Roof Replacement in Long Island, Maine

Census estimates count about 423 housing units, and the median year built is 1938. About 66 percent of units predate 1940, and about 68 percent predate 1960. Almost nothing was built between 1960 and 1979, only around 3 percent, and about 15 percent went up in 2000 or later. Roughly 95 percent of units are single-family detached houses, and about 88 percent of year-round households own their home. Seasonal use dominates: about 307 units, nearly three-quarters of the stock, are held for seasonal or occasional use. The town's comprehensive plan counts about 50 homes converted from year-round to summer-only use over a recent 25-year stretch and describes many summer houses as unheated or poorly heated. Many trace back to the summer-cottage boom of the 1890s and 1900s.

Long Island lies about six miles out from Portland along Hussey Sound, a main passage into the inner bay. Wind reaches it from every direction, and the town's comprehensive plan notes that the first settlers built on the south side of the island to shelter from northerly winter winds. Portland International Jetport, the nearest long-term station, averages about 69 inches of snow a season under the 1991 to 2020 normals. A January 2022 winter storm badly damaged the wave break, floats and pilings at Mariner's Wharf, and the plan lists sea level rise, stronger storms and upkeep of the island's bluffs among the town's concerns.

The Code Enforcement Officer meets by appointment through the Town Clerk. The town's building permit application covers new structures, additions, alterations, replacements and repairs, and it must include a scaled site plan and proof that a construction debris container has been delivered to be barged off the island. Every job gets at least three inspections: foundation, framing and final. Height is capped at 35 feet, and several zones limit structures to 15 percent of the lot. In the shoreland zone, new structures sit at least 75 feet from the upland edge of a coastal wetland, and the permit form warns that shoreland work may also need a Maine DEP permit.

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.

For a deeper walkthrough of materials, code details and photos, see our full Roof Replacement in Maine: Ice Dams, Ventilation, and What's Under the Shingles guide.

Back to the Long Island exterior services overview, or see every town on our service areas page.