Siding, Roofing, Windows & Decks in Gorham, Maine

Gorham counts about 6,800 housing units in the 2020 to 2024 Census estimates, with a median year built of 1988. Roughly a third of homes, about 33 percent, were built in 2000 or later, and about 29 percent date from the 1980s and 1990s, so most of the town's houses are under 45 years old. The older layer is substantial: about 14 percent of homes predate 1940 and about 21 percent predate 1960, including the wooden 19th-century houses of the Gorham Village historic district. Another 17 percent or so went up between 1960 and 1979. About 80 percent of homes are single-family detached and about 82 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. The estimates show essentially no seasonal housing, so nearly every house here is lived in year-round.

Gorham is an inland town, about 200 feet above sea level, drained by the Presumpscot, Stroudwater and Little rivers, and out of reach of the salt spray that wears on coastal houses. What it does get is a full southern Maine winter. The Portland International Jetport, the nearest long-term weather station, averages close to 69 inches of snow a year, with seasons ranging from far lighter to far heavier. Nor'easters bring high winds and storms that often exceed a foot of snow, and roofs carry that load for weeks at a time. Spring and fall bring repeated freezing and thawing, which drives water into siding joints, window sills and roof edges, and heaves deck footings that were set too shallow.

Gorham was first settled in 1736 and incorporated in 1764. Gorham Village is the town center, with South Gorham, West Gorham, North Gorham, Little Falls and White Rock beyond it. The Gorham Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1992, covers about 25 acres and 42 historic buildings, mostly wooden houses in the Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate styles, with brick commercial blocks on School Street; the First Congregational Church dates from 1797. Next door, the Gorham Campus Historic District holds the University of Southern Maine campus, which grew from Gorham Academy, founded in 1806. The McLellan House, Baxter House and Stephen Longfellow House are also on the Register.

Permits in Gorham are handled by the Code Division of the town's Community Development department, and applications are now filed online through the SmartGov system. The town lists a Building Permit for Minor Projects that covers decks, sheds and pools, so a new deck or a deck replacement is permitted before construction; ask the Code Division whether a roofing, siding or window job needs one. Lots along the Presumpscot and other rivers fall under shoreland zoning and need a Shoreland Zoning Permit for work in that zone. Gorham also has a Historic Preservation Commission, which issues Historic Preservation Certificates for designated historic properties and districts.

Each page below covers one job in Gorham: 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.