Siding Replacement in Gray, Maine

On a Gray house, the siding that gives out first is usually on the wall that takes the weather and the wall that never sees sun. A ranch or raised ranch from the town's big 1960-1979 building wave, about 29 percent of the housing stock by Census estimates, may be on its second or third coat of paint over original wood or hardboard, and hardboard swells and flakes where snow banks against it all winter. On lake lots, north-facing walls under the pines stay damp long enough to grow mildew and soften the bottom courses.

A full replacement is the chance to fix what the old siding was hiding. The crew strips to the sheathing, repairs soft spots, adds a weather-resistive barrier, and installs new flashing at windows, doors and the deck ledger, then sets the bottom course high enough to stay clear of the snow that piles against foundations in a town averaging about 84 inches a winter. Whether you choose premium vinyl, James Hardie fiber cement or cedar, an owner of Cardinal Exteriors measures the house and puts a fixed price in writing, so you can compare materials on the same walls.

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.

Siding replacement is more than new cladding. The old siding comes off, the sheathing underneath is inspected and repaired where it has gone soft, a new weather-resistive barrier and flashing go on around every opening, and the new siding and trim are installed as one system. In Maine, where wind-driven rain, freeze-thaw cycles and long winters test every seam, the layers you never see decide how long the wall lasts.

• An owner walks the house, measures every wall, and notes rot, past leaks, and how many layers of old siding are on it.
• Old siding and trim are stripped to the sheathing, and damaged boards are cut out and replaced before anything new goes on.
• A house wrap or other weather-resistive barrier is lapped shingle-style, with flashing tape and head flashing at windows and doors.
• New corner boards, window and door casing, and frieze trim go up, then the siding itself, fastened to the manufacturer's spacing.
• Debris is hauled away, magnetic sweeps pick up nails, and the job is walked with you before the last crew leaves.

• Clapboards or shingles that are cupped, split, or soft when pressed
• Paint that peels within a few seasons of being painted
• Stains, mold, or bubbling paint on interior walls after storms
• Dated aluminum, asbestos-cement or 1970s metal siding you want gone
• Rooms that feel drafty along exterior walls

• Wall area and how many stories need staging or lifts
• How many layers of old siding come off, and whether any need special handling
• Sheathing repairs found once the old siding is off
• The siding material chosen: vinyl, fiber cement, cedar or composite
• Trim detail: corner boards, window casing, frieze boards and brackets
• Whether windows or the roof are replaced in the same visit

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 siding replacement overview.

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