Metal Roofing in Gray, Maine

Metal suits Gray's snow. A standing seam roof sheds a heavy load in a single slide once the sun reaches it, instead of holding the weight all winter and building ice dams, and it can outlast several asphalt roofs. That makes it a natural choice for the camps on Little Sebago and Crystal Lake, where an owner may not be around to rake the roof after a storm, and for the barns, garages and outbuildings on the farms along the state routes.

The slide is also the main thing to plan around. Snow coming off a metal roof lands hard, so entry doors, walkways, decks, heat pump units and parked cars below an eave need snow guards or a layout that sends the discharge somewhere harmless. Gray has no salt spray, so a quality painted steel panel holds its finish well here, and metal shingles give the same shedding performance in a profile that looks closer to slate or shake on a village house. Chimneys, vent pipes and valleys are where metal roofs leak when they leak, so those details get the most care during installation.

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimates about 4,440 housing units in Gray, with a median year built of 1983. Roughly 12 percent predate 1940 and about 18 percent predate 1960, so most of the town is younger than its village center suggests. Two building waves stand out in the data: about 29 percent of homes went up between 1960 and 1979, and about 27 percent in 2000 or later, the years of subdivision growth off the state routes. Close to 78 percent of units are single-family detached houses, and about 82 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. The survey also counts roughly 630 seasonal units, around one in seven, which fits the camps and cottages along the town's lake frontage. The older stock runs to Capes and farmhouses, such as the Freeman Farm's circa-1812 Cape with its long ell and 1830s bank barn.

Gray is inland, with a town center about 256 feet above sea level, and it gets noticeably more snow than the coast. The town is home to the National Weather Service office that forecasts for western Maine and New Hampshire, and NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the Gray station list about 84 inches of snow a year, with December, January and February each averaging roughly 18 to 21 inches. January averages about 22 degrees with a typical low near 14, and the coldest night of an average winter falls below zero. Salt air is not a factor here. The loads on a Gray exterior are freeze-thaw cycling, deep snow sitting on roofs and decks for weeks, ice dams at cold eaves, and wind across open fields and lake coves.

Building permits in Gray go through the Community Development Department at the Henry Pennell Municipal Complex, 24 Main Street. The town's residential permit application lists decks as a structure type, asks for a plot plan and building plans, and asks for a Dig Safe number from calling 811 before digging. In the Village Center and Village Center Proper zoning districts, the design standards in Section 402.8.3 of the zoning ordinance, amended in 2021, require a Design Standard Certificate before a building permit is issued for development. Land within 250 feet of a great pond falls under Maine's mandatory shoreland zoning. Confirm what applies with the code office before work starts.

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 Gray exterior services overview, or see every town on our Cumberland County service areas page.