Walk into most siding companies and you'll get a binder: vinyl in a dozen colors, an engineered wood line, maybe a fiber cement option buried in the back because it costs more to sell and install. Alpine Exteriors doesn't run that way. We install James Hardie fiber cement siding exclusively, on every home we side in Dupree Lakes and the surrounding Plantation area. That's not a marketing angle — it's a decision about what we're willing to put our license and our name behind.
Fiber cement takes more skill to install correctly than vinyl. It has to be cut with the right blades, fastened at the right depth, flashed at every penetration, and finished with paint or coating systems that actually hold up in a South Florida climate. We built our crew and our process around doing that one thing well, rather than being average at five things.
Dupree Lakes sits inland in western Broward County, away from the direct storm surge risk that coastal Plantation and points east deal with — but that doesn't mean the exterior of your home has an easy job. Inland communities like this one still take the full brunt of South Florida's wind-driven rain during hurricane season, June through November, and the tropical humidity here is relentless twelve months a year. Add the intense subtropical sun and the near-daily summer thunderstorm pattern, and you've got an exterior product test lab running constantly.
The neighborhood's newer construction — mostly built in the late 1990s and early 2000s — means a lot of homes are hitting the age where original siding and trim start showing real wear: paint failure, moisture staining at butt joints, soft spots where water has been finding its way in for years without anyone noticing. If your Dupree Lakes home has stucco accents combined with siding sections, or siding on gables and dormers, that's exactly the kind of mixed-material assembly where flashing details matter more than the siding product itself.
Because Dupree Lakes isn't beachfront, some homeowners assume their siding gets an easier life than a home in Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood Beach. In practice, wind-driven rain during a summer squall or a tropical system doesn't care how far you are from the coast — it drives moisture sideways into every gap and seam. What inland location does change is priority: you're less likely to need marine-grade corrosion resistance on fasteners, but you still need airtight moisture management at every joint, corner, and window head.
We stopped installing vinyl siding years ago, and we've never installed LP SmartSide or other engineered wood products. Here's the honest reasoning, not a sales pitch:
| Factor | Vinyl | Engineered Wood | James Hardie Fiber Cement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture behavior in humidity | Doesn't absorb water, but expands/contracts with heat, opening seams | Wood-based core can swell or delaminate if a seam fails | Cement-based, dimensionally stable across heat and humidity swings |
| Impact resistance | Cracks and shatters under storm debris impact | Dents relatively easily | Resists impact from wind-driven debris significantly better |
| Color/finish life | Fades, can't be easily repainted | Factory finish wears, harder to refinish evenly | ColorPlus finish holds color; can be repainted with the right primer when needed |
| Fire performance | Melts/deforms in heat exposure | Combustible wood-based core | Non-combustible cement composition |
| Installation sensitivity | Forgiving, low-skill installs common | Sensitive to moisture during and after install | Requires precise fastening, gapping, and flashing — installer skill matters most here |
That last row is the real story. Fiber cement's advantages only show up if it's installed correctly. A rushed or undertrained crew can install James Hardie siding and still end up with the same moisture problems you'd get from a cheaper product, if the flashing and fastening aren't done right. That's why we treat installation training as non-negotiable, not an afterthought.
We walk the exterior with you, not just to measure square footage but to identify problem areas: soft trim, staining below windows, gaps at corner boards, and anywhere water has clearly been getting behind the current siding. In an established community like Dupree Lakes, this step often turns up moisture damage that's invisible from the street.
Once old siding comes off, we inspect the sheathing underneath. Any rot or water damage gets addressed before a single piece of new siding goes up — covering damaged substrate with new siding just hides the problem and guarantees a callback down the road.
This is the step that actually determines whether your siding stays dry for the next 30 years. We install a continuous weather-resistant barrier, then flash every window, door, and penetration before siding installation begins. Given how much wind-driven rain this region sees during hurricane season, we don't treat flashing as optional detail work.
James Hardie siding gets installed to manufacturer specification: proper fastener placement and depth, correct gapping for expansion, and manufacturer-approved caulking at seams — not general-purpose caulk that fails in a year or two of South Florida sun.
Trim goes on, finish coating is applied where needed, and we walk the completed job with you before calling it done.
Your siding project carries two separate warranties, and it's worth understanding both:
We'll walk through the specific terms and lengths of both warranties during your estimate, in writing, so there's no ambiguity about what's covered by whom.
We work throughout Plantation and the surrounding Broward County communities, and we're familiar with the HOA architectural review requirements common in planned communities like Dupree Lakes — including color approval processes and material specifications that some associations require before work begins. If your community requires HOA sign-off, we can provide the documentation you need to submit for approval.
| What you're seeing | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Soft or spongy trim boards | Water intrusion behind trim — often at window heads or corner boards |
| Paint peeling in sheets, not fading evenly | Moisture trapped under the paint film, not just sun-related wear |
| Visible gaps opening at seams or corners | Old caulking has failed, or original installation didn't account for material movement |
| Staining streaks below windows or roofline | Water is finding a path around flashing and running down the face of the siding |
| Warping or bowing panels | Common with engineered wood or damaged vinyl — a sign the substrate may also be compromised |
If any of this sounds familiar, or you're simply ready to replace aging siding with a product built for the long haul, we're happy to come take a look. Alpine Exteriors offers free, no-pressure estimates for Dupree Lakes homeowners — fill out the form below and we'll set up a time to walk your property together.
We provide detailed material specifications, color samples, and product documentation for James Hardie siding that you can submit to your HOA's architectural review committee. Many planned communities in this area require approval before exterior work begins, so we build that timeline into your project schedule rather than treating it as a last-minute step.
Ask to see their active state license number, confirm they carry liability insurance and workers' comp, and ask specifically who performs the installation — their own trained crew or rotating subcontractors. Also ask what happens if hidden substrate damage is found during tear-off, since that's common in older homes and should be addressed transparently, not glossed over.
We made the decision to specialize in one product we can install to a consistently high standard rather than offer multiple products at varying quality levels. Vinyl has real drawbacks in a hot, humid climate — it expands and contracts significantly with heat and doesn't hold up well to wind-driven debris — so we chose not to put our name behind installations we felt wouldn't perform long-term.
Yes — Hardie's ColorPlus factory finish is durable, but it's not permanent, and most homeowners repaint every 10-15 years depending on sun exposure and color choice. Darker colors on south- and west-facing elevations in Florida tend to show fading sooner than lighter tones, which is worth discussing when you're picking a color.
It changes the priority but not the requirement — you're not dealing with storm surge or salt spray like coastal Plantation homes, but wind-driven rain during summer storms and hurricane season still drives moisture into every unsealed gap. The flashing and moisture barrier details matter just as much here as they do closer to the coast.