There are a lot of siding companies working the New Tampa market right now, and most of them will sell you whatever's on the truck that week — vinyl, engineered wood, fiber cement, sometimes all three out of the same showroom. We don't work that way. Alpine Exteriors installs James Hardie fiber cement siding exclusively. Not because it's the only product that exists, but because after years of Florida installs, it's the only one we're willing to put our name and our warranty behind in this climate. That focus changes how we quote jobs, how we train our crews, and how we handle the work once we're on your property. This page walks through what actually happens when you hire us — our process, how the warranty is structured, where we work, and what your project looks like week to week.
New Tampa isn't a coastal community, but "inland" doesn't mean "easy" when it comes to siding. Communities like Tampa Palms, Live Oak Preserve, K-Bar Ranch, Pebble Creek, and Cory Lake Isles sit close enough to Tampa Bay to catch salt-tinged, humidity-loaded air, and far enough inland to bake under direct summer sun with less coastal breeze to move it along. That combination — high humidity plus intense UV plus long, hot summers — is exactly the environment that breaks down siding materials that aren't built for it.
Vinyl softens, warps, and fades under sustained Florida sun. Engineered wood products absorb moisture at cut edges and around fasteners, and once that starts, it doesn't reverse. James Hardie fiber cement is cement, sand, and cellulose fiber — it doesn't feed mold, it doesn't rot, and it holds paint and color far longer than the alternatives in this specific climate. That's the whole reason our process exists the way it does: every step, from how we flash penetrations to how we back-prime cut edges, is built around keeping a non-organic, engineered material performing the way it's supposed to for decades, not just for the first Florida summer.
We start at your house, not on the phone. A licensed estimator walks the exterior, checks the condition of your current siding and the sheathing underneath it, looks at trim, soffits, window and door flashing, and takes note of anything specific to your lot — tree coverage, drainage patterns, HOA architectural guidelines if you're in a New Tampa deed-restricted community, and sun exposure on each elevation.
You get a detailed, written scope of work — not a verbal ballpark. It spells out the Hardie product line, profile, and color, how much of the existing siding and any damaged sheathing gets removed and replaced, house wrap and flashing details, and a firm price. No surprise change orders for things we should have caught during the assessment.
Old siding comes off down to the sheathing. This step matters more in Florida than almost anywhere else, because it's the only point where we can actually see and address hidden moisture damage — soft spots, old water staining, insect damage — before it gets sealed behind new siding. If we find rot or compromised sheathing, we flag it and repair it before anything new goes up.
A correctly lapped house wrap and properly integrated flashing around every window, door, and penetration go on next. This is the step that separates a siding job that lasts from one that fails early — most siding failures we're called to fix on other companies' work trace back to a flashing detail that was skipped or rushed here.
Panels, planks, or shingle-style siding go up per Hardie's published installation instructions — correct fastener spacing and type, proper clearances at grade and roofline, and factory-primed or ColorPlus finished edges sealed at every field cut. We don't deviate from manufacturer spec, because that spec is what keeps the product warranty valid.
Trim boards, corner details, and caulking get finished to a clean, consistent line. We walk every elevation before we call the job done.
You walk the exterior with your project lead. Anything that doesn't meet the agreed scope gets corrected before we consider the job complete — not after a follow-up call.
One of the most misunderstood parts of a siding purchase is that there are actually two warranties involved, and they cover different things. Homeowners often assume "warranty" is one blanket promise — it isn't, and knowing the difference matters if you ever need to make a claim.
| Coverage | Who Backs It | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| James Hardie Product Warranty | James Hardie Building Products | Manufacturing defects in the siding material itself, including their ColorPlus finish coverage on prefinished products |
| Alpine Exteriors Workmanship Warranty | Alpine Exteriors, RB29003900 | Installation quality — flashing, fastening, sealing, and general workmanship on the job we performed |
The two are connected: Hardie's product warranty terms require installation according to their specifications, so an install that cuts corners can put the manufacturer coverage at risk even if the material itself is sound. That's the main reason we don't deviate from Hardie's install instructions — it's not just about doing good work, it's about making sure both layers of protection actually hold up if you ever need them.
New Tampa is our core service area, and we know the neighborhoods well — Tampa Palms, Live Oak Preserve, Cory Lake Isles, K-Bar Ranch, Pebble Creek, Hunter's Green, and Tampa Palms North among them. A lot of these communities were built through the 1990s and 2000s master-planned boom, which means a good share of the original siding and trim in the area is now old enough to be showing real wear — chalking paint, soft trim boards, or siding that was never rated for Florida humidity in the first place. We also work the surrounding pockets of Hillsborough County near New Tampa, including areas bordering Wesley Chapel and Lutz. If you're inside or near New Tampa and aren't sure whether you're in our service radius, ask — we'll tell you straight rather than quote a job we can't service properly.
Many New Tampa communities have active HOAs with architectural review requirements for exterior changes, including siding color and profile. We can provide the documentation — product specs, color samples, spec sheets — that most ARC committees ask for, and we've been through this process with several New Tampa associations already.
Florida's storm season runs roughly June through November, and New Tampa gets its share of fast-moving summer thunderstorms even without a direct hurricane threat. We schedule around that reality rather than pretending it doesn't exist. Here's what a realistic project timeline and daily experience looks like:
We don't publish blanket per-square-foot pricing because it genuinely varies house to house, but these are the factors that move a New Tampa siding quote up or down:
| Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Home size and elevation count | More square footage and more architectural detail (dormers, bump-outs) means more material and labor |
| Sheathing condition | Rot or moisture damage found at tear-off adds repair scope before new siding can go on |
| Hardie product line | Lap siding, shingle-style, and panel systems carry different material costs |
| Prefinished vs. field-painted | ColorPlus factory finish costs more upfront but reduces future repainting |
| Trim and detail scope | Corner boards, window trim, and fascia work add to the total beyond the field siding itself |
| Access and site conditions | Multi-story sections, tight lot lines, or landscaping that requires extra protection can add labor time |
A firm number only comes from an in-person assessment — anything quoted sight unseen isn't accounting for what your specific house and lot actually need.
If your New Tampa home's siding is aging, showing wear from Florida's sun and humidity, or you're simply ready to move to a material built for this climate, we're happy to walk your property and give you a straight, written assessment — no pressure, no upsell to a product we don't stand behind. Fill out the form below to schedule a free estimate.
A general siding contractor typically installs several materials and estimates each job based on whichever product fits the budget. We only install James Hardie fiber cement, so our crews train, fasten, flash, and detail exclusively to that manufacturer's specifications rather than switching techniques between products.
Confirm active Florida licensing (ours is RB29003900), ask for a written scope of work rather than a verbal estimate, and ask specifically how they handle sheathing repair if damage is found during tear-off. Also ask whether the workmanship warranty is separate from the manufacturer's product warranty, since many quotes blur the two together.
Primed Hardie siding is finished with field-applied paint after installation, while ColorPlus is factory-baked with a proprietary finish designed to resist fading and chipping longer than a standard field paint job. ColorPlus costs more upfront but generally means less repainting over the life of the siding.
Many New Tampa communities have architectural review committees that require approval of exterior color and material changes before work begins. We provide the product spec sheets and color documentation most ARC committees request and can help you prepare that submission.
We sequence installation in sections and never leave sheathing exposed overnight or ahead of forecast rain, which matters more June through November when fast-moving storms are common even without a direct hurricane hit. This can occasionally add a day or two to a project timeline, but it protects your home during construction.