# Vinyl siding above pitched porch roof - how to secure the bottom of the siding?



## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

It could have gone in “Utility Trim” . If you look under the bottom piece of J-Channel on your windows you should see a piece of UT. J-Channel looks better though.

I wouldn’t worry to much about it if your roof is done right. You have the same thing going on above your windows. Where does that water end up?

For piece of mind you can push back the siding and drill some 1/8” weep holes in the bottom of the channel every couple of feet or so.


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## joshoc (May 6, 2009)

Thanks kwikfishron. Anybody else going to reply? I haven't had as many responses to this post as I have to other posts.
What would be the appropriate way to secure the bottom edge of the siding above the pitched porch roof?

Thanks,
Josh O.
Nashville, TN


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

Ron gave you the most obvious answer,what else are you looking for?possibly be run into a starter strip,but maybe not,like he said you have the same detail over every window and door


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

The only thing I see odd is, the whole house is DL5 but that one course is D5.:wink: 

What’s up with that?


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

Kwikfish,
You win the prize. I didn't notice that until I read your post. That is strange. No real reason for it to not be the same.
Mike Hawkins


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

Actually, after further inspection, that’s D4.
It looks like they finished in that corner and their lines were off an inch.
They used the D4 to correct their .... ...


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## joshoc (May 6, 2009)

To answer Ron's question and Mike's comment, this roof was added onto an existing deck. The people who added the roof (plus new railings on the deck) screwed the flashing to the OUTSIDE of the vinyl siding. The guy was convinced that putting flashing on the outside of the siding was the way to do it. I thought that was so stupid that I didn't want him to come back to the house ever, so I called in my roofers to do the flashing correctly, and they didn't match the vinyl siding when they replaced the piece that was full of screw holes. Plus they used j-channel which you already know I'm not happy about, and they did an overall sloppy job of installing the flashing. I'm not going to use the roofers anymore either. It has been an awful comedy of errors.

Locating knowledgeable and skilled people in town to do work on the house is a long and hard process; they are hiding in plain sight and it takes alot of time and effort to find them. I've been on the hunt for good people to work with for various things around the house for the last couple years, and I've come up with a pretty good list.

Anyway it seems to me that using a starter strip would be the correct way to secure the bottom edge of the siding above a roof like this. Aren't I right? After all, a starter strip is what was used on the bottom edge of the bottom piece of siding down lower near the bottom of the backside of the house where there is brick and the siding stops. (Starting at the ground and going up, first there is a few feet high of brick and then the rest of the way up the wall there is vinyl siding, and the bottom edge of that first piece of siding is secured with a starter strip. I looked under it and I saw a metal starter strip.)


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## Wildie (Jul 23, 2008)

Starter strip can only be used with a full clap. If the clap has to have the bottom trimmed off, then the only option is to use J channel.
I have been faced with this problem a couple of times and I drilled holes along the length (1" apart) to allow the water to run down.
Don't be too hard on your roofer, as the job looks to be neatly carried out!


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## joshoc (May 6, 2009)

Yes I think Ron's and your idea of drilling holes is a good idea.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

Joshoc, I see absolutely nothing to be concerned about with the siding job shown in your pictures.

In your OP you mentioned nothing about this being part of a remodel, so seeing one panel that’s a different style seemed odd. The way the Vinyl Siding Industry is, a product you can buy today might be discontinued tomorrow. Your contractor might have been lucky to match the color let alone color and style.

I agree deck guy flashing to the outside of the siding was stupid and questions his general knowledge of construction.

The only time you can use starter strip on top of a roof like that is if the bottom of a full course just happens to end up right were you want it to go over the roof. In your case, it’s a close call but what they did is totally acceptable.

Nashville is a big place and I’m sure there a plenty of quality contractors there and finding the good ones can be tough.

When shopping for a contractor, referrals from family, friends, and neighbors should be your first search. If that doesn’t pan out then your local well established lumber yard is a good place to ask around. Phone Book, Box Stores, Craigslist, well you’re getting into a craps shoot there.

If a contractor can start tomorrow, you probably should look the other away, If he can’t get to you for six months, probably worth the wait.


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## joshoc (May 6, 2009)

Ok. I think what I will do if I have time in the future is try to replace that mismatched piece of siding with the DL5. There was a guy here in August 2008 who replaced a piece of siding that had blown off on a different part of the house and he was able to find an exact match on color and style (I've emailed him to ask what brand and where he bought it). If I replace the mismatched piece with DL5, I (or someone who installs it if I hire someone) will have to trim off the bottom, since the people who built the porch roof didn't attach the ledger board in a position that would line it up with the siding. They should have positioned the ledger board slightly lower in my opinion. Then I will drill drain holes in the existing j-channel and use that to secure the bottom edge of the trimmed-off DL5 siding. That way all my siding lines will match up.

I like everything to be exactly as it should be, and also if the house is ever sold I don't want the inspector to raise any red flags in that area.

Thanks for the good information. How does that plan sound?


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

Josh,
Thanks for explaining further what happened.
Couple of thoughts:
As far as the guys trying to line up the ledger so you have a full panel of siding isn't realistic unless you voiced your want for that up front. The use of J-channel on the bottom of a partial panel is an industry accepted practice. I would be more concerned as to how the flashing was done. The flashing should extent above the J channel at least 6". I would also use a product like Ice and water shield under the flashing as a secondary means of protection. Understand one other thing, vinyl siding is not meant to be waterproof. It sits on the outside walls of a house and repels water, but is definitely not water proof. It moves with temperature changes, and breathes also. Most panels have small holes in the bottom lap to help get rid of moister under the panels. 
Mike Hawkins


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## hayewe farm (Mar 15, 2009)

While putting the flashing on top of the siding was an error, they placed the ledger board as high as they could, just below window, to get enough slope to prevent other problems. While it would probably look better to replace the piece of siding with matching siding I doubt leaving it would cause an inspection problem.


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## ExteriorRes (Jun 15, 2010)

Another option would be to install a "Starter" just like you have at the bottom panel of the house. This gives you a clean look and it doesn't collect any water.


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## Wildie (Jul 23, 2008)

ExteriorRes said:


> Another option would be to install a "Starter" just like you have at the bottom panel of the house. This gives you a clean look and it doesn't collect any water.


 The bottom lip of the first course was cut off because the roof started too high, so a Starter strip couldn't be used.
the only option in this case was to use J channel!


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

Wildie said:


> The bottom lip of the first course was cut off because the roof started too high, so a Starter strip couldn't be used.
> the only option in this case was to use J channel!


 Wildie,
One other thought comes to mind. I have used a piece of finish trim instead of the J channel in a case like this. You have to be careful when you nail it to keep it straight, it's not as ridgid as the J channel. It doesn't collect water, fits a lot snugger.
Mike Hawkins


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## Wildie (Jul 23, 2008)

firehawkmph said:


> Wildie,
> One other thought comes to mind. I have used a piece of finish trim instead of the J channel in a case like this. You have to be careful when you nail it to keep it straight, it's not as ridgid as the J channel. It doesn't collect water, fits a lot snugger.
> Mike Hawkins


 Can you be more explicit on what you meant by 'finish trim'? The OP may find this idea to be useful.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

kwikfishron said:


> *It could have gone in “Utility Trim”* . If you look under the bottom piece of J-Channel on your windows you should see a piece of UT. J-Channel looks better though.
> 
> I wouldn’t worry to much about it if your roof is done right. You have the same thing going on above your windows. Where does that water end up?
> 
> For piece of mind you can push back the siding and drill some 1/8” weep holes in the bottom of the channel every couple of feet or so.


First sentence of first reply. 

Utility Trim, Finish Trim, it's all the same thing.

Actually, it would be “dbl. finish/utility trim” for Dutch Lap.

Nothing like a full circle thread.:whistling2:


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

Here,
while we're at it, this should explain everything:
http://www.certainteed.com/resources/cts205.pdf

Mike Hawkins


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## mrgins (Jan 19, 2009)

To give you peace of mind, I'd suggest removing the bottom piece of siding with a zip tool, running some self stick window/door seal under the siding and over the roof flashing, and then reinstalling the siding with the J channel. Don't let the seal be exposed to the sun as it will deteriorate over time


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Gary in WA


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