Cedar Siding & Shingles in Freeport, Maine

Cedar is the traditional skin of Casco Bay houses, from painted clapboard on Federal capes to white cedar shingles left to weather silver near the water. In Freeport it belongs on the older houses of South Freeport, Porter's Landing and Mast Landing, on shore cottages, and on any home whose owner wants the real material rather than an imitation. It is light, easy to cut to old trim profiles, takes paint or stain well, and ages in a way that matches the saltbox and Greek Revival neighbors around it.

The exposure asks for care. Salt air and fog keep shingles damp on the bay side, so a rainscreen gap or ventilated mat behind the cedar lets the back of each shingle dry, and stainless or hot-dipped galvanized nails keep rust streaks from bleeding down the face. North walls under oaks and pines grow mildew faster than sunny ones. Painted or stained cedar needs refinishing on a regular schedule, while untreated white cedar can simply be left to weather. For clapboard on a historic house, matching the original exposure and corner-board widths keeps the facade looking right, which matters most in the Harraseeket villages and on Main Street.

Census estimates (ACS 2020-2024) put Freeport at roughly 4,250 housing units with a median year built of 1984, young for a town incorporated in 1789: about 17 percent of homes predate 1940 and about a quarter predate 1960; another 18 or 19 percent went up between 1960 and 1979, and roughly 30 percent were built in 2000 or later, leaving about a quarter from the 1980s and 1990s. Around 72 percent are single-family detached houses, close to 78 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, and some 280 units are held for seasonal use. The oldest stock is Federal and Greek Revival: the c. 1790 Mitchell-Soule-Davis cape and the c. 1830 brick Harrington House survive on Main Street, and saltbox farmhouses such as the Pettengill House and the Capt. Greenfield Pote House stand near Mast Landing and on Wolfe's Neck. Newer neighborhoods fill in between Route 1, I-295 and the river.

Freeport sits at the northeastern corner of Casco Bay, and the Harraseeket River carries the tide inland past South Freeport, Porter's Landing and Mast Landing. Houses on Wolfe's Neck, in South Freeport and along the river take salt air, fog and northeast wind off the bay in nor'easters, while homes west of I-295 sit in more sheltered, wooded country. Snow is a real load here: Portland International Jetport, the nearest long-record weather station, averages about 69 inches a season under the 1991-2020 normals, most of it from December through March. Winters swing above and below freezing again and again, so water that gets behind trim, into siding joints or under shingles freezes, expands and works deeper with each cycle. Ice dams form on poorly insulated older roofs.

Building permits come from the Codes Enforcement office at Freeport Town Hall, 30 Main Street. A permit is required for any structural work or change of use, alterations may need one too, and the town asks owners to check with the codes officer first; a complete residential application is usually approved within a week. The residential checklist asks deck applicants for pier locations, framing, fastening, guards, handrails and stairs, and asks for a window and door schedule with U-factors. Downtown renovations fall under the Design Review Ordinance and the Project Review Board, and land within 250 feet of tidal water or a coastal wetland is in the state shoreland zone.

Cedar clapboards and shingles are the original New England exterior, and for shingle-style cottages, capes and historic homes nothing else looks quite right. Cedar is naturally rot-resistant and light, but it is wood: it needs airflow behind it and a finish that suits the exposure. Pre-finished shingles, such as the Maibec shingles on several projects shown on this site, arrive stained or primed on all sides, which cuts the upkeep and evens out the color.

• Walls are stripped, repaired and wrapped; where it helps drying, a ventilated or drainage layer goes behind the cedar.
• Shingles are coursed and laid out so exposure lines up at windows, doors and corners.
• Stainless or hot-dipped galvanized fasteners are used so they do not stain or corrode.
• Corners are woven or finished with boards, and trim is detailed to shed water.
• Pre-finished product is touched up at cuts; natural cedar is left to weather or finished as you choose.

• The house is a cape, shingle-style cottage or historic home where cedar belongs
• Existing shingles are cupped, split, missing or black with mildew
• A historic district or your own taste calls for real wood
• You want a natural finish that weathers to silver-gray

• Clapboard versus shingle, and grade of cedar
• Pre-finished versus natural or site-finished
• Coursing detail, corner treatment and trim
• Wall area, height and tear-off
• Any rainscreen or drainage layer behind the siding

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

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