James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding in Portland, Maine

James Hardie fiber cement suits Portland's older housing because it reads like painted wood. Its lap siding and shingle profiles fit Victorian, Italianate and colonial houses in a way plastic cladding rarely does, which can matter when a design is reviewed for a historic district or when neighbors care about the streetscape. It does not rot, does not feed insects, and holds up well to the freeze and thaw cycles that open joints in wood clapboard every winter.

Fiber cement is also noncombustible, a real consideration on the peninsula where triple-deckers and row houses sit close together. Near the harbor and on the islands, it stands up to salt air better than wood, provided the trim, flashing and fasteners are chosen for the exposure. It is heavier than vinyl and has to be cut with dust control, and every butt joint and window head needs proper flashing, so installation quality decides how long it lasts. The factory finish comes in a range of colors, which means far longer between repaints than a sun-facing wall of painted wood usually gets in Portland.

Portland has roughly 36,600 housing units, and the American Community Survey estimates a median year built of 1946. About 46 percent predate 1940 and about 61 percent predate 1960, while only about 16 percent date from 1960 to 1979 and about 11 percent from 2000 or later. Owners occupy about 47 percent of occupied homes, and single-family detached houses make up only about 36 percent of the stock, so multi-unit buildings are the norm rather than the exception. After the Great Fire of 1866 the peninsula was rebuilt largely in Victorian and Italianate styles, and wood-framed triple-deckers fill much of the older residential grid. Off the peninsula, Deering and the outer neighborhoods run to capes, colonials and mid-century houses. The census also counts nearly 1,900 seasonal units, many of them island cottages in Casco Bay.

Portland sits on a peninsula in Casco Bay, and exposure changes block to block. Houses on the eastern and western ends of the peninsula, along the harbor and on the islands take wind straight off the water, while inland neighborhoods such as Deering and Stroudwater are more sheltered. Snowfall averages about 69 inches a year, but the city has seen seasons as light as 30 inches and as heavy as 150. Severe nor'easters arrive in winter with wind-driven rain and snow that finds any gap in old clapboard, trim or window casing. Repeated freeze and thaw works on paint, caulk and shingles, and salt air on the waterfront and islands speeds corrosion of fasteners, flashing and exposed metal.

Building permits in Portland go through the city's Permitting and Inspections Department, which handles permits, licensing and inspections in one office. A new deck is structural work and needs a building permit; ask the department whether a given roof, siding or window job needs one before work starts. Portland also has a strong historic preservation ordinance. Properties in local districts including the West End, India Street, Congress Street, Deering Street, Stroudwater and the Old Port waterfront need a certificate of appropriateness for exterior alterations, reviewed by preservation staff or the Historic Preservation Board. Waterfront and island lots may also fall under shoreland zoning.

Fiber cement is a mix of cement, sand and cellulose fiber pressed into planks, shingles and panels. It does not rot, insects do not eat it, it will not burn, and factory-applied finishes hold color far longer than site-painted wood. It is heavier and more exacting to install than vinyl, which is exactly why installation quality shows. The Back Cove home on this site was re-sided with a complete James Hardie package of wood-grain plank.

• Walls are stripped, repaired and wrapped, with flashing at every opening and roof-to-wall joint.
• Boards are cut with dust-controlled tools and fastened to the manufacturer's nailing schedule.
• Required clearances are held above roofs, decks and grade so the ends never sit in water or snow.
• Butt joints get flashing behind them, and cut ends are sealed or primed as the manufacturer specifies.
• Trim, caulk lines and touch-up are finished so the pre-finished color stays uniform.

• You want the look of painted clapboard without the paint cycle
• Wood siding keeps rotting at the bottom courses and around trim
• The house sits in wind and salt exposure that punishes other materials
• You want a non-combustible exterior

• Product line and profile: lap plank, shingle, panel or board-and-batten
• Pre-finished color versus site painting
• Trim package and detailing
• Tear-off, sheathing repair and house height
• Number of windows, doors and corners to flash and trim

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 James Hardie fiber cement siding overview.

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