Cedar Siding & Shingles in New Gloucester, Maine

Cedar is the historically honest material for much of New Gloucester. The pre-1810 houses in the village and the barns and ells of the connected farms were clad in wood, and cedar clapboard or shingles keeps that texture on a restoration, or on an addition that has to match the original house. White cedar shingles weather to gray without any finish, while red cedar clapboard takes paint or solid stain for a crisp village look beside the 1838 church and the old tavern.

The trade-off is upkeep in an inland climate with hard freeze-thaw and long snow cover. Cedar on a north wall or a side facing the barnyard stays wet longer, so it should go over a rain-screen or breathable underlayment with corrosion-resistant nails, with the lowest course kept clear of grade and plowed snow. Painted cedar needs refinishing every several years. On an addition to an older house, cedar on the walls the road sees and fiber cement on the back is one way to balance authenticity and maintenance without the two materials looking mismatched.

Census estimates put New Gloucester at about 2,260 housing units with a median year built of 1991. About 11 percent of homes predate 1940 and roughly one in five predates 1960, but the largest share, about 31 percent, has been built in 2000 or later. Only about 15 percent date from 1960 to 1979, a much thinner mid-century layer than in neighboring Gray. Around 70 percent of units are single-family detached houses, and about 83 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. Seasonal homes are rare, about two dozen by the survey's count, so nearly every house here is lived in year-round. The oldest houses are notable: the village holds many wood-frame houses built before 1810 in Georgian and Federal styles, and Intervale Farm's circa-1811 brick farmhouse is joined to its barn by a string of wood-frame additions.

New Gloucester is inland farm country, with the town center at roughly 364 feet and no salt exposure. The nearest long-term record is next door: NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the Gray station list about 84 inches of snow a year, and January there averages near 22 degrees. The town's own code enforcement handout gives the figures it builds to, a total snow load of 70 pounds per square foot and a 100 mph wind speed. Open fields along the Intervale and around the farms let wind drive snow and rain against the long walls of connected farmhouses, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles work into any joint that holds water.

New Gloucester's Code Enforcement Officer, who also serves as plumbing inspector and health officer, issues building permits. Under Article 6.1.1 of the zoning ordinance, no structure may be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered without one. The office's handout says regular maintenance such as roofing, siding and window replacement needs no permit when it does not alter the structure. Decks do: the permit checklist asks for a foundation plan, framing cross sections and a signed plot plan with setbacks. The town's FAQ notes that work within 100 feet of a water body may need Maine DEP approval.

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