Most siding contractors in the Tampa Bay area will quote you vinyl, LP SmartSide, or fiber cement depending on what's cheapest that week. We don't work that way. Alpine Exteriors installs James Hardie fiber cement siding exclusively — no vinyl, no engineered wood panels, no exceptions. That's not a marketing angle, it's a standard we hold because we've seen what Florida's heat, humidity, and storm cycles do to lesser materials over a 10 to 15 year window, and we'd rather build a reputation in Memphis on siding that's still doing its job a decade from now.
This page covers how we actually run a siding project in Memphis, Florida — our process, what our warranty covers, where our service area starts and stops, and what a homeowner should expect on install day. If you're comparing siding contractors, this is the part most quotes skip.
Vinyl siding is inexpensive and fast to install, which is exactly why it's everywhere. But it expands and contracts with Florida's temperature swings, it can warp or buckle in direct west-facing sun, and it's a mechanically fastened product — meaning wind-driven rain can work its way behind it over time if the installation isn't precise. LP SmartSide and other engineered wood products carry moisture sensitivity at the cut edges and seams; if water gets in and isn't caught early, the substrate can swell and degrade in ways that are expensive to repair and hard to spot until the damage is already done.
Fiber cement doesn't share those failure points. It's dimensionally stable across heat and humidity, it doesn't feed moisture the way wood-based products can, and it holds paint and factory finishes far longer. For a house in inland Hillsborough County that sees summer humidity in the 90s and hard afternoon storms most of the year, that stability matters more than the upfront price difference.
Every project follows the same sequence, whether it's a single elevation repair or a full re-side. Consistency is how we keep quality predictable across every job in our service area.
We walk the exterior with you, check the current siding and the wall assembly behind it where accessible, and note problem areas — soft spots, prior water intrusion, trim that's failed, or sections exposed to the most sun and wind. We measure the full exterior and photograph anything that affects the scope.
You get a detailed, itemized estimate: product line, profile, exposure, color, trim package, and house wrap/moisture barrier specification. No vague "siding replacement" line item — you should know exactly what's going on your walls before you sign anything.
Siding replacement in unincorporated Hillsborough County requires a permit, and we pull it under our license — we don't hand that responsibility to the homeowner. Permitted work also means a county inspector signs off on the finished installation, which protects you if you ever sell the home.
Old siding comes off down to the sheathing. We inspect for rot or water damage, repair or replace any compromised sheathing before anything new goes up, and install a code-compliant weather-resistant barrier. This step gets skipped by corner-cutting crews more often than any other — it's also the step that determines whether your siding lasts 30 years or 12.
James Hardie siding is installed to the manufacturer's fastening, clearance, and flashing specifications — proper starter strip, correct nail placement, gapped and caulked joints where specified, and flashing at every window, door, and penetration. This is where following the manual matters; improperly installed Hardie siding can still fail even though the material itself is sound.
We walk the finished exterior with you, check caulking lines, trim reveals, and paint or ColorPlus finish consistency, and address anything before we consider the job complete.
A typical single-family home re-side in Memphis runs anywhere from 5 to 12 working days depending on square footage, trim complexity, and whether sheathing repairs are needed. Weather is the biggest variable — Florida's summer storm pattern means afternoon thunderstorms can pause exterior work most days from June through September, so we plan around morning hours during that stretch. You'll have a crew on site during scheduled work days, a dumpster or debris trailer staged on the property, and daily cleanup of nails, cut-offs, and packaging before the crew leaves.
Not every Hardie product fits every house. Part of the estimate conversation is matching the right profile to your home's style and exposure.
| Product | Best For | Look |
|---|---|---|
| HardiePlank Lap Siding | Most single-family homes, ranch and traditional styles common in Memphis and surrounding Hillsborough County | Classic horizontal lap, smooth or cedar texture |
| HardieShingle | Accent gables, dormers, or full-shingle coastal-cottage styling | Staggered or straight-edge shingle profile |
| HardiePanel | Board-and-batten farmhouse looks, common on newer builds in the area | Vertical panel with batten strips |
| HardieTrim | Corner boards, window/door surrounds, fascia | Smooth or textured trim boards |
All of it is available in factory-baked ColorPlus finish, which carries a longer color warranty than field-applied paint and holds up better against Florida's UV exposure.
Memphis sits inland in Hillsborough County, away from direct salt air, so you're not dealing with the same corrosion concerns as a beachfront property. But "inland" doesn't mean "easy on siding." The area still sees heavy, sustained summer humidity, intense direct sun with little tree-canopy relief on newer lots, and the full brunt of Central Florida's June-through-November storm season, including remnant bands from tropical systems that track up from the Gulf. Rural and semi-rural lots in and around Memphis also tend to have more open exposure to wind-driven rain than tightly packed subdivisions closer to Tampa — fewer neighboring structures to break the wind.
That combination — sun, humidity, and open exposure — is exactly the profile fiber cement was engineered for. It won't fade and chalk the way vinyl does under years of direct Florida sun, and it resists the swelling and softening that engineered wood products are prone to when wind-driven rain finds a seam. For homes with larger lots and more agricultural or semi-rural character, which describes a lot of the Memphis area, we also see more incidental impact exposure — mowers, trimmers, the occasional stray branch — and Hardie's impact resistance holds up better than vinyl in those everyday situations too.
Two separate warranties apply to every siding job we complete:
We register the manufacturer warranty in your name after project completion and give you copies of both warranty documents for your records.
Alpine Exteriors is licensed (Florida license RB29003900) and does siding work throughout Memphis and the surrounding Hillsborough County communities. If you're near Plant City, Thonotosassa, Knights, or the wider unincorporated county areas around Memphis, you're in our normal service radius — ask us if you're unsure whether your address falls inside it.
| Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Square footage of exterior wall area | Primary driver of material and labor cost |
| Sheathing condition underneath old siding | Rot or water damage found during tear-off adds repair cost before new siding goes up |
| Trim and architectural detail | Gables, dormers, and multiple roof lines mean more cutting and labor time |
| Profile and finish choice | ColorPlus factory finish costs more upfront than primed-for-paint but lasts longer |
| Story height and access | Two-story sections require more scaffolding/staging time |
We'd rather give you a real number after seeing the house than a phone-quote range that changes once we're on site. Every estimate we write is itemized so you can see exactly where the cost is going.
If your current siding is failing, or you're planning a re-side and want it done right the first time, fill out the form below for a free, no-pressure estimate. We'll walk the property, answer your questions about the process, and give you a straight, itemized number — no upsell script, no vinyl pitch.
Licensed siding contractors follow manufacturer fastening, flashing, and clearance specifications that most general handymen aren't trained on, and that specification compliance is often what keeps the manufacturer's product warranty valid. We also pull permits and have county inspections done on our siding work, which a side-job installer typically won't do.
Verify their state license number is active through the Florida DBPR license lookup, confirm they carry general liability and workers' comp insurance, and ask whether they pull permits for the work or expect you to. A contractor who avoids permitting on a siding job is usually avoiding an inspection they'd rather not have.
James Hardie engineers its products by climate zone, including a HardieZone formulation for humid subtropical climates like ours, and backs the material with a long-standing manufacturer warranty and factory-applied ColorPlus finish options. We've standardized on it because it's the fiber cement line with the deepest track record and the best climate-specific engineering for Florida.
HardiePlank is horizontal lap siding, the most common choice for full-house coverage on ranch and traditional home styles. HardieShingle mimics a staggered or straight cedar-shingle look and is typically used as an accent on gables or dormers, or for a full cottage-style exterior — it's a styling choice more than a performance one.
Larger, more open lots common around Memphis often have less wind-break from neighboring structures and trees than tighter subdivisions, so wind-driven rain exposure can be a bigger factor in flashing and joint detailing. We also see more incidental impact from yard equipment on bigger properties, which is another reason we spec impact-resistant fiber cement rather than a softer material.