Metal Roofing in Sebago, Maine

Metal roofs are well suited to Sebago camps and outbuildings. A standing seam or metal shingle roof sheds snow rather than holding it, which takes load off light framing on seasonal cottages, and it resists the moss and needle buildup that shortens the life of shingles under tall pines. With no salt air this far inland, standard painted finishes hold up well, and the roof can go years without attention while the owner is away.

Snow sliding off metal is the main thing to design around. On a camp with a deck, entry steps or a woodshed below the eaves, snow guards or a layout that sends the slide away from those areas prevents damage and injury. Rural lots in Sebago often carry barns, garages and sheds that suit a standing seam or exposed-fastener roof, and matching the house to those outbuildings gives the property one consistent look. For homes on higher, more open ground toward Douglas Mountain, a properly fastened metal roof also resists wind uplift well. Color is a free choice here, since the finish, not the shade, is what protects the steel, so it can simply match the trim or the surrounding woods.

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.

Metal roofs shed snow, shrug off wind, and outlast most other roofing. Standing seam panels run from eave to ridge with raised, concealed-fastener seams; metal shingle systems give a more traditional look. The site lists metal roofing systems among its roofing options. Because snow slides off metal in sheets, planning where it lands, over doors, walks, decks and lower roofs, is part of the design.

• Tear-off to the deck and repair, or preparation of the existing deck as the system requires.
• High-temperature underlayment and ice and water protection where needed.
• Panels or metal shingles installed with clips or fasteners that allow thermal movement.
• Trim, ridge, eave and valley flashings formed and installed.
• Snow guards placed where sliding snow would land on entries, decks or lower roofs.

• You want the last roof you put on the house
• Heavy snow loads and ice dams on a low-pitch or shaded roof
• A camp, barn or outbuilding where low upkeep matters most
• Repeated shingle blow-offs in wind

• Standing seam versus metal shingle, and gauge and finish
• Roof area, pitch and number of penetrations
• Tear-off and deck preparation
• Snow guard layout
• Trim, valley and flashing detail

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 metal roofing overview.

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