Roofing in Wilmington, DE: History & Why Older Homes Have the Issues They Do

Local Knowledge

An old city with an old roofline

Wilmington is one of the older cities in the mid-Atlantic, and it shows on the rooflines. The city has dozens of properties on the National Register of Historic Places, and New Castle County has hundreds more — block after block of brick rowhomes, Victorian-era houses, and early-1900s builds. You can read about the city's preservation work through the City of Wilmington and New Castle County.

What the old housing stock means for your roof

A lot of today's roof problems trace straight back to the age and style of these homes:

• Aging slate and built-up roofs. Many older Wilmington homes were originally roofed in slate or built-up systems. Where those remain, they're often past their service life — and they need specialists, not a quick patch.
• Flashing failures on brick rowhomes. On attached brick homes, the weak point is rarely the field of the roof — it's the flashing where the roof meets parapet walls and shared chimneys. That's the #1 source of leaks we see in the older neighborhoods.
• Undersized or original gutters. Older drainage often can't keep up with today's heavier downpours, sending water where it shouldn't go.
• Ice dams. Older homes with less attic insulation and ventilation are prone to ice dams in Delaware's freeze-thaw winters, backing water up under the shingles.
• Layered roofs. Decades of “roof over roof” shortcuts left many homes with two or three layers — extra weight and trapped moisture that a proper replacement with full tear-off corrects.

How we approach older Wilmington homes

Century homes deserve more than a cookie-cutter job. We diagnose before we touch anything, match modern materials (such as architectural shingles from GAF or Owens Corning, installed to NRCA best practices) to the home, and pay special attention to flashing, ventilation, and decking. Start with a roof inspection — or read the signs you need a new roof.

Related Guides & Services

• Flashing & Chimney Repairs
• Roof Inspection
• Roof Replacement

Or just call (302) 618-1471 — we're happy to answer questions before you commit to anything.