Siding, Roofing, Windows & Decks in South Portland, Maine

South Portland has about 12,800 housing units, and the American Community Survey estimates a median year built of 1968, two decades newer than Portland across the harbor. About 25 percent of homes predate 1940 and about 45 percent predate 1960. Roughly 16 percent went up between 1960 and 1979, and close to 19 percent date from 2000 or later, a larger share of newer construction than on the peninsula. Owners occupy about 58 percent of occupied homes, and single-family detached houses make up a little over half the stock, with apartments, condominiums and two-family houses filling out the rest. Seasonal homes are rare, only about 100 units. The older waterfront villages hold the city's early wood-frame houses, while the neighborhoods farther inland are largely post-war and later.

South Portland faces Portland Harbor and the Fore River on its north side and Casco Bay to the east, so houses in Ferry Village, Willard and the streets near Spring Point take salt air and onshore wind, while western neighborhoods near the Maine Mall are more sheltered. The city shares its weather with the Portland International Jetport, whose main runway lies inside South Portland, and the Portland area averages about 69 inches of snow a year, with some winters far lighter or heavier. Nor'easters drive rain and snow sideways against exposed walls, and repeated freeze and thaw loosens caulk, paint and shingles. Near the water, salt speeds corrosion of flashing and fasteners.

South Portland split from Cape Elizabeth in 1895 and incorporated as a city in 1898. Ferry Village is its oldest neighborhood, and Knightville, Mill Creek, Willard, Meetinghouse Hill, Pleasantdale, Ligonia, Redbank and Cash Corner each have their own feel. During World War II its shipyards built 236 Liberty ships. The shoreline holds Fort Preble, established in 1808, Spring Point Ledge Light from 1897, the Portland Breakwater Lighthouse known as Bug Light, and Willard Beach. Inland, the city is home to the Maine Mall, Rigby Yard and the oil terminals along the harbor.

Building permits in South Portland come from Code Enforcement, part of the Department of Planning and Development, which issues permits and conducts inspections for building, electrical and plumbing work. Applications can go through the city's online portal or by email. The city enforces the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, based on the 2021 International Residential Code, and a permitted project must make a substantial start within 180 days. Since 2019, a building permit for exterior work on a designated historic property or any structure built in 1940 or earlier may be delayed up to 90 days. Shoreland zoning applies along the harbor and bay.

Each page below covers one job in South Portland: what the town's houses and weather mean for it, what the work involves, and what moves the price. For the full picture of a trade, see our siding, window replacement, roofing and deck building pages.