Metal Roofing in Windham, Maine

Metal roofs fit several kinds of Windham property. Year-round homes converted from lake camps benefit from a roof that sheds snow on its own, while barns, garages and outbuildings on the town's remaining farmland and wooded lots get a long service life with little care. Standing seam panels suit simple gable roofs, and metal shingles give a more traditional look on older houses around Windham Center. Standing seam also handles the shallow shed and porch roofs on converted camps, where shingles are more likely to leak.

The big planning issue is where the snow goes. A metal roof releases snow in large sheets, so snow guards should protect entries, walkways, decks, parked cars and lower roofs, and gutters in the slide path may need to change. With around 69 inches of snow a year at the nearest long-record station, a doorway under an unguarded metal roof is a real hazard. Wooded lake lots also collect pine needles and sap, and a quality paint finish helps metal keep its color and shed debris. Cardinal installs both standing seam and metal shingle systems and quotes each job in writing.

Census estimates count about 8,700 housing units in Windham, with a median year built of 1985. Roughly 27 percent of homes were built in 2000 or later, and about 21 percent between 1960 and 1979, while only about 12 percent predate 1940. About 85 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied and roughly 79 percent of units are single-family detached. Around 780 units are held for seasonal use. The town's 2017 comprehensive plan notes that many once-seasonal camps around the lakes are now lived in year-round, still reached by old gravel roads built for summer use. It also records that Windham's population held near 2,000 from 1830 to 1940, so most of today's houses belong to the decades of growth that followed.

Windham sits inland, so salt spray is not the main enemy here; snow, cold and lake wind are. Homes on Sebago Lake near Jordan Bay face a long reach of open water, and the lake region is known for sudden weather changes in every season. Houses on Little Sebago, Highland Lake and the town's smaller ponds sit among trees that keep walls shaded and damp. The Portland Jetport, the nearest long-record weather station, averages about 69 inches of snow a year on 1991 to 2020 normals, with January lows near 16 degrees. Frequent thaws and refreezes through the winter push water into siding laps, roof edges and deck framing.

Windham's Code Enforcement department, at 8 School Road, administers the town's land use, building, plumbing and electrical codes, and permits are applied for through the town's online portal. Decks are structural work, so check permit needs there before building one. Properties within 250 feet of Sebago Lake, Little Sebago, Highland Lake, the Presumpscot or the Pleasant River fall under shoreland zoning, which the town administers and which limits building near the water. Windham adopted a historic preservation ordinance in 1989, but its 2017 plan says no local historic district boundaries were ever put in place.

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