Portland Exteriors Firm Says It Has Served More Than 300 Clients

Cardinal Exteriors is a family-owned exterior contracting company in Portland run by partners Michael McCullum and Robert Milliken, known on the company's website as Mike and Bob. The site credits the pair with more than 20 years of combined experience and says the business has worked with over 300 clients in the Greater Portland area.

Four Core Services

According to its website, the company's siding crews work with four main materials: James Hardie fiber cement, vinyl, cedar and composite. Its window division installs several well-known brands, among them Andersen and Marvin on one side of the lineup and Pella and Integrity on the other. For roofs, the site lists architectural asphalt shingles, metal panels and cedar shakes, each put on after a complete tear-off of the old roof. Decks are built new, in composite, PVC, pressure-treated lumber or cedar, and the website notes this service covers new construction and full rebuilds rather than deck repairs.

The company's website walks through what happens underneath a new exterior during a re-side: the old cladding comes off, crews check the sheathing for soft spots, and a fresh moisture barrier goes up before the new siding and trim go back on. A gap propped open by strips of furring behind the new siding gives any trapped moisture room to drain instead of collecting against the wall. The site says these inner layers, more than the visible siding itself, decide how long a wall holds up against Maine weather.

Built for Older Homes

The website describes its coverage area as all of Cumberland County, with particular attention paid to the age of the local housing stock. It notes that a large share of homes in Portland and South Portland went up before 1940, and some fall inside historic districts, while homes nearer the water deal with salt air and wind and towns farther inland see heavier snow accumulation.

For houses built before 1978, when lead paint was still commonly used, the site says the company applies federal lead-safe work practices anytime a job disturbs painted trim, siding or window surfaces, following containment and cleanup steps set out in EPA rules.

The website says every estimate comes from an on-site visit by one of the two partners, who takes measurements personally and delivers a fixed-price proposal before any crew begins work. More than 300 clients have gone through that process, according to the site, which lists coverage reaching from greater Portland and its lake-country suburbs down the coast as far as Bath.

More about the company at cardinalext.com.