Roof Replacement in Gorham, Maine

Much of Gorham's building boom came after 1980, and the original roofs on those houses are now due or overdue. With close to 69 inches of snow a year at the nearest weather station and snow sitting on roofs for weeks, the typical failure points are ice dams along the eaves, leaks around chimneys and plumbing vents, and shingles that have lost granules on south-facing slopes. Older village houses add steep roofs, multiple chimneys and additions with their own low-slope sections.

A tear-off lets the crew inspect the roof deck and replace rotted sheathing rather than roofing over it. Maine's code, based on the 2021 International Residential Code, requires ice-barrier membrane from the eaves to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, and attic ventilation is balanced so snow melts evenly instead of refreezing at the eave. For a house in a designated historic district, the roofing material may be reviewed. Cardinal replaces roofs in architectural asphalt shingles, standing seam and metal shingles, cedar shake, and flat or low-slope systems, with the scope fixed in writing.

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.

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.

A roof replacement strips the old roofing down to the deck, repairs what is underneath, and rebuilds the whole system: underlayment, ice and water protection at the eaves and valleys, flashing at chimneys and walls, ventilation, and the new roofing itself. Maine roofs carry snow for months and see ice dams at the eaves, so the parts you never see do most of the work. The site covers architectural asphalt shingles, metal, cedar shake and flat or low-slope roofing.

• Old roofing is torn off to the deck and hauled away, with the yard and plantings protected.
• Soft or delaminated sheathing is replaced before anything new goes down.
• Ice and water shield goes at the eaves, valleys and penetrations; synthetic underlayment covers the rest.
• Drip edge, step and counter flashing, and pipe boots are installed new.
• Ridge and soffit venting are balanced, then the new roofing is installed and the site cleaned with magnets.

• Curling, cracked, or missing shingles and granules in the gutters
• Ice dams along the eaves or water stains on ceilings after thaws
• Daylight or damp sheathing visible in the attic
• Sagging roof lines or spongy spots underfoot
• A roof at or past the age its material was made for

• Roof area, pitch and complexity: valleys, dormers, skylights, chimneys
• Number of existing layers to remove
• Sheathing repair found after tear-off
• Material: asphalt, metal, cedar or low-slope membrane
• Ventilation and flashing upgrades

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 roof replacement overview.

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