Siding, Roofing, Windows & Decks in Cumberland, Maine

Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 put Cumberland at about 3,300 housing units, with a median year built of 1984. About 15 percent predate 1940, roughly 24 percent were built between 1960 and 1979, about 26 percent in the 1980s and 1990s, and about 29 percent in 2000 or later. Around 91 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, and about 82 percent of units are single-family detached houses; only about 60 are held for seasonal use. The town's 2025 draft comprehensive plan counts 27 houses built before 1800 and another 190 built during the 1800s, about 7 percent of the stock. Most recent building has come as conservation or cluster subdivisions, such as the 72 homes of Mineral Springs in West Cumberland, plus condominiums and apartments near Route 1.

Cumberland has no official weather station; the long-term record for the area comes from Portland International Jetport, where 1991 to 2020 normals put average snowfall at about 69 inches a year and February lows around 17 degrees. The town rises from sea level on the Foreside to about 184 feet at Cumberland Center, so the inland villages see similar snow but little salt. Houses on the Foreside, between Route 1 and the bay, take wind and salt spray from northeast storms, and the draft comprehensive plan lists storm surge and rising seas as coastal concerns. Inland, freeze and thaw cycles and shade from woods do most of the damage to roofs and wood.

Cumberland split from North Yarmouth in 1821. Its town charter divides it into three areas: Cumberland Center, the largest, along Route 9 and Tuttle Road, with the Prince Memorial Library, the MSAD 51 schools and the Congregational Church, founded in 1793; Cumberland Foreside, where the Foreside Community Church building dates to 1811 and trolleys ran along Route 88 from 1898 to 1933; and West Cumberland, with its 1848 Methodist church and farm fields. Chebeague Island left in 2007, leaving Basket and Sturdivant Islands. The Cumberland Fair has run every September since 1868.

The Cumberland Code Enforcement Office handles building permits and inspections, which it schedules Monday through Thursday, and applications can be sent by email. Construction must meet the 2021 International Residential Code, the 2021 International Building Code and the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code under the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. The Shoreland Overlay District generally reaches 250 feet from rivers, streams, saltwater and associated wetlands, and 75 feet from certain streams; any building permit there needs a Shoreland Zoning Permit first or alongside it. The town has no historic preservation ordinance, though the draft comprehensive plan asks the council to consider one.

Each page below covers one job in Cumberland: what the town's houses and weather mean for it, what the work involves, and what moves the price. For the full picture of a trade, see our siding, window replacement, roofing and deck building pages.