Siding, windows and decks in Delaware County, PA: interwar suburbs, lead paint and a county complaint office
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Delaware County homeowners know before exterior work?
That they are mostly working on old houses. Large parts of Delaware County were built up after the First World War and again after the Second, and very little is new, so the questions that come with age, about lead paint and old siding materials, come up on most jobs. Permits come from the county's 49 municipalities, and the county runs a consumer affairs office that takes home repair and remodeling complaints.
How old is the housing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 22.1 percent of Delaware County's 229,715 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, close to the statewide 25.0 percent, and only 3.5 percent were built since 2010, against 6.1 percent statewide. The county's own history page explains why. It describes considerable residential development after the First World War in Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, Havertown and Springfield, continuing after the Second World War in communities such as Westbrook Park and Marple Township. Nearly a quarter of units, 24.0 percent, are in multi-unit buildings, and 75.6 percent are single-family houses, detached or attached, a Census category that includes townhouses and row houses.
What does that age mean for windows, doors and trim?
It means the EPA's lead rule applies to almost every job that touches paint. The EPA says homes built before 1978 are more likely to contain lead-based paint and recommends that their owners hire a lead-safe certified contractor. The rule itself requires any firm paid to disturb paint in such a home to be certified, covers window replacement regardless of size, and also covers carpentry and paint preparation unless the job disturbs no more than 20 square feet of exterior paint. A contractor who offers to skip the certification on a house built between the wars is offering to break a federal rule in your home.
Could the old siding contain asbestos?
It could, and that is a question to settle before tear-off rather than during it. The EPA lists roofing and siding shingles among the places asbestos may be found. It says you generally cannot tell by looking, that material in good condition and left undisturbed is not likely to pose a health risk, but that it may release fibers when it is cut, sanded, drilled or removed improperly. If a siding contractor proposes to remove old shingles from a house of this age, ask whether they will be tested first, and by whom. The EPA advises having the assessment and any removal done by trained, accredited professionals, ideally from two different firms.
Who issues permits?
Your municipality. The county says it covers over 184 square miles divided into forty-nine municipalities, and Labor and Industry says over 90% of Pennsylvania's municipalities enforce the Uniform Construction Code locally. The state regulation exempts window and door replacement with only a minor framing change, and vinyl or aluminum siding on an existing house, unless a local ordinance requires otherwise, and needs no permit for an uncovered deck no more than 30 inches above grade. Porch rebuilding is another matter: on these older streets, where the work replaces structure, ask the borough or township before any demolition.
Who can help if a job goes wrong?
Delaware County has its own office. The Office of Consumer Affairs offers voluntary mediation and takes complaints about, among other things, home repair and remodeling. Suspected criminal or fraudulent conduct is referred to the Delaware County District Attorney or the Attorney General. The office is in the Government Center Building at 201 West Front Street in Media, and its phone number is 610-891-4865.
In a county where 69.6 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, most of these disputes are between a contractor and the family that lives in the house. The median owner-occupied value is $332,200. Check registration first on the Attorney General's contractor search, filtered to Delaware County.
Where next?
The state's contract, deposit and cancellation rules are in what Pennsylvania requires, and businesses serving the county are on the Delaware County exterior remodeling page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Your County at a Glance: History, Delaware County
- Consumer Affairs/Weights & Measures, Delaware County
- Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Program: Consumers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Learn About Asbestos, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- 34 Pa. Code 403.1. Scope., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- 34 Pa. Code 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- Uniform Construction Code, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General