Why a Storm Roof Repair Can Involve Your Siding: A Contractor's Guide to the Restoration Process

The short answer Where a roof meets a wall, the metal flashing that keeps water out is tucked behind the siding. Replacing that flashing the right way usually means carefully opening a strip of siding, rebuilding the layers in the right order, and putting the wall back together. That isn't an upsell. It's how the roof and the wall were built to work together.

After a hailstorm, most people picture a roof job simply: old shingles off, new shingles on. Then the contractor starts talking about siding, flashing, house wrap and paint, and it's fair to ask how a roof repair turned into a conversation about your walls.

This guide answers that question from the contractor's side of the job. First it walks through how a storm restoration actually runs, from the first inspection to the final walk-through. Then it zooms in on the spot where most of the confusion starts: the joint where a roof meets a wall. The photos come from recent 3:16 projects, cropped and cleaned of location data so no home or homeowner can be identified.

Key takeaways

• Your roof and walls share one water-shedding system. Every layer laps over the one below it, like shingles.

• Step flashing has a leg that runs up the wall under the siding. Replacing it correctly means opening that strip of siding.

• Kick-out flashing, a small bent piece at the bottom of a roof-to-wall line, keeps water from running into the wall.

• Finding rot behind siding shows what's there, not when or why it started.

• What the house needs and what insurance pays are two different questions, answered by different people.

In this guide

1. The restoration process, from the contractor's side

2. Where your roof meets a wall: the joint behind the confusion

3. Kick-out flashing: the small piece that protects the wall

4. What we find when the siding comes off

5. The size of the opening isn't the replacement amount

6. Putting the wall back together

7. Codes and manufacturer instructions: how they really apply

8. What the house needs vs. what insurance pays

9. Questions to ask any contractor before work starts

10. Plain-English glossary

11. Frequently asked questions

12. About 3:16 Roofing and Construction

13. Sources and further reading

The restoration process, from the contractor's side

Every company runs jobs a little differently. Here is how a well-run storm restoration moves, and what a good contractor should be doing at each stage.

The nine stages of a storm restoration. Stages 5, 6 and 8 are where a roof job reaches into walls and trim.

1. Inspect and document

We photograph every roof slope and every side of the house, close-ups and wide shots, and measure the roof. Storm damage rarely stops at the shingles, so we also check the “soft metals” (vents, gutters, downspouts), window screens and wraps, siding, fences and the attic. The goal is a record someone else can follow without climbing onto your roof.

Soft metals are part of the inspection: small round dents on a roof turbine vent, photographed on a recent 3:16 project.

2. Write the scope of work

The scope of work is the written list of work, item by item. Each line should say what the work is, where it is, how much (a measured or counted quantity, not a guess) and why it's needed. On our estimates, every line traces back to one of these reasons:

• Damage on the item itself. Visible damage on that part, documented with photos.

• Moved by the repair. Not damaged itself, but the repair has to remove or disturb it. Siding over wall flashing is the classic example.

• Joined to the work. Lapped over, interlocked with or fastened through the part being restored.

• Required by the adopted code. Included because the building code your city has adopted calls for it on this kind of work. Your building department has the final say on how the code applies.

• Found when opened. Hidden until the roof or wall is open. It's photographed and measured where it is and added in writing before it's billed.

• Protecting your property. Tarps and ground, landscape and interior protection.

• Needed to do the work. Supervision, debris removal and clean-up.

• Put back as it was. Restores what is on your home today, at the same grade and finish.

If a line can't answer “why,” it doesn't belong on the estimate.

3. Plan and protect

Before any material arrives, we photograph the driveway, the landscaping, the gutters and the ceilings under the work area, so their condition is on record. Then come material and color choices, scheduling, and a building permit where the city requires one. On install day, tarps and ground protection go down before the first shingle comes off.

Protecting the property: a tarp and shade cloth over the shrubs along a wall before work starts.

4. Tear-off

When the job includes a full tear-off, the old roofing comes off down to the wood deck. This is the first time anyone can see the deck, the old flashing and the fasteners that were hidden for years, so we photograph every slope again. Crews working six feet or more above a lower level must be protected from falls under federal safety rules (OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13)).

5. Find what was hidden

Some conditions can't be seen until the roof or wall is open: soft or rotted decking, rusted flashing, damaged sheathing behind siding. When we find one, we measure and photograph it where it is and write it up before it's billed. If the work ever exposes a gas, electrical or refrigerant line, that part of the job stops until the licensed trade for that system has checked it and cleared it in writing.

Found at tear-off: broken plank decking with an opening into the attic, photographed where it was found.

6. Rebuild the connections

Roofs most often leak at connections rather than in the middle of a slope: walls, chimneys, skylights, pipes and valleys, each with its own flashing. This is the stage where a “roof job” reaches into walls and trim, and it's the focus of the rest of this guide.

Every connection has its own pieces. Chalk notes around this chimney read “CRICKET,” “APRON + STEP FLASH,” “MASON” and “PAINT & FLASH.”

7. Install the roof system

Underlayment, drip edge, starter strip, shingles, ventilation and ridge go on in the order the shingle manufacturer's installation instructions call for. Those instructions matter twice: they're how the roof is designed to perform, and building codes point to them directly.

Rebuilding the roof side of the joint: new underlayment and new shingle courses going on along a sided wall.

8. Restore what moved

Anything the work disturbed gets put back: siding reinstalled or replaced, joints resealed, cut edges primed, trim and paint restored, gutters reset.

9. Final walk-through and closeout

We clean up, sweep the yard and driveway with a magnet for nails, and walk the job with you. You should come away with photos of the work that's now hidden (flashing, decking, house wrap), the manufacturer's warranty paperwork, and a final invoice that matches what was actually done.

Where your roof meets a wall: the joint behind the confusion

From the driveway, your roof and your walls look like separate things. Where they meet, they work as one system. Each layer overlaps the one below it, so water is always handed downhill and outward, the same way shingles overlap. The building code's own word for it is “shingle-fashion” (IRC Section R703.4).

Every layer laps over the one below it. The numbers match the list below. Schematic, not to scale.

1. Siding is the outer skin. It sheds most of the rain.

2. House wrap (a water-resistive barrier) is the backup layer behind the siding. In a typical sided wall it laps over the top of the flashing, so water that gets behind the siding stays on the outside of the metal. The exact sequence follows the siding and house-wrap makers' instructions.

3. Sheathing is the layer of wood panels nailed to the framing. It's what all of this protects.

4. Step flashing is a set of L-shaped metal pieces, one per row of shingles. One leg stands up against the wall, under the house wrap and siding. The other lies on the roof, under the next shingle.

5. Wall framing is the studs behind the sheathing.

6. The gap above the roof keeps the bottom of the siding out of standing water and debris. Siding makers specify it. James Hardie's installation guides for its HZ10 lap siding and trim, for example, call for at least 1 inch between the roof and the bottom of the siding or trim. Other products have their own numbers.

7. The roof deck is the wood the shingles are fastened to.

The 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), as adopted by the City of Fort Worth, puts the key point in one sentence:

“Where siding is provided on the vertical sidewall, the vertical leg of the flashing shall be continuous under the siding.” — 2021 IRC, Section R905.2.8.3

That sentence is the reason a roof repair can involve your siding. The upright leg of the flashing lives under the siding, so you can't replace it correctly by working only on top.

Federal building-science guidance describes the fix the same way. The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Solution Center lists the retrofit steps, starting with “Remove existing siding and shingles at the roof-wall intersection” and ending with “Replace the siding over the step flashing” (step and kick-out flashing guide).

Here is the same joint on recent 3:16 jobs: marked during inspection, then with a shingle lifted to show the flashing underneath, then opened up during the work.

Documenting a roof-to-wall line on a recent 3:16 project: chalk notes on the shingles and blue tape on the siding mark the area being photographed and measured.

Before work: lifting a shingle at a roof-to-wall line shows the step flashing tucked under the shingles, right at the bottom edge of the siding.

During work: a section of siding removed at a roof-to-wall line, exposing the wall sheathing beside the new underlayment and shingles.

Why surface shortcuts don't rebuild the joint

Existing flashing at a wall corner, with sealant over fasteners and edges.

Running a bead of caulk along the wall, or nailing a strip of metal over the face of the siding, can hide a problem for a while. It doesn't rebuild the overlap. Sealant is no substitute for correctly lapped flashing, and a surface patch that blocks the drainage path can trap water or send it behind the siding. A repair that lasts recreates the layers: flashing under the house wrap, siding over the flashing, and a gap above the roof.

Kick-out flashing: the small piece that protects the wall

The last piece of flashing decides where the water goes.

At the bottom of a roof-to-wall line, where a lower roof ends at a gutter, the water running down the step flashing needs one more turn. A kick-out flashing (also called a diverter) is a bent piece of metal that pushes that water out, away from the wall and into the gutter. Without one, water can slip behind the end of the gutter and run down the face of the wall, where it can soak in behind the siding.

For work governed by the 2021 IRC, Section R903.2.1 says: “A flashing shall be installed to divert the water away from where the eave of a sloped roof intersects a vertical sidewall.” Your local building department decides how that applies to a particular job. Older homes may not have a kick-out at all. Siding makers show it too: James Hardie's quick-start guide for its HZ10 lap siding includes a kick-out flashing at least 4 by 4 inches.

Before: at the bottom of a roof-to-wall line, the last piece of old flashing lies flat above the gutter. There is no kick-out piece to turn the water.

Where a lower roof edge and its gutter end meet a wall: the location a kick-out flashing is meant to cover. With the siding off, the sheathing beside the gutter end is deteriorated. The photo shows the condition, not its cause.

What we find when the siding comes off

Opening a wall is when surprises show up. Here is how a careful contractor sorts out what it finds.

Found when the siding came off: deteriorated wall sheathing below a roof edge. The photo shows the condition. On its own it doesn't show when the deterioration started or why.

Old is not the same as rotten

An older board may have been doing its job right up until it had to come off, and still be too brittle to survive removal. A rotten board was already deteriorating. Both complicate a repair, but they're different conditions, and the photos should show which is which.

Finding rot doesn't tell you when it started

Discovering deterioration shows what is there when the area is opened. By itself, it doesn't show when it started or what caused it. We describe the condition we see and leave the cause out of it unless the evidence supports one.

Three things we keep separate

• What was there before the work started (the existing condition).

• What the repair had to open to reach the flashing (the access).

• Anything damaged during careful removal, which we photograph and report honestly.

Keeping those apart is how you, your contractor and anyone else reviewing the job can tell exactly what happened.

Put it back, or replace it?

Not every piece that comes off has to be replaced. We put a piece back (detach and reset) only when all four of these are true:

1. It has to move for the repair.

2. It comes off without damage.

3. It's still serviceable.

4. It can be reinstalled the way it was.

We replace it (remove and replace) when taking it off destroys it, when the photos show damage or corrosion, or when putting it back would defeat a watertight installation that follows the manufacturer's instructions.

Flashing is a good example. Shingle makers take the same condition-based view: GAF's Pro Field Guide tells installers to reuse existing flashing only when the metal is in good enough shape to last as long as the new shingles, and to replace metal that is rusted, cracked or deteriorated. Age alone doesn't decide it either way.

Siding along a roof-to-wall line with deteriorated lower edges and a long crack. Condition like this is what the put-back-or-replace test is for.

The size of the opening isn't the replacement amount

Example numbers only: the opening is 60 sq ft, the replacement is 18 sq ft.

Numbers help. Imagine a 30-foot run of wall flashing that needs a strip of siding about 2 feet tall opened to reach it. That's 60 square feet of opening. If 42 square feet comes off cleanly and goes back up, and 18 square feet is documented as unsuitable for reuse, the replacement is 18 square feet, not 60.

Those numbers are an example, not a standard size or breakage rate. And opening one strip doesn't automatically put the whole wall into the job. Anything beyond the opening needs its own reason, photographed and explained. Paint often runs to a natural stopping point, like a corner or a trim board, so the repair doesn't show as a patch, and that extent should be explained too.

Putting the wall back together

Once the new flashing is in, restoring the wall usually takes three steps:

1. Reinstall or replace the siding, keeping the gap above the roof.

2. Reseal joints with a paintable sealant where the siding maker calls for it.

3. Prime and paint, including any edges cut in the field. James Hardie's HardieTrim instructions, for example, say to “caulk, paint or prime all field cut edges.”

Brick and stone walls use a different detail: metal wall flashing set against or into the masonry instead of tucked under siding. The finishing idea is the same: the new metal is sealed where its maker calls for it and painted to match.

Finished: new wall flashing along a brick wall, painted to match, with a sealant bead along the top edge.

Some openings are supposed to stay open. Drainage gaps and the space above the roof let water out; sealing them shut traps it.

This is also why we photograph concealed work before it's covered. A clean paint job can't show you whether the flashing behind it was done right. Photos taken before the wall is closed show what was installed and how it was lapped.

Codes and manufacturer instructions: how they really apply

Building codes are written as model codes (the IRC is the one written for most U.S. houses) and become law only when a state, city or county adopts them, often with local changes (NIST explains how adoption works). The City of Fort Worth, for example, enforces the 2021 IRC with its own amendments. Keller adopted the 2021 IRC as well. So the useful question is never just “what does the code say?” It's “what has this city adopted, and which section applies to this work?”

Manufacturer instructions carry weight too. For shingle roofs, the IRC says roof coverings must be applied according to the manufacturer's installation instructions (Section R905.1), and base and cap flashing must be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions (Section R905.2.8.1). That's why a good scope names the actual product and the actual instruction, and keeps a requirement separate from a recommendation or an optional upgrade.

A repair also doesn't automatically mean modernizing the whole house. Doing the repaired area correctly is different from upgrading everything around it.

What the house needs vs. what insurance pays

These are two separate questions, and different people answer them.

The repair scope answers what the house needs: the conditions, the method, the quantities and the cost to return your property to its pre-storm condition, correctly and completely, without cutting corners. Your insurance policy answers what is insured and how benefits are calculated. A part can be necessary to the repair without having storm damage of its own, and necessary doesn't automatically mean covered.

Our role 3:16 is your roofing, restoration and general contractor. We estimate the cost to restore your home and document why each item is needed. We don't interpret your policy or negotiate your claim. Only your insurer or your insurance agent can answer questions about what your policy covers.

What we can do, and what Texas law allows, is explain our estimate, the photos and the technical details to you and, at your request, to your insurer's adjuster. The Texas Department of Insurance says that “contractors may provide estimates and discuss those estimates and other technical information with an insurer or its adjuster” (Commissioner's Bulletin B-0006-26). Texas law also says a contractor may not act as a public adjuster, or advertise to adjust claims, for a property it repairs or may repair (Texas Insurance Code §4102.163). In 2024, the Supreme Court of Texas described the line this way: a contractor may provide “either contracting services or adjusting services but not both” (TDI v. Stonewater Roofing).

Who does what

Who	Their role
You, the homeowner	Own the home and the policy. Choose your contractor and make the decisions about your home and your claim.
Your insurance company and its adjuster	Investigate the claim and make the coverage and payment decisions. The adjuster works for the insurance company.
Your contractor (3:16)	Inspects, documents, estimates and builds. Explains the estimate, photos and technical findings.
A licensed public adjuster	Can represent you in your claim for a fee. Must hold a Texas license and can't also be your contractor.
An attorney	Gives legal advice about your policy and your rights.
Your city's building department	Issues permits where required and enforces the code the city has adopted.
Texas Department of Insurance (TDI)	Regulates insurers and adjusters. Consumer Help Line: 800-252-3439.

Questions to ask any contractor before work starts

• Will you replace the step flashing or reuse it? What decides that?

• How will you handle the siding along roof-to-wall lines, and who repaints it?

• Does my home have kick-out flashing where a roof edge meets a wall? Will the new roof?

• Will you photograph hidden work (flashing, decking, house wrap) before it's covered, and will I get the photos?

• If you find rot or damaged decking, how will you document it and get my approval before adding it?

• Which building code applies at my address, and is a permit required?

• Which manufacturer's instructions are you installing to, and what warranty will I receive?

• How will you protect my landscaping, driveway and the inside of my home during the work?

• Who is my point of contact while the job is underway?

Plain-English glossary

• Step flashing: L-shaped metal pieces, one per shingle course, where a sloped roof runs along a wall.

• Kick-out (diverter) flashing: a bent piece at the bottom of a roof-to-wall line that turns water into the gutter.

• Apron or headwall flashing: flashing where the top edge of a roof slope meets a wall.

• Counter-flashing: metal that laps over the top of base flashing, common at chimneys and masonry walls.

• House wrap (water-resistive barrier): the sheet layer behind siding that sheds water that gets past it.

• Sheathing and decking: wood panels over the framing of walls (sheathing) and of the roof (decking).

• Underlayment: the layer installed over the roof deck, under the shingles.

• Drip edge: metal along roof edges that directs water off the edge.

• Detach and reset (D&R): removing an item carefully and putting the same item back.

• Remove and replace (R&R): removing an item and installing a new one.

• Scope of work: the written, item-by-item list of work.

• Supplement: a revised or added estimate item for work or conditions found after the first estimate, such as damage hidden under the old roof.

• Adopted code: the building code edition a city has made law, with its local amendments.

Frequently asked questions

Can a roof repair involve siding that wasn't hit by hail?

Yes. Siding often covers the upright leg of the step flashing. If that flashing is being replaced, the siding along that line usually has to come off and go back on, even if the siding itself has no storm damage. Whether each piece can be reused depends on its condition and how it's attached.

Do you always have to remove siding to replace step flashing?

To replace it correctly, the upright leg has to end up under the siding, so the bottom of the siding along that wall is usually opened. How much depends on the siding type and how it was installed. Brick and stone walls use a different detail, typically a counter-flashing set into the mortar joints.

What is kick-out flashing, and does my house need it?

It's a bent piece of metal at the bottom of a roof-to-wall line that turns water into the gutter instead of letting it run down the wall. For work governed by the 2021 IRC, Section R903.2.1 requires a flashing that diverts water where a sloped roof's eave meets a sidewall. Older homes may not have one.

If you find rot behind my siding, does that mean the storm caused it?

Not by itself. Finding it shows what's there; it doesn't show when or why it started. We document the condition, keep it separate from the access the repair required, and leave the cause out of it unless the evidence supports one.

Can old flashing be reused?

Sometimes. It has to come off without damage, be in serviceable condition and fit the new shingles. Flashing that's rusted, bent, or fastened into the old shingles so that removing it destroys it gets replaced.

Will the repaired area match the rest of my house?

We put back what is on your home today, at the same grade and finish, reuse original boards where they're sound, and paint to a natural stopping point such as a corner or trim board. A discontinued siding profile can make an exact match harder; when that happens, we show you the options before any work is done.

Who decides what my insurance pays?

Your insurance company. Only your insurer or your insurance agent can answer questions about what your policy covers. We provide the construction information: photos, measurements, methods and our estimate.

Does a roof repair need a permit?

It depends on your city and the kind of work. Your contractor should confirm the requirement for your address before work starts.

About 3:16 Roofing and Construction

3:16 Roofing and Construction LLC is a roofing, restoration and general contractor based in Keller, Texas. Since 2017 we've inspected, documented, estimated and restored homes across Keller, Fort Worth and the surrounding North Texas communities: roofs, and the walls, trim and gutters connected to them.

If you'd like us to look at your roof-to-wall flashing, siding or storm damage, request an inspection and a written repair estimate, or call (817) 402-7663.

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Related: Siding services · Roof inspections · Gutters · Exterior painting

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This article is general construction education. It isn't legal advice, public-adjusting services or an interpretation of any insurance policy. Building requirements depend on your property and the code your city has adopted; insurance outcomes depend on your policy and the facts of your claim. Code quotations are from the 2021 IRC as adopted by the City of Fort Worth; check the edition and amendments that apply at your address. Job photos are from recent 3:16 projects, cropped and stripped of location data to protect homeowner privacy.

Sources and further reading

1. 2021 International Residential Code as adopted by the City of Fort Worth, Chapter 9 (sections R903.2.1, R905.2.8.1, R905.2.8.3)

2. City of Fort Worth: Building and energy codes in effect

3. City of Keller: City Council approval of the 2021 International Residential Code (file 22-108, February 15, 2022)

4. National Institute of Standards and Technology: Understanding building codes

5. Building America Solution Center (U.S. Department of Energy / PNNL): Step and kick-out flashing at roof-wall intersections

6. James Hardie: installation instructions and technical documents (HardieTrim HZ10 instructions effective September 2025; HardiePlank quick-start guide)

7. GAF: Pro Field Guide for Steep-Slope Roofs (flashing reuse and siding clearance guidance)

8. OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13): fall protection in residential construction

9. Texas Department of Insurance: Commissioner's Bulletin B-0006-26 (July 20, 2026)

10. Texas Insurance Code Chapter 4102 (public adjusters), including Section 4102.163

11. Supreme Court of Texas: Texas Department of Insurance v. Stonewater Roofing, Ltd. Co., No. 22-0427 (June 7, 2024)

12. Texas Department of Insurance: Roofing and insurance, know the law

13. Texas Department of Insurance: Home insurance guide

14. Texas Department of Insurance: Public adjusters

15. Texas Department of Insurance: Working with an adjuster