From Q I want to fasten my deck to my house, but I have vinyl siding. How do I make the connection?
A You need to frame the deck and then fill in around it with the vinyl siding. First, remove the siding courses where you intend to install the deck ledger. You’ll need an inexpensive siding removal tool ($5 to $10 at home centers and lumber-yards) to unlock the lower courses. Carefully pull the nails so the siding can be reused. You’ll have to buy additional moldings (J-channel) to match your siding.
Fasten the ledger to the house with lag bolts driven into the rim joist or studs. Frame the deck, then install the metal flashing along the top of the ledger. Be sure to slide it behind the building paper. Next put in the deck boards. Hold the nails or screws away from the ledger to avoid penetrating the metal flashing.
Start under the ledger board and install a strip of J-channel. Cut and fit the two side pieces. This gets tricky, as the J-channel and siding need to be worked at the same time. Look at the detail photo to see how they fit to ensure that water runs to the front of the siding.
Fasten the top piece of J-channel 1/4 in. above the deck boards. At each end, cut and bend a tab to fit into the side pieces (detail photo). Finally, fit and install the remaining siding.
Click image to enlarge.