Cedar Siding & Shingles in Yarmouth, Maine

Cedar shingles belong on the Cousins Island and Littlejohn Island cottages that grew from the late-1800s shore tourism the comprehensive plan describes, and on newer shingle-style homes built along the coves. Red and white cedar both weather naturally, and a house on the water can be left to silver without paint. In the villages, cedar clapboard is the historically accurate replacement for a Greek Revival wall, which can matter if the Historic Preservation Committee is reviewing your plans.

Upkeep is the honest trade-off. On the water side of an island house, salt, sun and wind dry cedar fast, and shingles on those walls need fresh, stainless or hot-dipped fasteners so rust streaks do not bleed down the courses. Inland, on shaded lots under tall pines off Granite Street or East Elm Street, the risk flips to moss and mildew on the north walls. Either way, cedar lasts far longer when it is installed over a ventilated rainscreen or a drainable wrap so the backs of the shingles can dry. It is the right material where appearance comes first, as long as you plan for occasional attention.

The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey estimates about 3,600 homes in Yarmouth, with a median year built of 1973. Roughly 17 percent predate 1940 and about 27 percent predate 1960, while the biggest share, about 39 percent, went up between 1960 and 1979; only about 11 percent date from 2000 or later. About 80 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied and about 76 percent are single-family detached, with roughly 120 units held for seasonal use. The town's 2024 comprehensive plan describes the village core as mostly mid-19th-century wood-frame single-family homes, Greek Revival first and Italianate second. After the 1955 causeway to Cousins and Littlejohn islands and the 1961 arrival of I-295, conventional subdivisions spread along North Road, East Elm Street, Bayview Street, Princes Point Road and Granite Street, with condominium clusters following in the 1980s.

Yarmouth's building code writes its design conditions straight into the ordinance: a ground snow load of 60 pounds per square foot, a design wind speed of 115 mph, weathering rated severe, a 48-inch frost line, a winter design temperature of minus 5 degrees and ice shield underlayment required. The town fronts Casco Bay along White's Cove and Broad Cove, so houses on Cousins Island, Littlejohn Island, Princes Point and the points along the shore take salt spray and open-water wind during nor'easters. Portland, the nearest long-term weather record, averages about 69 inches of snow a year. The comprehensive plan flags sea level rise along the shoreline, including stretches of the Talbot Road connector on the islands, and the town publishes flood and coastal bluff maps.

Building permits go through the Yarmouth Code Enforcement Office at Town Hall, 200 Main Street. Chapter 301 requires a permit before any building or structure is erected, remodeled, demolished or relocated, and work started without one pays double the fee. The town notes that applications take about 30 days on average to review, and building permits must be mailed or dropped off rather than emailed. Inside the Upper Village, Lower Village and Royal River Manufacturing historic districts, all exterior changes go to the Historic Preservation Committee, whose review is mandatory but advisory. Shoreland permits apply near Casco Bay and the Royal River.

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.

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