Roof Replacement in Scarborough, Maine

Roofs on Scarborough houses built in the 1980s and 1990s are on their second or even their first covering, and the first round of those roofs is now well past its expected life. Winters here average close to 69 inches of snow at the nearby Jetport, and nor'easters pair heavy snow with high wind. That combination drives ice dams at cold eaves and lifts shingles along rakes and ridges, especially on houses near the open water at Pine Point and Prouts Neck.

A full tear-off exposes the roof deck, so soft or delaminated sheathing is replaced rather than covered. The 2021 International Residential Code, which Scarborough enforces, calls for an ice barrier from the lowest edge of the roof to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, and more on steep roofs, and a new roof is also the time to balance intake and ridge ventilation so the attic stays cold and dry. Porch roofs and additions with low slopes need a membrane, not shingles. Cardinal replaces roofs in architectural asphalt shingles, standing seam and metal shingles, cedar shake, and flat or low-slope systems.

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.

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.

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