Forest Hills sits inland from Tampa Bay along the Dale Mabry corridor, a mix of mid-century ranch homes near Rocky Point Golf Course and newer infill construction tucked under mature oak canopy. It's a neighborhood where the housing stock spans five decades, which means the siding problems we see on any given week range from a 1960s block home with rotted original wood trim to a 2000s-era house with damaged engineered wood siding that never should have gone up in Florida to begin with. We built our siding company around that reality: one product, installed correctly, backed by a warranty that means something when a Tampa summer starts testing it.
We're not a national franchise running a script. We're a Florida-licensed contractor (RB29003900) that specializes in exterior work in Hillsborough County, and Forest Hills is inside our core service radius. When you call us, you're talking to the people who will actually inspect your house, not a call center reading from a screen.
We made a decision a long time ago to stop installing vinyl siding, LP SmartSide, and other engineered wood products, even though we could sell and install them for less upfront. In West Central Florida's climate — long stretches of high humidity, intense UV exposure, sudden downpours, and the occasional tropical system — those materials show their weaknesses faster than most homeowners expect. Vinyl softens, warps, and fades under sustained heat and sun. Engineered wood products are wood at their core, and wood-based siding depends on a moisture barrier holding up perfectly for decades, which is a bet we're not willing to make on a homeowner's behalf.
James Hardie fiber cement is cement, sand, and cellulose fiber. It doesn't absorb water the way wood-based products do, it doesn't soften in heat, and it holds paint and color far longer than vinyl. It costs more to install than vinyl and more than most engineered wood systems. We think that's the honest trade-off: a higher installed cost in exchange for a product that's still doing its job when the alternatives have already needed replacing.
If a homeowner in Forest Hills asks us to quote vinyl or LP SmartSide, we'll say no and explain why, rather than take the job. That's not a marketing line — it's a standing policy. We'd rather lose a bid than install something we don't stand behind, and it's why every siding job on our schedule is a Hardie job.
Every project follows the same sequence, whether it's a small elevation repair or a full re-side. Consistency is what keeps a job on schedule and keeps surprises to a minimum.
We walk the exterior, check the current substrate condition, look for water intrusion around windows and penetrations, and measure square footage by elevation. You get a written estimate that breaks out material, labor, and any additional carpentry (rotted sheathing, trim replacement, flashing repair) as a separate line item rather than a vague lump sum.
We help you choose between HardiePlank lap siding, HardiePanel vertical siding, or a HardieShingle accent, along with trim and color from Hardie's ColorPlus prefinished line or a site-applied finish. We'll talk through what fits the home's architecture and what holds color longest under Tampa sun.
Old siding comes off down to the sheathing. This is the step that gets skipped by contractors trying to save a day — we don't skip it. Any water damage, soft wood, or compromised house wrap gets repaired and documented before a single new board goes up. Installing new siding over a damaged substrate just hides a problem that gets more expensive later.
Hardie siding gets installed to the manufacturer's fastening, clearance, and flashing specifications — not shortcuts. Proper clearance from grade, deck surfaces, and roof lines matters more in a humid climate than almost anywhere else in the country, because it's the difference between water shedding away from the house and water wicking back into it.
We haul debris and old siding off site, magnet-sweep the yard for fasteners, and walk the finished job with you elevation by elevation before we call it complete.
Forest Hills doesn't sit on the water, so it isn't fighting the direct salt exposure that coastal Tampa Bay neighborhoods deal with. But inland doesn't mean easy. Hillsborough County's humidity sits high nearly year-round, afternoon thunderstorms are a daily occurrence for much of the summer, and the neighborhood's tree canopy means gutters, roof valleys, and siding surfaces stay damp longer after a storm than they would on an open lot. Hurricane season runs June through November, and even when a storm doesn't make a direct hit, Tampa routinely sees wind-driven rain events that push water sideways into any weak point in an exterior.
Fiber cement handles that combination better than the alternatives because it doesn't rely on staying perfectly dry to hold its shape. It can get wet, dry out, and keep performing. That's the whole reason we won't put anything else on a Forest Hills home.
A warranty is only worth what the company behind it is still around to honor. We carry two layers of coverage on every siding job, and we explain both in plain terms before you sign anything.
| Coverage | What It Covers | Who Backs It |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer product warranty | Defects in the Hardie board or ColorPlus finish itself | James Hardie |
| Our workmanship warranty | Installation errors — fastening, flashing, clearance, sealant failure caused by our work | Alpine Exteriors |
| Not covered by either | Storm/impact damage, homeowner-caused damage, normal weathering of paint sheen | Homeowner's insurance, where applicable |
We register your product warranty with James Hardie after installation and give you a copy for your records, along with our own written workmanship coverage. If something about our install fails, you call us, not a warranty claims line in another state.
Forest Hills is one of the Tampa neighborhoods we work in regularly, alongside Carrollwood, Town 'n' Country, Egypt Lake-Leto, and the surrounding parts of northwest Hillsborough County. Because we stay concentrated in this part of the Tampa Bay area rather than spreading thin across the whole state, we can schedule tighter, source material faster, and send the same crews back for warranty visits instead of subcontracting it out to whoever's available.
A siding job disrupts your property for longer than a lot of homeowners plan for. Here's what to expect so there are no surprises:
Every estimate is different, but the same handful of factors drive most of the variation we see on Forest Hills homes.
| Factor | How It Affects Cost |
|---|---|
| Tear-off vs. install over existing | Full tear-off costs more but is the only option we recommend on old wood or masonry substrates |
| Substrate repair needed | Rotted sheathing or water damage found during tear-off adds carpentry time and material |
| HardiePlank vs. HardiePanel vs. Shingle accents | Lap siding is the most common and typically most economical; panel and shingle accents add labor |
| Trim and architectural detail | Homes with more corners, gables, and window trim take longer to fit and finish |
| Prefinished ColorPlus vs. site-applied paint | Prefinished costs more upfront but eliminates a paint step and holds color longer |
| Home size and story count | Two-story homes require more scaffolding and staging time than single-story ranch homes |
If you're weighing a siding project on a Forest Hills home, we're happy to come out, look at what you're working with, and put together a straightforward estimate — no pressure, no pushy follow-up calls. Fill out the form below and we'll get in touch to schedule a time that works for you.
Most single-story Forest Hills homes take about a week from tear-off to final walkthrough, and two-story homes or houses needing significant substrate repair can run closer to two weeks. Weather is the biggest variable during Tampa's summer storm season, since wet siding can't be installed.
Confirm the contractor holds an active Florida license (you can verify RB numbers through the DBPR website), ask whether they pull permits themselves, and get a written estimate that separates material, labor, and any carpentry repair as distinct line items. Also ask directly what siding products they install and why — a contractor who installs everything usually isn't specializing in any of it.
Vinyl is lighter and cheaper to install, but it softens and can warp under sustained Florida heat and fades faster under UV exposure than fiber cement. Fiber cement costs more upfront but holds its shape, color, and structural integrity far longer in a hot, humid climate like Tampa's.
HardiePlank is horizontal lap siding, the traditional look most homes in Forest Hills already have, installed board over board with overlapping edges. HardiePanel is a large vertical sheet product often used for accent walls, gables, or a more modern architectural look, and it installs differently with different joint treatment.
Forest Hills avoids the direct salt spray that homes right along the bay deal with, which is easier on fasteners and finishes over time. But inland humidity, heavy tree canopy shading, and wind-driven rain during storms still put real demand on siding, which is why we install the same fiber cement system regardless of how close a home sits to the water.