Maybe the roof looks tired and the driveway has gone dark with grime. Maybe someone has already told you the whole roof needs to come off. Before you spend that kind of money, it’s worth knowing what you actually have.
Princeton’s housing runs old. 29% of homes were built in 1939 or earlier, and the median home was built in 1971. The median home value is the lowest of the six towns we serve (Census Bureau, 2020 to 2024 five-year survey). That’s one more reason to know your options before anyone starts tearing shingles off.
A courthouse town with two new districts
The Gibson County Courthouse, built in the Second Empire style, is the symbol most people picture when they think of Princeton. On May 20, 2025, two Princeton historic districts were added to the National Register (Gibson County listings).
- Princeton Courthouse Square. Roughly bounded by State and Water streets on the north and south, and Prince and West streets on the east and west.
- Princeton Westside. State Street and the north side of Broadway, between Hall Street and the former Southern Railroad.
Just west of town, Lyles Station was founded in 1849 by Joshua Lyles, a freed Tennessee slave. And in Princeton, State Road 64 is known as Broadway Avenue for its entire length. We’re on a Broadway Ave too, down in Evansville.
What we check on an older Princeton house
With nearly three in ten homes built before 1940, a lot of Princeton houses have been through decades of weather. At the evaluation, we check:
- The roof. Dark streaks, granule loss, shingles that look dry or brittle, and the flashing around chimneys and vents.
- Brick and siding. Mildew, algae and dirt lines. Older brick gets low pressure only.
- Walks and porch steps. Flaking, pitting and spots where water sits after rain.
Then you get a plain answer. Clean it, protect it, leave it alone, or call a roofer.
Roof protection for shingles that are still good
If your shingles are sound, roof protection is a treatment that goes on after cleaning to help the roof shed water. NexaNano, whose products we apply, says its treatment “dries clear and maintains the natural look of the material” and will not yellow.
Two things to know. We check your shingle maker’s guidance, and your HOA rules if you have one, before we recommend a treatment. And we won’t promise you a set number of years, because we can’t back one up.
Concrete cleaning, from the drive to the porch steps
Driveways, walks, porch steps and patios pick up dirt, mildew, oil and tire marks. Concrete cleaning takes that off, so you can see the surface again, and so can we.
Once it’s clean, we can tell if it’s scaling. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association defines scaling as “local flaking or peeling of a finished surface of hardened concrete” caused by cycles of freezing and thawing. If we see it, we’ll show you. If the concrete is still sound, protection can come next.
Princeton and the 1925 tornado
The 1925 Tri-State Tornado devastated the south side of Princeton, killing 45 people, injuring 150 and leaving hundreds homeless. Much more recently, on April 18, 2024, NWS Paducah logged a tree uprooted on the south side of town (Storm Prediction Center report).
Storm damage to a roof is a job for a roofer. We don’t do that work, and we’ll say so if we spot it.
Worth the drive
Princeton is our farthest town, about 30.9 miles and 45 minutes from our base. We still make the trip for a free exterior evaluation. We’ll look at your roof, walls and concrete, take photos, and tell you what’s worth doing. Call or text Terrance at (812) 664-6222. A little closer to Evansville? We also cover Haubstadt.
