Roofing in Southampton, PA

A small village that grew fast after the war

Southampton was a crossroads village for a long time, and for a while early in the 1900s a summer getaway for people from Philadelphia. Then it filled in quickly. The census counted about 2,000 people in the township in 1950 and nearly 8,000 by 1960. Most of the houses you drive past today come from that boom and the decades right after it: ranchers, split-levels, Capes and two-story colonials on quarter-acre lots, with a scattering of much older farmhouses and village homes near the Second Street Pike and Street Road crossing and up toward the Churchville historic district.

Houses from that period were built to the habits of the time. Attics were vented with a couple of small gable louvers, insulation was thin, and nobody worried much about where the bathroom fan blew. Over the years owners added insulation, finished basements, replaced windows and sealed up drafts. All good changes, but a tighter house pushes more warm, damp air up into an attic that was never designed to get rid of it. That is the thread running through a lot of the roof problems we see in Southampton.

When the attic is the real problem

Plenty of calls start with "the roof is leaking" and end in the attic. Here is what we usually find on Southampton houses of this age.

Frost and drips in winter

On a cold night, moist air from the house condenses on the underside of the roof boards and freezes. When the sun hits the roof the next day it melts and drips onto the insulation and the ceiling. It looks exactly like a leak, but no shingle is broken. Patching the roof won't stop it. Fixing the airflow will.

Bathroom fans that blow into the attic

We often find a bath fan duct lying loose in the insulation, or pointed at a soffit vent. Every shower sends a cloud of steam into the attic. Over a few winters that darkens the plywood, rusts nail tips and can soften the decking around the fan. The fix is a sealed duct run out through a proper roof or wall vent, which is a small job when we are already up there.

Ridge vents cut into the wrong roof

A ridge vent only works if air can come in low, at the soffits. On many older houses the soffits were never vented, or insulation has been stuffed against them. A ridge vent with no intake can pull air from the house instead, which makes the moisture problem worse. When we replace a roof, we look at intake and exhaust together and write it into the estimate.

Curled shingles on the south side

A hot, poorly vented attic bakes the shingles from below. The south and west slopes curl and lose granules years before the north side. If one side of your roof looks much older than the other, ventilation is a likely reason, and it is worth fixing before the next roof goes on so that one lasts its full life.

A ten-minute attic check you can do with a flashlight

If you can get into your attic safely, step only on the joists or a floored area and look for these. Go on a cold morning after a few days below freezing.

1. Look at the nails. Shine the light along the underside of the roof. Frost or water drops on the nail tips mean warm, damp air is getting up there.
2. Check the wood color. Dark gray or black patches on the plywood, especially around the bathroom fan or near the eaves, point to long-term moisture.
3. Find the bath fan duct. Follow it from the fan. It should be connected and run all the way outside, not end in the insulation.
4. Look at the soffits. At the low edge of the roof you should see daylight or vent baffles. Insulation packed tight against the roof boards blocks the air.
5. Feel the insulation. Damp, matted or stained insulation under one spot is a sign of a real leak or a steady drip from condensation. Take a photo of it.

Send us the photos: If you find frost, stains or a loose duct, take photos and call us. On a free roof inspection we go into the attic when we can get to it and show you whether it is a leak, a ventilation problem or both.

A family roofer from just up the road

Armstrong Roofing is family-owned and based in Horsham, a short drive from Southampton. Owner Jim Armstrong personally oversees every job, and the team brings 50+ years of combined roofing experience. We would rather tell you a ventilation fix and a few repairs will carry the roof for years than sell you a new one you don't need.

• PA license #PA164826, general liability and workers' compensation insurance
• GAF certified, BBB A+ rated, 5.0 stars from 200+ Google reviews
• 25-year workmanship warranty on asphalt shingle roof replacements
• Free, written, line-item estimate that spells out vents, decking and any permit the township requires

We also work in neighboring Warminster, Feasterville, Richboro and across Bucks County.

What it usually costs

Most Southampton ranchers and splits fall in the lower half of the replacement range. Decking softened by years of attic moisture, or adding soffit intake and ridge venting, moves the price up, and we price both line by line.

• Roof Inspection: Free
• Roof Repair: $350 – $2,500
• Roof Replacement: $6,500 – $18,000
• Asphalt shingle roof, per square: $450 – $950
• Decking replacement, 1/2" 4x8 sheet: $80
• General Roof Maintenance: $350 – $2,250

Questions we get asked

Do you work in all of Southampton?

Yes, all of Upper Southampton Township, including the streets off Street Road, Second Street Pike, Bustleton Pike and County Line Road and the area around Tamanend Park. We come from Horsham, a short drive away.

Water drips from my ceiling only on sunny winter days. Is my roof leaking?

Often it is not. That pattern usually means frost formed under the roof overnight and is melting. A poorly vented attic or a bath fan blowing into the attic is the usual cause, and the fix is airflow, not shingles.

Should I add a ridge vent when I get a new roof?

Only if the attic can also take air in at the soffits. A ridge vent without intake can pull conditioned air out of the house. We check both and recommend what the attic actually needs.

How much does a new roof cost on a Southampton house?

Most roof replacements we do run between $6,500 and $18,000, or $450 to $950 per square for asphalt shingles. Ranchers and split-levels usually land in the lower half. Damaged decking is $80 per 1/2" sheet replaced.

Is a dark attic roof deck a sign I need a new roof?

Not by itself. Darkened plywood is a sign of moisture over time. If the wood is still firm, fixing the ventilation stops it getting worse. If it is soft or delaminating, those sheets get replaced when the roof does.

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes. PA license #PA164826, with general liability and workers' compensation insurance. We are also GAF certified and BBB A+ rated, and we'll show you proof of insurance before 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.
• Roof Inspection: A free, top-to-bottom look at your roof with photos, so you know what you actually need before you spend anything.
• Shingle Roofing: Architectural asphalt shingle repair and installation, the roof on most homes around here.
• 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.
• Gutter Repair: Sagging, leaking or overflowing gutters fixed before they rot your fascia.
• Bucks County: Warminster, Doylestown, Newtown, Yardley, Chalfont and everywhere in between.
• Warminster: Our neighbor to the north; lots of 1950s-70s ranchers and splits.
• Feasterville: Lower Southampton ranchers, Capes and twins.
• Richboro: Northampton Township homes on larger lots.
• Huntingdon Valley: Lower Moreland and Abington neighborhoods with bigger lots and trees.
• Hatboro: Borough homes and older twins right next door to Horsham.
• Bensalem: Bensalem Township singles, twins and townhomes.