Cedar Siding & Shingles in Scarborough, Maine

Cedar shingles are the native skin of Scarborough's shoreline. The Shingle-style cottages of Prouts Neck, many designed by John Calvin Stevens and many little changed in more than a hundred years, set the pattern, and Winslow Homer's studio, a Stevens remodel of a carriage house, is a National Historic Landmark in the same style. Replacing worn shingles on a house like that with anything other than cedar changes what the house is, and that is also true of smaller shingled cottages near Pine Point and Higgins Beach.

Upkeep depends on exposure. On an ocean-facing wall, natural cedar weathers to silver-gray years ahead of the sheltered sides, and wind-driven salt wears the butts of each course; a factory-applied stain or primer slows that down and evens out the color. Stainless or hot-dipped galvanized fasteners avoid the rust streaks that plain nails leave near salt water, and a ventilated underlayment lets shingles dry out between storms instead of cupping. Cedar clapboard is another option for an older house that was never shingled. On an inland lot under tall trees, keeping gutters clear and brush trimmed back matters more to cedar's life than salt does.

Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 put Scarborough at about 11,100 housing units with a median year built of 1988, a young housing stock for a town settled in 1635. About 30 percent of homes date from 2000 or later and roughly another 31 percent from the 1980s and 1990s, so a large share of houses are reaching the age when original roofs, builder-grade windows and first-generation siding come due together. About 24 percent went up between 1960 and 1979. The older layer is thinner but distinctive: about 16 percent of homes predate 1960 and about 8 percent predate 1940, including the summer cottages of Prouts Neck, many of which have changed little in more than a century. Roughly 69 percent of homes are single-family detached, about 77 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, and some 850 units are held for seasonal use.

Scarborough faces Saco Bay and the open Gulf of Maine, and much of the town sits close to sea level, with an average elevation of about 20 feet and a high point of roughly 215 feet on Beech Ridge. Houses at Prouts Neck, Pine Point and Higgins Beach take wind and salt spray straight off the water, and winter nor'easters bring high winds, driving rain and snowfalls that often top a foot. The Portland International Jetport, a few miles away, averages close to 69 inches of snow a year, though totals swing widely from one winter to the next. Homes along the marsh sit on low, open ground where wind crosses the flats. Everywhere, repeated freezing and thawing works water into joints, sills and shingle edges.

Building permits in Scarborough go through the Code Enforcement division of the Planning and Codes Department, which applies the 2021 Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code and its residential code. The town's code FAQ says anyone who intends to construct, alter or repair a building must first obtain the required permit, so new decks and deck replacements are permitted before work starts; ask the office about roofing, siding and windows. Lots near the shore, marsh or rivers fall under Shoreland Zoning Ordinance 405C, and any development in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area needs a flood hazard permit, a condition of the town's membership in the National Flood Insurance Program.

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