Cedar Siding & Shingles in Sebago, Maine

Census estimates count about 1,520 housing units in Sebago, with a median year built of 1975, older than neighboring Naples. About 17 percent predate 1940 and roughly 36 percent predate 1960. Another 19 percent went up between 1960 and 1979, about a quarter between 1980 and 1999, and about 20 percent in 2000 or later. Some 85 percent are single-family detached houses, and about 89 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. Nearly 600 units are held for seasonal use. The town's 2006 comprehensive plan found that most homes along Sebago Lake, Peabody Pond and Barker Pond were seasonal while year-round houses sat away from the water, noted a steady conversion of camps to year-round use since 1991, and counted mobile homes at about 13 percent of the stock, mostly on individual lots rather than in parks.

Sebago is inland lake and hill country, so salt air is not a factor; snow and cold are. The National Weather Service station in nearby Gray records about 84 inches of snow in a normal year, with roughly 20 inches in each of January and February. Elevation adds to the exposure here: Sebago Center sits about 450 feet above sea level, and homes on the slopes toward Douglas Mountain sit higher still. Along the shore, Sebago Lake freezes over completely only every few winters, so wind has miles of open water to build across before it reaches the west-shore camps, and the lake area is known for sudden weather changes in every season. Wooded lots throughout town keep walls and decks shaded and slow to dry.

Permits are handled by the Sebago Code Enforcement and Planning office at 406 Bridgton Road on Route 107, where the Code Enforcement Officer also serves as building inspector and is often out on site visits from noon to 3 p.m. The town's permits page lists building permits, shoreland zoning permits and permit-by-rule forms, and states that no permit is needed for roofing or exterior painting. Siding and window work should be confirmed with the office, and a new deck should be expected to need a building permit. Land within 250 feet of Sebago Lake or a great pond falls under shoreland zoning, which has its own permit form.

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.

For a deeper walkthrough of materials, code details and photos, see our full Cedar Siding & Shingles: A Traditional Maine Look That Needs the Right Prep Underneath guide.

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