Masonry and concrete work in Delaware County, PA: older brick, stormwater and complaints
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Delaware County homeowners know about masonry work?
Delaware County's housing is old for a suburban county, much of it built in suburbs that grew between the world wars, and very little of it is new. That makes the choice of mortar important. Its townships write their own stormwater rules, which can apply to new paving, and the county has its own consumer affairs office for disputes.
How old is the housing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 22.1 percent of the 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, compared with 6.1 percent statewide. With so little new construction, the masonry question for most owners is how to repair walls, steps and walks that already stand.
The county's own history page describes considerable residential development after the First World War in Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, Havertown and Springfield, continuing after the Second World War in places such as Westbrook Park and Marple Township. Houses from the first of those waves date from before the change the National Park Service describes, when portland cement all but replaced lime in mortar after the Second World War.
What goes wrong when the wrong mortar is used?
The Park Service gives an example from a sandstone house that was repointed and partly parged with hard, portland-rich material. The stone softened and wore away while the hard joints stayed, leaving a honeycomb pattern. The coating at the base trapped ground moisture, which rose and concentrated in the stone just above it. The Park Service's advice is that pointing mortar should duplicate the old in strength, composition, color and texture, and that coating with an impervious material such as high-content portland cement is never recommended.
Ask any contractor working on a pre-war Delaware County house how they will match the existing mortar, and whether they plan to parge or coat any wall.
Can a new patio or driveway trigger stormwater rules?
In some townships, yes, at fairly small sizes. Upper Darby's stormwater ordinance is an example. It applies to "all activities that may affect stormwater runoff", and it counts new, additional or replacement impervious surface cumulatively from the date it was adopted:
| Impervious surface added | What applies under the ordinance |
|---|---|
| 0 to 249 square feet | Exempt from the listed requirements |
| 250 to 749 square feet | A simplified approach |
| 750 square feet or more | The full requirements |
The ordinance's own example: a 150-square-foot shed is exempt, but a later 499-square-foot addition brings the total to 649 square feet, and a further 700-square-foot pool and patio brings it to 1,349 square feet and the full requirements. Repaving without reconstruction is exempt. Other Delaware County municipalities have their own ordinances, so ask yours before a large patio or driveway goes in.
What should you check before digging?
Pennsylvania 811 asks for a locate request three to ten business days before digging, and says the work should not start before the lawful start date. The same page warns that buried utilities run along property lines and sometimes between lots, and that overhead wires do not rule out buried ones.
Where can Delaware County residents complain?
The county's Office of Consumer Affairs offers voluntary mediation and takes complaints about home repair and remodeling, among other things. Suspected criminal or fraudulent conduct is referred to the District Attorney or the Attorney General. The office is in the Government Center Building, 201 West Front Street, Media, and its number is 610-891-4865.
Registration is checked through the state. The Attorney General's contractor search can be filtered to Delaware County and to masonry or concrete work; the state requirements are in what Pennsylvania requires, and businesses serving the county are on the Delaware County masonry contractors 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
- Mortar, Unsung Hero of History, U.S. National Park Service
- This Masonry is for the Bees!, U.S. National Park Service
- Stormwater Management, Article I: General Provisions, Township of Upper Darby
- Consumer Affairs/Weights & Measures, Delaware County
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- Homeowners, Pennsylvania One Call System (Pennsylvania 811)