Forest Hills sits in inland north Tampa, tucked between Nebraska Avenue and Florida Avenue near Sulphur Springs and Carrollwood's southern edge — a neighborhood built out mostly in the 1950s through 1970s, with concrete block ranch homes, a scattering of wood-frame construction from the same era, and infill new builds mixed in over the last two decades. That housing stock matters when you're choosing a siding contractor. A lot of Forest Hills homes still carry original wood siding or aging vinyl that was bolted onto a block or wood-frame structure never designed for it, and the fixes that work depend on what's underneath, not just what's on the surface. This page is about who we are as a contractor and how we work — not a general rundown of siding materials. If you want a byproduct breakdown, our siding services page covers that; here we're answering the question homeowners actually ask first: who is doing this work, are they legitimate, and what does the process look like start to finish.
Alpine Exteriors is licensed in Florida under RB29003900. We install one siding product — James Hardie fiber cement — and we've built our entire process, crew training, and warranty structure around that single material rather than trying to be a jack-of-all-trades installer who touches vinyl one week and engineered wood the next.
This is a deliberate standard, not a sales pitch. We stopped offering vinyl and engineered wood siding options because Tampa's climate — high humidity nearly year-round, intense UV exposure, and a hurricane season that runs June through November — punishes materials that aren't built for it.
Vinyl siding is inexpensive and easy to install fast, which is exactly why it's common. But it softens and can warp under sustained Florida heat, it's more vulnerable to cracking on impact from wind-driven debris, and the color is baked into a thin material that fades unevenly over years of UV exposure. It's not that vinyl fails immediately — it's that the maintenance burden and shortened realistic lifespan don't match what we want to stand behind with a long warranty.
Engineered wood products (including LP SmartSide) perform reasonably in drier climates, but they rely on factory-applied sealants and strict edge-sealing during installation to resist moisture. In a humid, storm-prone market like Tampa, any installation gap — a poorly sealed cut edge, a missed caulk joint — becomes a moisture entry point, and wood-based products don't recover from sustained moisture exposure the way fiber cement does. We'd rather not install a product where a single installation mistake creates a multi-year problem.
James Hardie fiber cement is cement, sand, and cellulose fiber — it doesn't absorb moisture the way wood-based products do, it holds paint and factory-baked ColorPlus finishes far longer under UV exposure, and it carries a Florida-specific engineering and installation standard because the product line is designed with hurricane-prone climates in mind. For a neighborhood like Forest Hills, with a housing stock spanning 70 years of different construction methods, fiber cement is also more forgiving to install correctly over varied substrates — block, wood frame, or a combination — without the moisture-trapping risk that other materials introduce.
Every project follows the same sequence, whether it's a single wall repair or a full re-side. We don't skip steps to move faster, and we don't quote a job without seeing the substrate first.
We inspect the existing siding, the sheathing or block underneath where accessible, window and door flashing, and any visible moisture damage. Forest Hills homes with original wood siding sometimes have hidden rot at the base courses or around window trim — we flag this before quoting, not after demo starts.
You get a written scope covering material, trim details, house wrap or moisture barrier, fasteners, and paint or factory finish — no verbal-only quotes. Broad cost ranges depend heavily on square footage, trim complexity, and how much substrate repair is needed, which is why we estimate on-site rather than over the phone.
Old siding comes off, damaged sheathing gets replaced, and a code-compliant weather-resistant barrier goes down before a single piece of Hardie board is hung. This step is where corners get cut on cheap jobs — we don't skip it.
Proper fastener spacing, gapping at butt joints, and flashing at every penetration — vents, hose bibs, light fixtures — are what actually determine whether siding performs for decades or needs re-caulking every other year. Our crews install to the manufacturer's published specifications, which is also a requirement for warranty coverage to apply.
We walk the finished job with you before calling it complete, covering care instructions and warranty paperwork.
Two separate warranties apply to a James Hardie install, and homeowners are often surprised there are two:
| Warranty | Covers | Provided By |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer product warranty | The siding material itself — defects in the board, factory finish performance | James Hardie |
| Installation warranty | Workmanship — flashing, fastening, sealing, and how the product was installed | Alpine Exteriors |
Both matter. A manufacturer warranty on the material doesn't cover a leak caused by improper flashing, and an installer warranty doesn't cover a genuine product defect. We'll walk you through exact terms and lengths for your specific project during the estimate, since coverage details vary by product line and finish selected.
Hillsborough County's storm season, roughly June through November, shapes our scheduling. We track weather closely once a wall is opened up, because exposed sheathing in a sudden Tampa downpour is a real risk we plan around rather than react to. Spring and early summer, before the wettest stretch of the season, tend to be the most predictable installation windows, but we work year-round and simply adjust sequencing — closing up exposed sections daily — when rain is in the forecast.
Forest Hills' mix of mature tree canopy on older lots and more open, newer-build lots also affects site prep. Established trees close to the house sometimes need branches cleared for scaffold or lift access, which we flag during the assessment rather than as a surprise mid-job.
We work throughout Forest Hills and the surrounding north Tampa area, including Sulphur Springs, Carrollwood, and neighboring Hillsborough County communities. Being local means our crews know the difference between a 1960s block ranch on a Forest Hills side street and a newer wood-frame build a few blocks over — and quote accordingly instead of applying a one-size approach.
Choosing a contractor for a job this size is a real decision, and it's fair to ask hard questions before signing anything: What's your license number? Can I see proof of insurance? Who's actually on the crew — subcontractors or your own employees? What's the payment schedule, and do you require a large deposit up front? A contractor who answers these clearly, in writing, without hedging is the baseline — not a bonus.
If your Forest Hills home's siding is showing its age, or you're planning ahead for a full re-side, we're happy to come take a look and give you a straight, no-pressure estimate. There's a form below — reach out and we'll get a time on the calendar.
Florida contractor licenses can be looked up through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's online license search. Alpine Exteriors is licensed under RB29003900 — you can confirm that number directly with the state rather than taking a contractor's word for it.
Yes, and any legitimate contractor should be comfortable with that. Compare not just the price but the written scope — what substrate prep is included, what moisture barrier is specified, and whether the warranty is spelled out in writing.
James Hardie offers several product lines (such as HardiePlank lap siding and HardiePanel) with different profiles and factory ColorPlus finish options. We'll go over which line and finish fits your home's style and budget during the on-site estimate rather than guessing over the phone.
Often, yes. Homes from the 1950s-70s sometimes have original wood sheathing or block substrate that needs closer inspection than a newer build, and we account for that during the assessment before quoting rather than after work has started.
Most full siding replacement projects in unincorporated Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa require a building permit. We handle the permitting process as part of the project so you don't have to navigate county requirements yourself.