The median home in Shillington was built in 1943; there are 2,292 of them. The rules below decide how much of the old roof has to come off and what goes under the new one.
New Roofing Costs connects homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We do not perform roofing work.
This number connects homeowners who are planning a new roof or a full roof replacement with independent local roofing contractors. It is not for leak repairs or patch jobs. The call must come from the homeowner who decides on the roof. Calls may be recorded.
Permit
Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Shillington is the one to ask before work starts.
Source: 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)
Layers
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 97% of Shillington’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
Ice barrier
The code requires an ice barrier where the local climate table (Table R301.2) says so, and each Pennsylvania municipality fills that table in. Shillington’s answer is with the borough code office.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in Pennsylvania.
Owners live in 1,377 of Shillington’s occupied homes, or 63%. Counting by decade, 47% before 1940, 76% before 1960, 97% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 1% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 37% detached houses, 47% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 14% buildings of two to four units.
With 47% of homes attached, many roofs here meet a neighbor’s roof at a party wall. Say so on the call, and ask the contractor how the new roof will be tied in where it meets the house next door.
Older houses hide their history: ask the contractor to confirm the deck (board or sheet) and every layer above it before pricing, because slate or two layers mean a full tear-off.
Of the 67 Berks County municipalities on this site, Shillington has the largest share of homes built before 1980: 97%, against a county range of 18% to 97%.
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shillington | 1943 | 97% | 63% | 47% | 20 |
| Kenhorst | 1954 | 93% | 79% | 18% | 20 |
| Mohnton | 1969 | 62% | 65% | 17% | 19 |
| Cumru | 1977 | 58% | 71% | 15% | 19 |
| Wyomissing | 1971 | 63% | 68% | 15% | 18 |
| West Reading | 1938 | 89% | 56% | 61% | 19 |
Median built: median year the homes were built. Before 1980: share of homes built then. Owners: share of homes that are owner-occupied. Row, twin: share of homes that are rowhouses, twins or townhouses. Census ACS 2020–2024. Hail days: days with hail of 1 inch or larger within 10 miles, 2006–2025, NOAA Storm Prediction Center.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 20 separate days within 10 miles of Shillington; the largest was 2.5 in on May 22, 2014. The most recent was July 8, 2025.
That is more hail days than 93% of the places in the state on this site.
Berks County has had 2 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4267, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (March 2016). (OpenFEMA.)
Storm reports are what observers logged, not a measure of damage to any roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
Useful life is HUD’s planning figure, not a warranty. More in the guides to shingles, metal, slate and flat roofs.
| Material | HUD useful life | Fits a house like | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingles | 20 years | Most pitched roofs; 37% of homes here are detached | Wind class set by the design wind speed (IRC Table R905.2.4.1) |
| Metal (standing seam, panels) | 50 years | Low pitches and long runs | A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 47% here predate 1940 | Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Low-slope roofs and rear sections (47% of homes here are attached) | Seams at walls and drainage |
Before signing for a roof in Shillington, get the contractor’s PA registration number: the home improvement law requires registration with the Attorney General above $5,000 a year of such work, and the number on contracts and estimates (HICPA § 3, § 6).
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in Pennsylvania.
Local ordinance, not the state. Pennsylvania’s code leaves residential alterations without structural change to local ordinance (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the borough code office in Shillington is the one to ask before work starts.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. 97% of Shillington’s homes were built before 1980, so count the layers before comparing quotes.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Shillington was built in 1943, 97% of homes were built before 1980, 63% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 20 days within 10 miles of Shillington from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Before signing for a roof in Shillington, get the contractor’s PA registration number: the home improvement law requires registration with the Attorney General above $5,000 a year of such work, and the number on contracts and estimates (HICPA § 3, § 6).
The full list: before you call.
Checked October 24, 2026. Laws and code editions change; the date says when these were last read at the source.