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There’s a difference between siding that looks fine at installation and siding that’s still doing its job five winters later. For homes in Wrights Crossroads, that difference matters more than it does almost anywhere else in Kent County. The open terrain along Arthursville Road gives wind and rain a clear path straight to your exterior walls.
When the seams aren’t tight or the moisture barrier wasn’t installed right, you’re not just looking at cosmetic issues. You’re looking at mold behind the walls, rot in the framing, and repair costs that dwarf what a proper installation would have run. When the siding is done correctly, you stop worrying about what’s happening underneath it.
Your heating and cooling bills stabilize because the thermal envelope is actually sealed. The walls stay dry through Delaware’s humid summers, when 74% average humidity in this part of the county creates the exact conditions that cause mold and moisture damage on homes that aren’t properly protected.
For older homes in the Wrights Crossroads corridor — farmhouses, ranches, and Cape Cods that were built before modern moisture-resistant materials were available — a siding replacement isn’t just an upgrade. It’s the difference between a home that holds its value and one that quietly deteriorates while you’re not looking. That’s what a properly installed siding job actually delivers here.
We’re based in Smyrna, right up Route 11 from Wrights Crossroads. That’s not a coincidence — it means the crew that shows up to your property knows this corridor, knows this county’s weather patterns, and has been working on homes like yours for over two decades. Melissa and Richard McCain built First State Roofing & Exteriors Co. from the ground up in Kent County, and our reputation here is personal.
Every project is handled in-house. No subcontractors, no day-labor crews, no one showing up you’ve never heard of. The team that gives you the estimate is the team that does the work. That matters in a rural area like Wrights Crossroads where traveling crews and storm chasers are a real and documented problem.
We’re licensed, insured, BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and have a 5.0 out of 5 rating from over 63 verified reviews. For homeowners in unincorporated western Kent County who don’t have a neighbor down the street who just had their siding done, that track record is the next best thing to a personal referral.
It starts with a free consultation and a detailed inspection of your current siding. Before anything is removed, our crew walks the full exterior and documents what’s there — the condition of the existing material, any visible damage, and what’s likely underneath. For older homes in Wrights Crossroads, that inspection matters more than it might elsewhere, because aging housing stock in western Kent County sometimes hides rot, moisture damage, or pest intrusion behind siding that still looks passable from the driveway.
You’ll know what we find before any work begins, and nothing changes scope without your approval. Once the old siding comes off, a moisture barrier goes on before any new panels are installed. This isn’t optional — it’s the step that determines whether your new siding actually protects the home or just covers it. In a climate with 74% average humidity and freeze-thaw cycles every winter, skipping or rushing this step is how you end up with mold problems two years after installation.
Because Wrights Crossroads is in unincorporated Kent County, permits go through the county rather than a local municipal office. We handle the entire permitting process — the application, the compliance documentation, all of it. Most siding projects in this area take two to five days from start to cleanup. The job site is left clean at the end of every workday, and completely cleared when the project is done.
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Every siding project with First State Roofing & Exteriors Co. includes full removal of the existing siding, installation of a moisture barrier, new siding installation, trim work, and complete sealing of all seams and penetrations. There are no named tiers or packages — the scope is built around your specific home and what it actually needs, not a pre-set menu.
For homes in Wrights Crossroads, two materials make the most sense given the local climate: vinyl and fiber cement. Vinyl is the most popular choice in Delaware for a reason — it doesn’t rot, resists moisture, and handles freeze-thaw cycling without cracking. Fiber cement, particularly for older farmhouses and homes with more architectural detail, adds impact resistance and a lifespan of up to 50 years. We install both and will walk you through which makes more sense for your home’s exposure, age, and budget.
Financing is available for homeowners in the area who want to move forward now rather than wait. If your siding damage is storm-related, we also assist with insurance claims — helping you understand what your policy covers and navigating the process so you’re not leaving money on the table. Every project includes a free consultation upfront, and all permitting required by Kent County for exterior work in unincorporated areas is handled completely by our team.
Yes, in most cases you do. Because Wrights Crossroads is an unincorporated community, there’s no local municipal building department — permitting for exterior work goes through Kent County directly. Siding replacement typically requires a building permit under Kent County’s jurisdiction, and the work must comply with Delaware’s building code standards for exterior wall coverings, moisture barriers, and fastening requirements.
The good news is that you don’t have to figure any of that out yourself. We handle the entire permitting process as part of every siding project — the application, the documentation, and making sure the installation meets code before the job is closed out. For homeowners in unincorporated areas who aren’t familiar with the county permitting process, this removes one of the more frustrating parts of an already significant home improvement project.
The honest answer is that it depends on how widespread the damage is and what’s causing it. If you’re dealing with one or two cracked panels from a specific impact, repair often makes sense. But if you’re seeing widespread warping, fading, gaps at the seams, or any sign of moisture getting behind the panels — mold streaking on the exterior, soft spots near the foundation, or peeling paint on interior walls — those are signs the siding has failed systemically, not just in one spot.
For older homes in the Wrights Crossroads corridor, where much of the housing stock is 40 to 70 years old, the more common situation is siding that’s simply past its service life. Early-generation vinyl and aluminum siding from the 1970s and 1980s was not built to the same standards as what’s available today, and it doesn’t perform the same way after decades of exposure to Delaware’s humidity, wind, and freeze-thaw cycles. A thorough inspection — which we provide at no charge — will tell you clearly whether repair or replacement is the right call.
For the western Kent County area, including Wrights Crossroads, both vinyl and fiber cement perform well — but for different reasons and different home types. Vinyl is the most widely installed siding material in Delaware because it genuinely handles moisture well. It doesn’t rot, it won’t absorb water, and it holds up through freeze-thaw cycling without cracking the way older materials do. For most ranch homes, Cape Cods, and standard residential properties in this area, quality vinyl siding is a practical, durable choice.
Fiber cement — particularly James Hardie products — adds another level of performance, especially for homes that take a harder hit from the elements. It’s impact-resistant, virtually immune to moisture problems, and carries a lifespan of up to 50 years. For older farmhouses or homes with more architectural complexity along the Route 11 corridor near Wrights Crossroads, fiber cement is worth the additional investment. The key in either case is the installation quality — a moisture barrier that’s properly installed and seams that are fully sealed. That’s what actually determines how the material performs over time, not just the product itself.
Most residential siding projects take between two and five days from the start of removal to final cleanup. The exact timeline depends on the size of your home, the material being installed, and what the crew finds once the old siding comes off. For homes in Wrights Crossroads, that last factor is worth taking seriously — older housing stock in western Kent County sometimes has underlying moisture damage or rot that wasn’t visible from the exterior, and addressing it properly adds time to the project.
We’re upfront about this from the beginning. The initial inspection is designed to identify as much of that risk as possible before work starts, so the timeline and scope you agree to at the outset is as accurate as it can be. If something unexpected turns up once the old siding is removed, the crew will show you what they found and walk you through the options before doing anything additional. The job site is kept clean throughout the project, and the full cleanup happens before the crew leaves at the end.
It can be, and more often than homeowners expect. Homeowners insurance policies typically cover siding damage caused by wind, hail, and storm events — all of which are regular occurrences in western Kent County. The open terrain around Wrights Crossroads means homes along Arthursville Road and its intersecting roads are among the more exposed properties in the county when a nor’easter or severe thunderstorm comes through. That kind of wind-driven damage is exactly what a standard homeowners policy is designed to cover.
The challenge is that navigating a claim on your own can be frustrating, and some homeowners don’t realize the damage they’re seeing qualifies. We assist with insurance claims for storm-damaged siding — helping you document the damage, understand what your policy covers, and work through the process without leaving money on the table. If you’re not sure whether what you’re looking at is storm-related or just wear, the free inspection is the right place to start.
Rural communities like Wrights Crossroads are a known target for storm chasers — crews that show up after a significant weather event, offer a quick quote, take a deposit, and either disappear or deliver work that doesn’t hold up. The distance from a dense suburban network makes it harder to get a neighbor’s referral or walk into a local showroom, which is exactly why it’s worth doing the homework before anyone starts pulling panels off your house.
A few things to verify before signing anything: confirm the contractor is registered with the Delaware Department of Labor’s Office of Contractor Registration, which is required by state law before any work begins. Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage. Check their BBB rating and read actual reviews — not just the star count, but what people specifically said about communication, cleanup, and whether the final job matched what was quoted. Legitimate contractors don’t require large upfront deposits; a reasonable deposit is typically 10% or less with the balance due on completion. We’re fully registered, licensed, insured, BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and have over 63 verified five-star reviews — the kind of track record that takes years to build and can’t be faked.
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