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I am building a deck attached to the house, and on one side I will need to have the ledger covering a section of wall that has a crawlspace vent cover. If I have a big enough gap between the ledger and the siding (maybe bigger than what you would normally do -- make it closer to 3/4" perhaps?) would that be enough space to let air escape through the vent? Or is there some other way to make sure I don't block off the ventilation?

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Is this a dryer vent or a crawlspace vent? – Mike Powell Aug 25 '10 at 19:28
What kind of vent is this? An eaves vent or an exhaust vent? – auujay Aug 25 '10 at 19:28
A deck ledger wouldn't be attached near the eaves. – Mike Powell Aug 25 '10 at 19:51
edited. crawlspace vent, thanks – Don Zacharias Aug 25 '10 at 19:52

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I would leave a gap in the ledger where the vent is, then cover that gap with a shorter piece of ledger board that overlaps, and is lag screwed to, the main ledger. This will give your crawlspace vent 1 1/2" of breathing room, which should be fine for letting your crawlspace breathe.

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That makes sense! Is it OK if decking runs across that area? Air can flow through the 1 1/5" gap and down to under the deck, right? – Don Zacharias Aug 25 '10 at 20:19
Yes, I would run the decking right up to the siding, leaving the bottom of the gap open. From above you'll never know it's there. And I think that gap should be plenty to allow air to flow through the vent. – Mike Powell Aug 26 '10 at 15:19

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