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Most homes in Del Shire were built in the 1990s. That puts the original siding at 30 to 35 years old — right at the point where vinyl starts failing from the inside out. What looks like surface wear on the outside is often moisture damage working its way through the panels, into the sheathing, and against the framing behind it.
Del Shire’s terrain makes this worse. Portions of the community sit near water features and low-lying ground, which means elevated humidity at the base of your walls year-round. That kind of persistent moisture exposure doesn’t just stress siding — it accelerates the timeline on everything underneath it.
When we install new siding correctly, with a proper moisture barrier and tight weatherproof seams, that cycle stops entirely. You’re not just looking at a cleaner exterior. You’re looking at walls that are actually protected again, a home that holds its value, and one less thing to worry about when the next nor’easter rolls through Kent County.
We’re based in Smyrna, about 15 to 20 miles up US-13 from Del Shire. That’s not a regional headquarters with a Delaware checkbox on a service map. We’re a Kent County business that has been working on Kent County homes, including the 1990s-era subdivisions around Dover and Del Shire, for over two decades.
Melissa and Richard McCain built First State Roofing & Exteriors Co. on a straightforward premise: show up, do the work right, and don’t hand it off to someone else. Every siding project we take on is handled entirely by our own trained, insured crew — no subcontractors, no day laborers, no surprises when a different face shows up on day two.
We carry a 5.0 out of 5 rating from more than 63 verified reviews, hold BBB accreditation with an A+ rating, and are fully licensed and insured in Delaware. For Del Shire homeowners who want to know who’s actually going to be working on their house, those aren’t just credentials. They’re the answer.
It starts with a free consultation and a thorough inspection of your current siding. Before anything comes off the house, we look at what’s actually there — not just the surface condition, but what the panels, seams, and trim are telling us about what might be going on underneath.
For homes in Del Shire, especially those near water or sitting on low-lying ground, that inspection step isn’t a formality. It’s where hidden moisture damage, compromised sheathing, or missing vapor barriers get identified before they become mid-project surprises.
Once the scope is clear, you get a written estimate that explains exactly what’s included. We handle all permitting required for exterior siding work in unincorporated Kent County — that falls under county-level jurisdiction, not the City of Dover’s building department, and it’s a distinction that trips up homeowners who assume the process is the same across the board. You don’t have to figure that out. We handle it.
From there, our crew gets to work. Old siding comes off, the substrate gets inspected and addressed if needed, a moisture barrier goes in, and new panels are installed and sealed. Most projects are completed in two to five days. The site gets cleaned up before we leave, and you’re not left managing a follow-up punch list with a subcontractor who was never accountable to you in the first place.
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We offer both vinyl and fiber cement siding installation. The right choice depends on your home’s specific exposure, architecture, and budget — not on which material is easiest to install.
For homes in Del Shire with waterfront or near-water positioning, moisture resistance is the non-negotiable starting point. Vinyl is Delaware’s most popular siding material for exactly that reason — it doesn’t rot, doesn’t absorb moisture, and handles the state’s freeze-thaw cycles without warping or cracking when it’s installed correctly. Fiber cement, particularly for homes with more complex trim profiles or significant sun exposure, offers up to 50 years of lifespan and is virtually immune to the moisture problems that Delaware’s humid climate creates.
Every installation we perform includes full removal of the existing siding, a detailed inspection of the underlying structure, moisture barrier installation, new panel installation with weatherproof seams, trim work, and complete sealing around windows and penetrations. If the inspection turns up rot, mold, or compromised sheathing underneath — which happens on 1990s-era homes more often than homeowners expect — we address that before a single new panel goes up. There are no hidden charges added after the fact without your approval.
We offer financing for homeowners who want to move forward now rather than wait. And if your siding damage was caused by a storm — a nor’easter, a summer thunderstorm, hail — we also assist with the insurance claims process, which most siding contractors in the area don’t offer. Free consultations are available on every job.
The most obvious signs are visible — warped or buckled panels, cracking at seams, significant fading or chalking, gaps around window and door trim, or panels that have come loose entirely. But for homes in Del Shire built in the 1990s, the more important question is what’s happening behind the siding, not just on it.
Vinyl installed 30 or more years ago was often thinner and less UV-stable than what’s available today, and it was sometimes installed without a proper moisture barrier underneath. If your home sits near any of the water features or low-lying ground common in this part of Kent County, moisture infiltration behind aging panels is a real risk — and it often doesn’t show on the surface until it’s already caused damage to the sheathing or framing.
A thorough inspection before any work begins is the only way to know what you’re actually dealing with. That inspection is part of every free consultation we provide, and it’s how you avoid discovering problems mid-project when the cost of fixing them is higher.
Both are solid choices for Delaware’s climate, but they perform differently and suit different situations. Vinyl is the most popular siding material in Delaware because it handles moisture well, doesn’t rot, and holds up against the freeze-thaw cycles that hit Kent County every winter. It’s also more affordable upfront and has a lifespan of 20 to 40 years when properly installed.
For most Del Shire homeowners replacing aging 1990s vinyl, a quality vinyl installation is a practical, well-proven choice. Fiber cement — James Hardie is the most recognized brand — offers a longer lifespan of up to 50 years and is considered virtually immune to moisture problems, which matters in a humid subtropical climate like Delaware’s. It also holds paint better over time and can be a better fit for homes with architectural detail that benefits from a material that mimics the look of wood without the maintenance.
The tradeoff is cost: fiber cement typically runs higher than vinyl per square foot installed. We help you weigh those factors based on your specific home, not a generic recommendation.
Del Shire is an unincorporated community in Kent County, which means it falls under county-level jurisdiction — not the City of Dover’s building department. That distinction matters because homeowners who assume the permitting process is the same as it would be for a property inside Dover’s city limits can run into delays or compliance issues.
Exterior siding replacement in unincorporated Kent County typically does require a building permit depending on the scope of the project, and any contractor performing the work must be registered with the Delaware Department of Labor’s Office of Contractor Registration before work begins — that’s a statewide requirement. We handle all permitting as part of the project. You don’t have to navigate the Kent County Department of Planning Services, figure out what your specific scope triggers, or track down the right forms.
This is also something worth asking any contractor you’re evaluating — if they’re not pulling permits, that’s a problem that can follow you when you go to sell the house.
Yes, in many cases it can — and it’s worth checking before you assume you’re paying out of pocket. Homeowners insurance policies typically cover siding damage caused by wind, hail, and storm events, which are all common in Kent County. Nor’easters in late winter and early spring and summer thunderstorms that produce localized hail or high winds are the most frequent culprits in the Dover area.
If your siding was damaged during one of those events, your policy may cover a significant portion of the replacement cost. The challenge is that navigating an insurance claim — documenting the damage correctly, understanding what your policy covers, and making sure the claim is filed in a way that supports the full scope of the work — isn’t always straightforward.
We assist with insurance claims for storm-damaged siding, which is something most siding contractors in the area don’t offer. If you’ve had storm damage and aren’t sure whether it’s a covered claim, that’s a conversation worth having before you decide how to move forward.
For most homes in Del Shire, a full siding installation takes two to five days once the project is underway. The range depends on the size of the home, the material being installed, and what the inspection turns up when the old siding comes off.
If there’s rot, mold, or damaged sheathing underneath — which is more common on 1990s-era homes than most homeowners expect, especially those with any waterfront or low-lying exposure — addressing that before the new siding goes up adds time. But it’s not optional, and a contractor who skips it is setting you up for the same problem in a shorter timeframe.
The timeline from your initial free consultation to project completion depends on scheduling and permitting. Because Del Shire falls under Kent County’s permitting process rather than a city building department, we factor that into the project timeline upfront so there are no unexpected delays once the crew is scheduled.
Start with the basics: verify that any contractor you’re considering is registered with the Delaware Department of Labor’s Office of Contractor Registration and carries current liability insurance. These aren’t optional in Delaware — they’re legal requirements, and a contractor who can’t produce documentation for both is a contractor you should walk away from regardless of how low their quote is.
Beyond the paperwork, look at reviews with some skepticism toward volume alone — what matters is consistency and specificity. A contractor with 63 reviews all citing the same things (showed up on time, communicated clearly, left the site clean, did what they said they’d do) is telling you something real.
Ask whether they use their own crew or subcontract the work, and ask who handles permitting. In Del Shire specifically, the county-level permitting process is something a genuinely local contractor will understand without having to look it up. First State Roofing & Exteriors Co. has been working in Kent County for over 22 years, is based in nearby Smyrna, and carries an A+ BBB rating alongside a 5.0 out of 5 verified review rating — which is the kind of track record that’s hard to fake in a community where neighbors talk.
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