Cedar Siding & Shingles in Harrison, Maine

Cedar shingles and clapboard have deep roots in Harrison, whose 19th-century economy included a shingle mill, and whose best-known building, Deertrees Theatre, shows how far natural wood can go in the woods around here. Many older lake camps still carry original shingles weathered silver-gray, and owners who want the house to keep that look often choose cedar again rather than switching materials.

The same conditions that give cedar its character here also shorten its life. Walls under tall trees stay damp, and damp cedar grows mildew and moss, especially on north and lakeside faces that rarely see full sun. Good practice is a vented rainscreen or drainage mat behind the shingles so the backs can dry, stainless or hot-dipped nails that will not streak, and a finish plan decided before the job starts: left natural to weather, bleached, or factory-primed and stained for a consistent color. Clearing branches back from the wall helps as much as any product. Cedar needs more upkeep than vinyl or fiber cement, and that is worth weighing honestly for a seasonal owner who visits only in summer, but on a village house or a classic shingled camp nothing else looks quite as right.

Census estimates count about 1,800 housing units in Harrison, with a median year built of 1980. Roughly 20 percent went up before 1940 and about 26 percent before 1960, another 24 percent date from 1960 to 1979, and about 26 percent were built in 2000 or later. Close to 89 percent are single-family detached houses, and about 90 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. Nearly 500 units, a bit more than a quarter of the stock, are held for seasonal or recreational use, mostly camps and cottages on the lakes. In practice that means three kinds of houses: 19th-century capes and connected farmhouses in and around the villages, modest ranches and camps from the postwar decades, and larger year-round homes and rebuilt lake houses from the last 25 years. Many older camps have been winterized and added onto in stages.

Harrison is inland lake country, well away from salt air, so cold and snow do the damage here. The closest National Weather Service normals come from the forecast office in Gray, which records about 84 inches of snow a year for 1991 to 2020, and Harrison sits farther north and inland still. Winters bring long stretches below freezing broken by thaws, which is the cycle that drives ice dams and splits old paint and caulk. Long Lake runs about 12 miles from end to end, so homes on the shore face wind that builds over open water. Lots set back in the woods have the opposite problem: shade and damp that keep siding, roof valleys and deck boards wet long after a storm.

Building permits come from the Harrison Code Enforcement Department at the Town Office on Front Street, whose officer is also the shoreland zoning administrator. The town Building Permit Requirements Ordinance requires a permit before anyone builds, modifies or adds to a structure, and names only routine minor maintenance, such as painting, as exempt, so ask the office before a residing or re-roofing job. The officer has 30 days to act on a complete application, and a permit lapses after a year without a substantial start. Inspections are booked 24 hours ahead. Near the lakes, the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance sets a 100-foot setback for new structures from great ponds.

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