Kickout flashing is a small, angled piece of metal at the bottom of a roof-to-wall intersection that diverts rainwater away from the siding and into the gutter. If yours is missing or bent, water runs straight down the wall, and the fix is to install a new kickout that laps under the step flashing, over the housewrap, and out past the siding by at least 3/4 inch. In Altadena, that repair usually runs $275 to $650 per location in 2026, and it is one of the highest-return fixes you can make on an older home.
This post covers how to spot a bad kickout, how the repair actually works, what it costs here, and when a wall leak has already gone far enough that you need a pro. We do this work every week across Altadena, from the 1920s bungalows near Mariposa Street to the mid-century ranches up near Eaton Canyon.
What kickout flashing does and why it matters
Kickout flashing is a roof flashing component that catches the concentrated runoff where a sloped roof meets a vertical wall and throws it sideways into the gutter instead of letting it sheet down the siding. It is also called a diverter flashing, and it is required by the California Building Code (CBC 1503.2 and the CRC flashing provisions) anywhere a roof plane terminates against a wall above a gutter.
Without it, the bottom of that roof-to-wall seam becomes a funnel. Step flashing handles water moving down the roof slope, but it does nothing for the volume that collects at the low corner. That water hits the wall, wicks behind the siding, and shows up inside as a stain on the ceiling below, bubbling paint on the exterior, or a soft spot in the wall sheathing. On Altadena homes with stucco, the damage hides for months before you see it inside.
We see three failure patterns over and over:
- Missing entirely - common on re-roofs where the original kickout was tossed and never replaced.
- Bent or flattened - from a ladder, a branch, or someone walking the roof.
- Installed wrong - too short, nailed through the face, or caulked instead of lapped.
Any of those three means the wall is getting wet every time it rains. If you also have water showing up at a chimney or a skylight, that is a separate problem - our chimney flashing repair in Altadena, California team handles those, and the two issues often travel together on older roofs.
How to tell your kickout flashing is missing or damaged
You can check your own kickout flashing in about five minutes with a ladder and a flashlight, and the tell is almost always at the bottom corner where the roof slope dies into the wall above the gutter.
Stand back and look at the roofline. At every place a sloped roof meets a wall, there should be a visible metal tab angled out toward the gutter. If you see bare step flashing running straight down into the gutter with no diverter, it is missing. If you see a piece of metal that is crushed flat against the wall, it is damaged and doing nothing.
From the ground, look for these signs:
- Vertical dark streaks on the siding or stucco below a roof-to-wall joint.
- Paint peeling or stucco cracking in a vertical line under the roofline.
- Water stains on the ceiling or top of the wall inside, especially after a storm.
- Rust or corrosion on the gutter right below the roof-to-wall corner.
- Moss or algae growth concentrated at one spot on the wall.
If you are not sure what you are looking at, a roof flashing inspection in Altadena, California will tell you in under an hour. We check every roof-to-wall intersection, not just the one you called about, because kickouts fail in clusters on the same roof.
How to fix kickout flashing that is missing or damaged in Altadena, California
Fixing kickout flashing that is missing or damaged in Altadena, California means removing the bottom course of step flashing and siding at the corner, sliding a new pre-bent kickout in behind the step flashing and over the weather barrier, and re-securing the siding so the metal sticks out past the wall face by at least 3/4 inch. Here is the sequence we follow.
- Isolate the corner. We lift the bottom two step-flashing pieces and the lowest course of siding or stucco at the roof-to-wall joint.
- Check the weather barrier. If the housewrap or felt is torn, we patch it before anything else goes back. A kickout over a torn barrier just moves the leak.
- Fabricate or fit the kickout. We bend 26-gauge galvanized or Kynar-coated metal to match the roof pitch and wall offset. Off-the-shelf kickouts fit maybe half the homes in Altadena; the rest need a custom bend.
- Set the kickout. It laps under the step flashing above, over the weather barrier, and out past the siding. The bottom edge angles into the gutter.
- Re-flash and re-side. Step flashing goes back down over the kickout, siding goes back on, and we seal only the vertical seams - never the bottom edge, which has to stay open to drain.
- Water test. We run a hose at the roof-to-wall joint for 10 to 15 minutes and watch the wall and the gutter. If anything shows inside, we keep going until it does not.
On a simple asphalt-shingle roof, one kickout takes two to three hours. On tile or slate, plan on four to six, because the field tiles around the corner have to come up and go back down without breaking. If the metal is rusted through or the step flashing above it is also shot, we replace the whole run - our roof flashing replacement in Altadena, California covers that, and it is usually cheaper than coming back twice.
What a kickout flashing fix costs in Altadena in 2026
Typical 2026 pricing for a kickout flashing fix in Altadena runs $275 to $650 for a single location on a shingle roof, and $500 to $1,100 per location on tile, slate, or anything that requires lifting finished roofing. Those numbers include labor, materials, and a water test.
What moves the price:
- Roof material. Shingle is fastest. Tile and slate add hours of careful handling.
- Height and access. A two-story wall over a steep slope takes longer to set up than a single-story ranch.
- Number of kickouts. Most Altadena homes have two to four roof-to-wall joints. Doing them together drops the per-unit price by 20 to 30 percent.
- Hidden damage. If the sheathing or the top plate is rotted, that is dry rot repair on top of the flashing work.
- Stucco vs. siding. Cutting and patching stucco adds $150 to $300 per location.
If you have water coming in right now, an emergency roof flashing repair in Altadena, California is priced higher because it happens after hours or in the middle of a storm. We will tell you on the phone whether it can wait until morning. Most of the time it can.
Common mistakes we see on Altadena kickout flashing repairs
The most common mistake on Altadena kickout flashing repairs is caulking the bottom edge shut, which traps water behind the metal and rots the wall faster than having no kickout at all. We pull that mistake off roofs every month.
Others we run into:
- Kickout too short. If the metal does not extend at least 3/4 inch past the wall face, water clings to the siding and runs behind it. One inch is better.
- Nailed through the face. Fasteners through the front of the kickout create their own leak points. Nails go at the top and sides only.
- Installed over the siding. The kickout has to tuck behind the siding and over the weather barrier, not sit on top of the finished wall.
- Wrong metal. Bare steel rusts out in a few years. We use galvanized or coated aluminum.
- Ignoring the gutter. If the gutter is pitched wrong or clogged, the kickout dumps water into a backed-up channel and the wall gets wet anyway. A gutter flashing repair in Altadena, California often goes hand-in-hand with the kickout fix.
- Re-roof amnesia. Roofers pull the old kickouts, forget to reinstall them, and the new roof leaks at the wall within a season.
None of these are exotic. They are the same six things, over and over, on roofs all over Altadena.
When to call a professional
Call a professional when the kickout is missing, when you can see water inside the house, or when the roof-to-wall joint is above the first story. Those three situations are where DIY kickout work goes wrong and turns a $400 repair into a $4,000 wall rebuild.
You can handle it yourself if you are comfortable on a ladder, the roof is single-story and walkable, and you are only replacing one damaged kickout on a shingle roof. Anything else - tile, slate, stucco, two stories, or any sign of interior water - is a job for someone with the right metal brake and the right insurance.
Hometown Roof Protectors does kickout flashing repair across Altadena, including the neighborhoods around Altadena Drive, Lake Avenue, and the foothill streets above Mendocino. We show up, find the actual leak, fix it, and water-test it before we leave. If you want the full picture of what we do on roofs like yours, start with our Roof Flashing Repair Altadena CA page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does kickout flashing fix cost in Altadena CA?
In 2026, expect $275 to $650 per location on a shingle roof and $500 to $1,100 on tile or slate. Multiple kickouts done in one visit cost less per unit. Stucco patching and any dry rot repair are extra.
How to fix kickout flashing that is missing or damaged in Altadena, California?
Lift the bottom step flashing and siding, install a new pre-bent kickout that laps under the step flashing and over the weather barrier, extend it at least 3/4 inch past the wall, then water-test. On tile or stucco, hire a pro.
Can you fix kickout flashing in Altadena?
Yes. We repair and replace kickout flashing throughout Altadena, including custom-bent pieces for older homes where off-the-shelf metal will not fit. Most single-location repairs are done in one visit of two to three hours.
Do you offer kickout flashing fix near me in Altadena?
We serve all of Altadena, from the Lincoln Avenue corridor up to the foothills. Same-week scheduling is normal, and we handle emergency calls when water is actively coming in.
Can I just caulk the missing kickout instead of replacing it?
No. Caulk fails within a season and traps water behind the metal. A proper kickout is a formed piece of metal, not a sealant joint. Caulking buys you weeks, not years.
Get help with Roof Flashing Repair in Altadena
If your kickout flashing is missing, bent, or letting water into the wall, we can have it fixed this week. Call Hometown Roof Protectors at 012345678 and we will get a technician out to look at it.