Roofing in Langhorne, PA

One name, two very different kinds of house

"Langhorne" on an address can mean two things. The borough itself is small and old. It was settled by Quakers in the late 1600s, grew as a stagecoach stop between Philadelphia and Trenton, and was called Attleborough until the 1870s. Around the turn of the last century, well-off Philadelphians built big houses along Maple and Bellevue Avenues, which meet in the middle of town. Langhorne Manor, a separate borough just to the south, has more of the same era. Some of the oldest buildings in town date to the 1700s.

The rest of the Langhorne mailing area is Middletown Township, which is mostly post-war and later suburban neighborhoods: ranchers, splits and two-story colonials, with townhome communities and newer developments mixed in. Those roofs are simpler and much like what we see across lower Bucks. This page spends most of its time on the older houses, because that is where Langhorne roofs are different.

What goes wrong on older Langhorne roofs

Porch roofs

Victorian and early 1900s houses often have wide front porches with low, nearly flat roofs. Many were re-covered with roll roofing or shingles that were never meant for that pitch. Water sits, the edge where the porch roof meets the house wall opens up, and the ceiling boards underneath start to rot. A porch roof usually should be redone as a proper flat roof, flashed up the wall, rather than shingled again.

Built-in and box gutters

Some older houses have gutters built into the roof edge or the cornice instead of hanging on the front of it. They look clean, but when the lining fails, water goes straight into the cornice and wall. If you see peeling paint or rot along the trim just below the roof edge, that is the first place we check. Relining a box gutter is careful work and worth doing right.

Lots of roof in a small space

Turrets, gables, bay windows, dormers and porches mean a lot of valleys and wall joints on one house. Each one is a place water can get in. On these roofs the price of a replacement is driven more by detail work than by square footage, and so is the quality. Ask any roofer how they will flash each wall joint and valley.

Tall chimneys

Older houses often have tall brick chimneys, sometimes more than one. Mortar wears, crowns crack, and the flashing around the base gets patched with cement. Water that gets into a chimney can show up a floor or two below. Re-flashing and repointing is a repair, and it is often all an older roof needs.

What to look at on an older Langhorne house

• Porch ceiling: sagging, stained or soft boards mean the porch roof above has been leaking for a while.
• Trim just below the roof edge: peeling paint or rot often points to a box gutter or a clogged gutter overflowing.
• Chimney top: from across the street, look for missing mortar, a cracked cap or plants growing out of the joints.
• Attic around the chimney: dark wood or water marks on the framing next to the brick.
• Third-floor ceilings: stains near dormers or where two roof slopes meet.

If your house is in the old borough: Before you change the look of the roof, such as switching materials or color on a house along Maple or Bellevue Avenue, ask the borough whether any exterior review applies. We pull permits whenever a municipality requires one and can help you work through it.

Who you are letting up on an old roof

Older roofs reward patience. Armstrong Roofing is family-owned and based in Horsham, and owner Jim Armstrong personally oversees every job. Jim has been on roofs since he was 12, working alongside his father, and the team brings 50+ years of combined roofing experience. We'll tell you when a careful repair makes more sense than a new roof.

• PA license #PA164826, general liability and workers' compensation insurance
• GAF certified and BBB A+ rated, with a 5.0 rating from 200+ reviews on Google
• 25-year workmanship warranty on asphalt shingle roof replacements
• Free inspection with photos of every problem area

We also work in Levittown, Newtown, Yardley and across Bucks County.

What it usually costs

Middletown ranchers and colonials usually sit in the lower half of the replacement range. Older borough houses with porches, several chimneys and lots of valleys sit higher because so much of the work is detail.

• Roof Repair: $350 – $2,500
• Roof Replacement: $6,500 – $18,000
• Flat Roof Repair: $350 – $1,800
• Flat Roof Installation: $4,000 – $15,000
• Gutter Repair: $350 – $1,500

Questions we get asked

Do you work in Langhorne borough and Middletown Township?

Yes, both, plus Langhorne Manor. That covers the older houses around Maple and Bellevue Avenues and the suburban neighborhoods across Middletown that use a Langhorne address.

My porch roof leaks but the main roof is fine. Can you fix just the porch?

Yes. Porch roofs are often too flat for shingles, so we usually redo them as a flat roof flashed up into the house wall. Flat roof installations typically run $4,000 to $15,000 and small repairs start at $350.

Can you repair a built-in box gutter?

Yes. We open it up, check the wood underneath and reline it. If the wood behind it has rotted, that gets replaced first, and we'll show you photos before we do it.

How much does a new roof cost on an older Langhorne house?

Most roof replacements we do run between $6,500 and $18,000. Large older houses with porches, chimneys and many valleys tend toward the top of that range because of the detail work. You get a written, line-item estimate after we see it.

Do I need approval to change my roof in the borough?

It depends on the house and the change. Ask the borough before switching materials or color on an older house, and we pull any permit the municipality requires.

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes. PA license #PA164826, with general liability and workers' compensation insurance. We'll show you proof before any work starts.

Related pages

• Roof Repair: Leaks, missing shingles, flashing and vents. We fix the problem and tell you honestly how much life the roof has left.
• Roof Replacement: Full tear-off and new roof when repairs stop making sense. Written, line-item estimate before anything starts.
• Flat Roofing: Low-slope roofs over porches, additions and row homes, where ponding water is the enemy.
• Gutter Repair: Sagging, leaking or overflowing gutters fixed before they rot your fascia.
• Roof Inspection: A free, top-to-bottom look at your roof with photos, so you know what you actually need before you spend anything.
• Emergency Roof Repair: Active leak or storm damage? Call any time, day or night. We tarp it to stop the water, then make the permanent fix.
• Bucks County: Warminster, Doylestown, Newtown, Yardley, Chalfont and everywhere in between.
• Levittown: The planned post-war neighborhoods of lower Bucks.
• Newtown: Historic borough and big suburban developments.
• Yardley: River-town homes along the Delaware.
• Bensalem: Bensalem Township singles, twins and townhomes.
• Feasterville: Lower Southampton ranchers, Capes and twins.
• Richboro: Northampton Township homes on larger lots.