Step Flashing Repair in Orange County
Step flashing repair in Orange County comes up constantly because the county's dominant construction style, stucco walls meeting tile or shingle roofs, creates thousands of feet of roof-to-wall joints on every tract. When the step flashing at those joints fails, water enters the wall cavity rather than the attic, and the damage stays hidden until drywall stains, baseboards swell, or termites find the wet framing. This guide explains how step flashing works, how it fails here, and what a proper repair involves.
How Step Flashing Is Supposed to Work
Step flashing is not one piece of metal. It is a series of L-shaped pieces, each a few inches wider than a shingle course, installed one per course so that each piece overlaps the one below by at least two inches. The horizontal leg lies on the roof under the next course of shingles or tile, and the vertical leg rises up the wall behind the water-resistive barrier. Water running down the wall hits the vertical leg, drops onto the horizontal leg, and is carried out onto the roofing below.
Above the step flashing sits the counterflashing. On siding, that is the siding itself. On stucco, it should be a metal stop or Z-bar that laps over the top of the step flashing, with the stucco terminating above it and a small gap left above the roof surface. Our overview of the whole flashing system is in Roof Flashing Repair in Orange County: The Most Common Cause of Roof Leaks.
How Step Flashing Fails on Orange County Homes
Buried in stucco. The most common failure we see. During original construction, the lath and stucco were applied straight over the vertical leg of the step flashing, with no counterflashing and no clearance. Stucco is porous and cracks as the house moves. Water wicks into it, runs down behind the flashing, and there is no way to inspect or replace the metal without cutting the wall open.
Rust. Galvanized steel flashing loses its zinc coating over decades, faster within a few miles of the coast where salt air is constant. Once the steel rusts through at the bend, the piece no longer holds water and the leak appears directly below.
Face-sealed instead of lapped. A previous repair often consists of mastic smeared along the joint between the flashing and the wall, or a continuous L-shaped strip laid over the shingles and caulked. Both rely entirely on sealant. In Orange County sun, that sealant cracks in a few seasons, and the joint is worse than before because the strip now traps water.
Reused during a re-roof. Leaving old flashing in place during a re-roof gives a new roof a thirty-year-old weak point. Behavior at chimneys is similar and is covered in Chimney Flashing Repair in Orange County: The #1 Source of Roof Leaks.
Missing kickout. Without a diverter at the bottom of the run, everything the flashing collected pours down the wall below.
Signs You Have a Step Flashing Leak
Look for a stain or bubbling paint on an interior wall or ceiling directly below a roof-to-wall joint, especially on the second story above a first-floor roof. Outside, watch for stucco discoloration or efflorescence in a vertical streak below the joint, cracked stucco along the roofline, rust stains on the roofing where it meets the wall, and soft or crumbling stucco at the bottom corner. Water that has been entering for years often causes dry rot in the wall's bottom plate and sheathing, a repair covered in Dry Rot Roof Repair in Orange County.
How We Repair Step Flashing
The repair begins by removing the shingles or tile along the wall for two or three courses out from the joint. On a stucco wall where the flashing is buried, a strip of stucco a few inches high is cut back with a saw and removed to expose the building paper and the old metal. The old step flashing is pulled, the deck and wall sheathing are checked for rot and replaced where needed, and new synthetic underlayment is run up the wall.
New step flashing pieces are woven in one course at a time, each lapping the one below, with the vertical leg tucked behind the building paper. A metal counterflashing or stucco stop is installed over the top of the vertical legs. At the bottom of the run, a kickout diverter is fitted to send water into the gutter. Finally, the stucco is patched to match with the proper clearance above the roof, and the roofing is reinstalled. On tile roofs, the tiles along the wall are cut and reset with a pan flashing where the profile demands it.
What Drives the Cost of Step Flashing Repair?
Linear footage is the main driver. Tile costs more than shingle because the tile must be lifted, cut, and reset. Cutting and patching stucco adds labor and a matching finish coat. Hidden rot in framing or sheathing adds material and time, and third-story or steep-pitch access adds safety setup. Typical ranges run from the mid hundreds to the low thousands, and the written estimate you approve after our inspection is the figure that applies.
Why Work With Rescue Roofer
Founded in 1993 by Eric Enriquez and Darrin Guttman, Rescue Roofer holds C-39 license #1137524 and serves all of Orange County from nine offices. Our T.E.A.M. certified technicians document every roof-to-wall joint during the 4-Phase Roof Inspection, so you see the problem in photos before you see an estimate. We lap new flashing over synthetic underlayment, never felt, and stand behind the repair with a written workmanship warranty.
Related reading: Kickout Flashing: The Small Part That Stops Big Wall Leaks | Ceiling Water Stains and Roof Leaks in Orange County | How Much Does Roof Repair Cost in Orange County?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between step flashing and continuous L flashing?
Step flashing is a series of individual bent pieces, one woven into each course of shingles or tile, so water crossing the joint lands on the roofing below. Continuous L flashing is a single long strip that relies on sealant at the edge. Step flashing sheds water by overlap; L flashing sheds it only as long as the sealant lasts.
Can step flashing be repaired without touching the stucco?
Sometimes. If the existing flashing was installed behind the building paper with clearance above the roof, the roofing can be removed, new step flashing slid up under the paper, and a surface counterflashing added. When stucco was troweled over the flashing, a strip of stucco has to be cut back to do the job correctly.
Why is there a gap between the stucco and my roof surface?
That gap is intentional. Stucco should stop about two inches above the roofing so it does not wick water and so the flashing behind it can be inspected and replaced. Stucco that runs down to the roof or is packed against the tile is a sign of a detail that will eventually leak.
How much does step flashing repair cost in Orange County?
Typical ranges run from the mid hundreds for a short shingle run with accessible flashing to the low thousands for long tile runs that require cutting and patching stucco. Rot in the wall framing and multi-story access add to the total. The written estimate you approve after inspection governs.
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.