Metal Roofing in Brunswick, Maine

Standing seam and metal shingle roofs suit many Brunswick properties: farmhouses and barns on the rural roads north of town, cottages on Mere Point and Bunganuc, and newer homes whose owners want a roof that sheds snow and lasts. Metal lets snow slide rather than pile, which reduces ice dams, but that snow has to land somewhere. Snow guards over entries, walkways, decks and parked cars are part of a proper design, not an add-on.

Near the bay, coating and fastener choice make the difference. Salt air is hard on bare steel, so painted panels with a quality finish, and aluminum on the most exposed shore lots, hold up better, along with fasteners and flashing that will not corrode against the panel. Standing seam uses concealed clips that let long panels expand and contract through Brunswick's freeze-thaw swings. Metal shingles give a lighter, textured look that can resemble slate or shake on older houses. On a building within the Village Review Overlay District, switching from shingles to metal is a visible change, so check with Planning and Codes before choosing it.

Census estimates put Brunswick at roughly 9,500 housing units with a median year built of about 1982, so the typical house here is younger than in Portland but the range is wide. Close to one in five units dates from before 1940 and about 31 percent from before 1960, including the houses of the downtown and the Bowdoin neighborhoods. Another 16 percent or so went up between 1960 and 1979, and roughly 27 percent is from 2000 or later. About 71 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, and only about half of all units are single-family detached houses, which reflects the apartments, student housing and multi-unit buildings near the college and Maine Street. Seasonal homes are a small share, about 165 units. Expect clapboard Federal, Greek Revival and Colonial Revival houses in the historic districts, and vinyl-clad capes, ranches and colonials farther out.

Brunswick is coastal on its south side and inland on its north. Mere Point, Maquoit Bay and Middle Bay put houses in the path of salt air and wind off Casco Bay, while neighborhoods near the Androscoggin and out toward Durham feel more like an inland town. The Portland Jetport, the nearest long-record National Weather Service station, averaged about 69 inches of snow a year over the 1991 to 2020 normals, and Brunswick's own climate table shows roughly 51 inches of total precipitation. Winters swing above and below freezing many times, which works water into clapboard joints, cracked caulk and shingle edges. Nor'easters drive rain sideways into the east and north walls, and the shore points take the hardest wind.

Building permits in Brunswick go through the Planning and Codes Office at Town Hall, 85 Union Street, on paper or through the online permit portal. Maine's building code moved to the 2021 International Residential Code on April 7, 2025. Much of the historic core lies in the Village Review Overlay District, where the Village Review Board issues a Certificate of Appropriateness for alterations; the town notes that replacing windows, facades and ornamentation with identical styles and materials is not subject to review, and staff can approve minor work not visible from a public way. Waterfront lots within 250 feet of tidal areas also fall under shoreland zoning.

Metal roofs shed snow, shrug off wind, and outlast most other roofing. Standing seam panels run from eave to ridge with raised, concealed-fastener seams; metal shingle systems give a more traditional look. The site lists metal roofing systems among its roofing options. Because snow slides off metal in sheets, planning where it lands, over doors, walks, decks and lower roofs, is part of the design.

• Tear-off to the deck and repair, or preparation of the existing deck as the system requires.
• High-temperature underlayment and ice and water protection where needed.
• Panels or metal shingles installed with clips or fasteners that allow thermal movement.
• Trim, ridge, eave and valley flashings formed and installed.
• Snow guards placed where sliding snow would land on entries, decks or lower roofs.

• You want the last roof you put on the house
• Heavy snow loads and ice dams on a low-pitch or shaded roof
• A camp, barn or outbuilding where low upkeep matters most
• Repeated shingle blow-offs in wind

• Standing seam versus metal shingle, and gauge and finish
• Roof area, pitch and number of penetrations
• Tear-off and deck preparation
• Snow guard layout
• Trim, valley and flashing detail

Every job is priced from a free on-site visit. Typical ranges for the trade are on our roofing page, and the details of this service are on the metal roofing overview.

Back to the Brunswick exterior services overview, or see every town on our Cumberland County service areas page.