and on plenty built since, the corner where a second-story wall meets a first-floor roof edge has no diverter at all.
Because our rainy season is short, the damage takes years to show. A wall that gets soaked ten or fifteen times each winter and then bakes dry all summer can hide rot behind intact-looking stucco for a decade.
Signs of a Missing Kickout
Go outside and find every place where a roof edge with a gutter runs along a wall and ends at it. Common spots include the garage roof meeting the two-story portion of the house, a single-story family room addition against the main wall, and porch roofs. Then look at the wall below that corner for:
- A vertical stain or streak on the stucco starting at the corner and running toward the ground
- White, chalky efflorescence where moisture has pulled minerals out of the stucco
- Peeling or blistered paint concentrated at that corner
- Stucco that sounds hollow or crumbles when pressed near the bottom of the wall
- Termite activity or damp soil against the foundation directly below
Inside, the damage shows as staining or soft drywall low on the wall in the room behind the corner, sometimes a floor below the roof edge. Because the water enters the wall cavity rather than the attic, it is often mistaken for a plumbing leak or a window leak. Long-term entry produces dry rot in the sill plate, studs, and sheathing, a repair described in Dry Rot Roof Repair in Orange County.
How Kickout Flashing Is Retrofitted
A retrofit is a targeted repair, not a re-roof. The bottom course or two of shingles or tile at the corner is removed. A section of stucco a few inches wide and a foot or so tall is cut back at the corner to expose the building paper and the end of the existing step flashing. The sheathing and framing behind it are checked, and any rot is cut out and replaced. A prefabricated kickout, or one bent on site to match the roof pitch and flashing size, is installed so that it laps under the step flashing above it and behind the building paper, with its outward bend positioned over the gutter.
The building paper is lapped back over the vertical leg, the stucco is patched with a proper stop and clearance above the roof, and the roofing is reinstalled. The diverter is painted to match. On tile roofs, the eave tile at the corner is cut to clear the diverter and reset.
Kickouts and Gutters Have to Work Together
A kickout can only send water somewhere if the gutter is ready to receive it. Common conflicts we correct at the same time include a gutter end cap that is loose or missing, so diverted water runs out the end anyway; a gutter mounted too high or tucked behind the stucco, which blocks the diverter or traps water against the wall; and a gutter that is pitched away from the corner so water pools there. On homes with no gutters at all, the kickout still pushes water off the wall, but adding a short gutter run at that corner is usually worth it. The relationship between gutters and wall leaks is explored in Gutter Repair and Replacement in Orange County: Why Gutters and Roof Leaks Are Connected.
Why Work With Rescue Roofer
Rescue Roofer has been fixing roof-to-wall leaks in Orange County since 1993 under C-39 license #1137524. We check every roof-to-wall termination during our 4-Phase Roof Inspection and include kickouts as a standard detail on every re-roof and flashing repair we perform. Our T.E.A.M. certified technicians document the corner with photos before and after, work from a written estimate you approve first, and back the repair with a written workmanship warranty.
Related reading: Roof Flashing Repair in Orange County: The Most Common Cause of Roof Leaks | Fascia and Soffit Repair in Orange County | Roof Drainage Problems in Orange County: Signs, Risks, and Fixes
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my house is missing kickout flashing?
Find any spot where a roof edge runs along a wall and ends at a gutter. Look at the wall just below that corner. A vertical stain, efflorescence, peeling paint, or soft stucco there means water is running down the wall instead of into the gutter, and there is almost certainly no kickout. A visible angled metal diverter at the corner means there is one.
Can a kickout be added without removing the roof?
Yes. A retrofit removes only the bottom course or two of roofing at the corner, cuts back a small area of stucco, and installs the diverter so it laps correctly with the step flashing and building paper. It is a half-day repair on most homes unless rot is found behind the wall.
Will a kickout flashing be visible from the street?
Slightly. It is a small angled piece at the corner where the roof edge meets the wall, and it can be painted to match the stucco or trim. Most homeowners never notice it once it is installed, and the stain it prevents is far more visible than the part itself.
Is kickout flashing required by code in California?
Current California residential code requires a diverter where step flashing terminates at a wall above a roof edge, and building inspectors check for it on new construction and permitted re-roofs. Homes built before the requirement was adopted were not required to have it, which is why it is missing on so many older Orange County houses.
Need a roofer in Orange County? Call 1-888-346-7663 for a free roof assessment — or request one online. Rescue Roofer has served Orange County since 1993. St. Lic #1137524.