Hear from Our Customers
When siding fails in Cedarbrook Acres, it rarely fails dramatically. It creeps. A panel cracks here, a seam separates there, and by the time you notice the mold or the soft wall behind the drywall, water has been getting in for months. New siding done correctly stops that cycle before it becomes a five-figure structural repair.
Many homes on Cedarbrook Drive and throughout the area date back to the 1950s. If yours is one of them — or was built anytime before the 1990s — the siding on it has already exceeded its useful life. What looks like surface aging on the outside can be active moisture intrusion on the inside. A proper replacement doesn’t just refresh the look of your home. It gives the walls underneath a chance to breathe and dry out, with a new moisture barrier installed from scratch.
For homeowners in Cedarbrook Acres who are commuting long distances every day, there’s another outcome worth naming: you don’t have to manage this project. We handle the permitting, the inspection, the installation, and the cleanup. You approve the estimate, and our crew takes it from there. No chasing subcontractors. No surprise visits from people you’ve never met. Just a finished exterior when the job is done.
We’re based at 202 E Mt Vernon St in Smyrna — a few minutes from Cedarbrook Acres. Melissa and Richard McCain have been running First State Roofing & Exteriors Co. for over 22 years, serving homeowners across Kent and Sussex counties. This isn’t a regional franchise operation that blankets four states with the same generic crew. We’re a local business with a local address, local accountability, and a real stake in the reputation we’ve built here.
Every project is handled in-house. The same trained, insured team that starts your siding job finishes it. No outsourcing, no day-labor subcontractors showing up unannounced. That matters in a neighborhood like Cedarbrook Acres, where homes have history and the people living in them know each other.
Our BBB accreditation and A+ rating aren’t the whole story, but they’re a reasonable starting point. The 5.0 out of 5 rating across 63 verified reviews tells you more. Homeowners consistently mention the same things: clear communication, on-time completion, and a job site left cleaner than they expected. That’s the standard here, not the exception.
It starts with a free consultation and a thorough inspection of your current siding. For older homes in Cedarbrook Acres, this step matters more than most people realize. Before any new material goes up, we need to see what’s underneath — whether the sheathing is solid, whether there’s moisture damage, whether the existing moisture barrier has failed. You’ll know what was found and what it means before any work begins. No surprises mid-project.
From there, we handle the permitting required by the Town of Smyrna. Siding replacement in this area requires a building permit, and navigating that process on your own takes time most homeowners don’t have. It’s handled as part of the job. Once permits are in place, the old siding comes off, the structure gets inspected again, a new moisture barrier goes down, and the new panels go up — sealed, secured, and built to handle what Delaware winters and summer storms actually throw at a house.
Most siding installation projects take two to five days depending on the size of the home and the material chosen. The job site is cleaned up at the end of each day, and a final walkthrough happens before our crew leaves. If anything doesn’t meet the mark, it gets addressed on the spot — not after you’ve already signed off and we’ve moved on to the next job.
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We offer both vinyl and fiber cement siding. The right choice depends on your home’s age, its exposure to the elements, and your long-term goals — not on which material is easier to install. Vinyl is the most popular choice in Delaware for good reason: it’s moisture-resistant, low-maintenance, and holds up well through the freeze-thaw cycles that stress central Kent County homes every winter. Fiber cement — particularly for older Cedarbrook Acres homes where durability over the next 40 to 50 years matters — offers a longer lifespan and stronger resistance to impact and moisture intrusion.
Every siding project we complete includes full removal of the existing material, a structural inspection of the wall sheathing underneath, moisture barrier installation, trim work, and complete sealing at every seam and penetration point. Weatherproof seams aren’t an upgrade — they’re standard. We also handle all local permitting and ensure the work meets Smyrna’s building code requirements and Delaware’s contractor registration standards.
If your siding was damaged in one of the severe weather events that have rolled through the Smyrna area — and there have been documented storm warnings here as recently as July 2025 — we also provide insurance claims assistance. Many homeowners don’t know their damage qualifies for a claim. Financing is available for projects where budget is a factor, so the cost of waiting doesn’t compound into something more expensive down the road.
It depends on the type of damage and your specific policy, but storm-related siding damage is covered more often than homeowners expect. Wind-lifted panels, hail impacts, and moisture intrusion caused by a storm event are all scenarios that homeowners insurance policies commonly cover. The Smyrna area has been under severe weather warnings dozens of times in the past year alone, and that kind of repeated exposure does real damage — sometimes visibly, sometimes not.
The challenge is that storm damage to siding isn’t always obvious from the street. A panel that looks intact might have a compromised seal or a small crack that’s letting water in with every rain. We can assess the damage, document it properly, and help you navigate the claims process. If the damage qualifies, you may only be responsible for your deductible — not the full cost of replacement. It’s worth finding out before you assume you’re paying out of pocket.
The honest answer is that you often can’t tell from the outside, which is exactly why a proper inspection matters before anyone gives you a recommendation. Surface cracks, fading, and warping are visible signs that siding is aging out. But the more important question is what’s happening behind the panels — whether the moisture barrier has failed, whether there’s rot in the sheathing, or whether water has been getting into the wall cavity.
For homes in Cedarbrook Acres that date to the 1950s through the 1980s, the siding has likely already exceeded its designed lifespan. Vinyl from that era typically had a 20 to 40-year life expectancy, and wood siding from the same period needs consistent maintenance to last even that long. If yours hasn’t been replaced since the home was built, repair is probably a short-term fix at best. A free inspection from us will tell you what you’re actually working with — and give you an honest answer about whether repair makes sense or whether replacement is the smarter move.
Yes, siding replacement in Smyrna typically requires a building permit, and the contractor performing the work must be registered with the Delaware Department of Labor under the Delaware Contractor Registration Act before any work begins. These aren’t optional requirements — they exist to protect homeowners, and skipping them can create real problems when you go to sell the home or file an insurance claim later.
The good news is that we handle all of this as a standard part of every project. You don’t need to figure out which forms to file, which office to call, or how to schedule a permit inspection. It’s managed from start to finish by our team. For Cedarbrook Acres homeowners who are already managing long commutes and busy schedules, that’s one less thing to track down and one less reason for the project to stall before it starts.
Both materials work well in Delaware’s climate, but they’re not the same product and they’re not right for every situation. Vinyl is the most widely installed siding material in the state because it handles moisture well, requires almost no maintenance, and holds up through the freeze-thaw cycles that central Kent County homes deal with every winter. It has a lifespan of roughly 20 to 40 years depending on the quality of the product and the installation.
Fiber cement — brands like James Hardie are common in this market — offers a longer lifespan of up to 50 years and stronger resistance to impact, moisture, and humidity. For an older home in Cedarbrook Acres where you’re planning to stay long-term, the additional durability often justifies the higher upfront cost. For a homeowner who’s preparing to sell or working within a tighter budget, vinyl is a strong performer with solid return on investment. The 2024 Cost vs. Value Report shows vinyl siding recoups around 80% of project cost at resale and adds an average of $13,957 to home value nationally — meaningful numbers in a neighborhood where homes are listed in the $300,000 range.
Most residential siding projects take two to five days, depending on the size of the home, the material being installed, and what the inspection reveals underneath the old siding. A straightforward vinyl replacement on a smaller single-story home can move quickly. A larger home, or one where the inspection uncovers moisture damage or rot in the sheathing that needs to be addressed before new panels go up, will take longer.
For Cedarbrook Acres homeowners who aren’t home during the day, the timeline is worth understanding upfront so you can plan accordingly. We work with an in-house crew — no subcontractors — which means the schedule doesn’t depend on a third party showing up when they said they would. The job site is cleaned at the end of each workday, and you’ll know before the project starts what the expected timeline looks like. If something changes — like a structural issue discovered mid-job — you’ll hear about it immediately, not after the fact.
After a significant storm rolls through central Delaware, it doesn’t take long for out-of-area contractors to start canvassing neighborhoods like Cedarbrook Acres. They show up uninvited, pressure you to sign quickly, ask for a large deposit upfront, and often disappear before the job is done right — or at all. It’s a documented pattern in storm-affected markets, and the Smyrna area is not immune to it.
A few things to check before you hire anyone: verify that the contractor is registered with the Delaware Department of Labor as required under the Delaware Contractor Registration Act, confirm they carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation, and ask for a written, itemized estimate before any money changes hands. Legitimate contractors typically ask for a small deposit — 10% or less — with the balance due upon completion. A contractor pushing for a large cash payment upfront is a red flag worth taking seriously.
First State Roofing & Exteriors Co. has a physical address in Smyrna, has been operating in Kent County for over 22 years, and is BBB accredited with an A+ rating. That kind of track record doesn’t happen by accident, and it’s the kind of accountability that a traveling storm-chaser crew simply can’t offer. If you’re not sure about a contractor you’ve been approached by, it’s worth a quick call to get a second opinion before you commit to anything.
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