Hear from Our Customers
There’s a big difference between a roof that looks fine from the driveway and one that’s actually holding up. In Rising Sun-Lebanon, where the bulk of the housing stock was built in the 2000s, a lot of homeowners are living under asphalt shingles that are quietly losing granules, developing seal failures, and absorbing more moisture than they should — without a single visible sign inside the house yet.
The community’s position along the St. Jones River and Tidbury Creek doesn’t help. That waterway corridor keeps ambient humidity elevated year-round, and it accelerates the algae growth that shows up as dark streaking on shingles throughout Kent County. Add in the open farmland terrain on the edges of Rising Sun-Lebanon subdivisions — where there’s no urban density to break the wind — and you’ve got a roof that’s working harder than one in a more sheltered neighborhood.
Getting a free inspection from a licensed contractor gives you something concrete: a documented picture of what’s actually happening up there. Not a sales pitch. Just the information you need to make a smart decision about a home that’s worth protecting.
We’re based in Smyrna — about 12 to 15 miles up Route 13 from Rising Sun-Lebanon. That’s the same corridor most residents here travel every day. We’re not a contractor making a one-time trip from out of state; we’re a Delaware business that has been operating in Kent County for over 22 years, licensed through the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation and backed by a 5.0-star rating across 63 or more verified reviews.
When you search for roofers in Rising Sun-Lebanon, a lot of what comes up are lead-generation websites with North Carolina phone numbers and copy-pasted content that could apply to any town in any state. We’re the opposite of that. Owner Richard McCain is publicly named, personally accountable, and the same person whose reputation is on the line for every job done in this area — whether it’s a repair on a ranch-style home off Sorghum Mill Road or a full replacement in one of the newer subdivisions near Tidbury Creek Park.
It starts with a free inspection. One of our trained crew members gets on your roof, documents what’s there, and gives you a straight assessment — what’s holding up, what isn’t, and what the realistic options are. There’s no charge for this, and no pressure to move forward on the spot. For a lot of Rising Sun-Lebanon homeowners, this is the first time anyone has actually looked at a roof that’s been there since the house was built.
If work is needed, the next step is a written estimate with clear material specifications. Because Rising Sun-Lebanon falls under Kent County Levy Court jurisdiction, roofing projects that involve replacing more than 25 percent of the roof sheathing or switching material types require a building permit under Kent County’s adopted building codes. We handle that permitting process as part of the job — so you don’t have to figure out the county’s MGO permit portal or worry about a code violation showing up during a future home sale.
Once work is scheduled, most residential replacements are completed in a single day. Our crew handles material delivery, removal of the old roof, installation, and cleanup — including a magnet pass for nails in the driveway. If your damage is storm-related, we can also work directly with your insurance provider to document the claim and communicate with the adjuster, which removes a significant amount of stress from an already frustrating situation.
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We cover the full exterior — roofing, siding, gutters, windows, and skylights. For Rising Sun-Lebanon’s New Traditional homes with vinyl or brick exteriors and attached garages, that matters. When a storm lifts shingles, it often damages gutters and fascia in the same event. Being able to address all of it through one contractor saves time, reduces the back-and-forth of coordinating multiple companies, and ensures everything is installed to work together properly.
On the roofing side, we work with asphalt shingles, metal roofing, slate, rubber, clay tile, EPDM, and TPO — the latter two being relevant for any flat or low-slope sections common on older ranch-style homes in the area. Given the humidity and algae conditions along the St. Jones River corridor, algae-resistant shingles are worth a specific conversation during your estimate. They’re not an upsell for the sake of it — in this environment, they genuinely extend the life of the roof.
Financing is available for larger projects, which makes a full replacement more manageable without delaying work that needs to happen. Free estimates are always the starting point, with no obligation to book. And for homeowners connected to Dover Air Force Base who may be thinking about a future PCS move, written inspection reports and documented manufacturer warranties are part of what you get — documentation that holds real value when it’s time to sell.
The honest answer is that you usually can’t tell from the ground, and that’s the problem. Most roofs in Rising Sun-Lebanon were built around 2008, which puts them at roughly 17 years old — right in the window where asphalt shingles start to lose granules, seals begin to fail, and flashing around chimneys or skylights starts to pull away. None of that is visible from your driveway, and it won’t show up inside the house until water has already been getting in for a while.
The most straightforward thing you can do is schedule a free inspection with us. One of our trained crew members gets on the roof, checks the sheathing, flashing, ridge line, and drainage points, and gives you a documented assessment. That gives you actual information — not a guess based on how old the house is. If the roof has more life left, you’ll know. If it’s time to act, you’ll know that too, and you can make the decision on your own timeline rather than after a leak forces it.
It depends on the cause and the specifics of your policy, but storm damage — wind, hail, falling debris — is typically covered under standard homeowners insurance in Delaware. Kent County sees nor’easters and tropical storm remnants regularly, and those events are exactly the type of sudden, accidental damage that most policies are written to cover. What’s generally not covered is damage from gradual wear and tear or neglected maintenance, which is part of why staying current on inspections matters.
The part that trips people up is the claims process itself. Documenting the damage correctly, communicating with the adjuster, and making sure the scope of the claim reflects everything that needs to be repaired — that’s where a lot of homeowners leave money on the table. We work directly with insurance providers and can help you navigate that process from the inspection through the repair, so you’re not doing it alone or relying on an adjuster who may not have your best interest as the priority.
Rising Sun-Lebanon is an unincorporated community, which means building permits and code enforcement fall under Kent County Levy Court — not a town or city building department. Under Kent County’s adopted building codes, a permit is required when you’re replacing more than 25 percent of the roof sheathing or when you’re changing the roofing material type, such as switching from asphalt shingles to metal roofing. A straight shingle-over-shingle replacement on a structurally sound deck may not trigger the permit requirement, but that determination should be confirmed on a job-by-job basis.
This is worth paying attention to because unpermitted work can create real complications when you sell the home. A buyer’s inspector or their lender may flag it, and resolving it after the fact is considerably more expensive and stressful than doing it right the first time. We handle the Kent County permitting process as part of the project — including submitting through the county’s permit portal — so you’re not left navigating that on your own.
For most single-family homes in Rising Sun-Lebanon — whether it’s a newer New Traditional subdivision home or an older ranch-style property — a full roof replacement is typically completed in a single day. Our crew handles material delivery, tear-off of the existing roof, installation, and cleanup in one visit. The variables that affect timing are roof size, pitch, and whether any underlying sheathing needs to be repaired once the old material is removed.
Weather is the other factor. Delaware’s spring and fall seasons are the busiest times for roofing work, and scheduling during peak demand periods means planning ahead is smart. If your roof has active damage going into a storm season, that’s a reason to move sooner rather than later — a compromised roof in open farmland terrain like the edges of Rising Sun-Lebanon takes the full force of whatever comes through. We offer emergency repair services if you’re dealing with active damage and can’t wait for a scheduled replacement.
For most homes in Rising Sun-Lebanon, architectural asphalt shingles are the practical choice — durable, cost-effective, and widely available with strong manufacturer warranties. The specific upgrade worth considering in this area is algae-resistant shingles. The humidity along the St. Jones River corridor and Tidbury Creek creates conditions where Gloeocapsa magma — the bacteria responsible for the dark streaking you see on roofs throughout Kent County — takes hold faster than it would in a drier climate. Algae-resistant shingles have copper or zinc granules embedded in them that slow that process significantly.
Metal roofing is worth a conversation if you’re looking at a longer service life — metal can last up to 50 years and handles Delaware’s freeze-thaw cycles and wind events well. It’s a higher upfront cost, but for homeowners planning to stay in their home long-term or who want to maximize resale value, the math often works out. The right material for your specific roof depends on pitch, existing structure, and budget — all of which get covered during a free estimate.
Yes — and it’s worth saying directly because a lot of what shows up in local searches for Rising Sun-Lebanon roofing contractors isn’t local at all. Several of the top results are lead-generation websites operated by companies with area codes in North Carolina, using template content that could apply to any town in any state. They’re not going to be the ones showing up when you need warranty work in Year 3.
We’re based in Smyrna, which sits roughly 12 to 15 miles north of Rising Sun-Lebanon on Route 13 — the same road most residents here use regularly. We’ve operated continuously in Kent County for over 22 years, are licensed through the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, and carry a 5.0-star rating across more than 63 verified reviews. For Dover AFB-connected households in Rising Sun-Lebanon who know they’ll eventually sell and move, that kind of documented local track record — with real warranties and a contractor you can actually reach — is exactly what makes a difference at closing time.
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