Lithia sits in a stretch of eastern Hillsborough County that's changed fast. FishHawk Ranch and the surrounding master-planned communities brought thousands of new homes over the last two decades, while just a few miles out you're back into horse pastures, citrus groves, and acreage lots that have been here since long before the subdivisions arrived. Alpine Exteriors installs siding on both ends of that spectrum — a new-construction-style James Hardie install on a FishHawk street with an HOA color palette to match, and a full re-side on a rural property that's taken thirty years of Florida sun and rain without a break. The installation itself doesn't change much between those two jobs. What changes is the planning: matching HOA-approved colors and reveal patterns in the neighborhoods, and sizing up wind exposure and existing wall assembly on open acreage where the house doesn't have other buildings breaking the weather.
We install one product line: James Hardie fiber cement siding. That's not a marketing position, it's a decision about what holds up under a Lithia install specifically — more on why below.
Alpine Exteriors made a call years ago to stop offering vinyl, LP SmartSide, and other engineered wood products, and to install James Hardie fiber cement exclusively. That's a narrower menu than some contractors offer, and we're upfront about the trade-off: it costs more up front than vinyl. Here's our reasoning, stated plainly rather than as a knock on other products.
We're not going to tell you vinyl is garbage — plenty of houses have it and it does its job for a while. We just don't think it's the right call for a house we're putting our name on in this climate, so we don't install it.
| Product | Best Use | Notes for Lithia |
|---|---|---|
| HardiePlank lap siding | Most common choice, traditional and modern homes | Available in smooth or cedar-texture finish; matches most FishHawk and Fishhawk Trails architectural styles |
| HardiePanel vertical siding | Accent walls, gables, modern facades | Common on newer builds mixing horizontal and vertical siding for curb appeal |
| HardieShingle siding | Craftsman and cottage-style accents | Used as a gable or dormer accent on many Lithia and Fishhawk homes |
| HardieTrim boards | Corners, window and door trim, fascia | Pairs with plank or panel siding for a finished, factory-matched look |
All of these come in James Hardie's ColorPlus factory finish, which is baked on and color-matched across every piece, or as primed siding ready for field painting if you want a fully custom color that isn't in the ColorPlus line.
James Hardie engineers its siding by climate zone, not as a one-size-fits-all product. Lithia falls in HZ5, the zone James Hardie designates for hot, humid climates with heavy seasonal rainfall — which is exactly what Hillsborough County gets from June through September. HZ5 siding is engineered with that moisture exposure in mind. We install the HZ5-rated product line as standard on every Lithia job; it's not an upgrade, it's the correct baseline for this area.
On a re-side, we remove the existing siding down to the sheathing and inspect for water damage, soft spots, or rot before anything new goes up. This is the step that gets skipped on rushed jobs, and it's the one that determines whether the new siding lasts. If we find damaged sheathing, we replace it before installing anything — covering rotten wood with new siding just hides the problem for a few more years.
We install a proper weather-resistive barrier (housewrap) over the sheathing, lapped and taped correctly at every seam, window, and door opening. In a climate that sees wind-driven rain during summer storms and the occasional hurricane band, this barrier is doing real work — it's the layer that keeps incidental moisture from reaching the wall assembly even if water gets past the siding itself.
Windows, doors, hose bibs, light fixtures, vents — every penetration through the siding is a potential water entry point if it's not flashed correctly. This is one of the most common places we find prior installation shortcuts on older Lithia homes, and it's a step we don't rush.
James Hardie specifies exact fastener types, spacing, and placement, and a minimum clearance between the bottom of the siding and grade, roofing, or decking. We follow the manufacturer's installation instructions to the letter, not just because it's required for the warranty to stay valid, but because that's what makes the siding actually perform the way it's engineered to.
Final trim work, caulking at joints, and touch-up painting (on primed or field-painted siding) finish the job. We walk the exterior with you before we call it done.
We do both, and the process differs in a few ways worth knowing about if you're deciding which situation you're in.
Lithia is inland, so it doesn't take direct storm surge, but it's still squarely in Hillsborough County's hurricane wind exposure zone, and every summer brings its share of severe thunderstorms with damaging straight-line wind gusts even outside of named storms. Fiber cement siding, correctly fastened per James Hardie's specifications, holds up to wind loads that would strip or crack vinyl. We size fastener spacing and flashing details to the wind exposure of your specific lot — an open acreage property with nothing breaking the wind gets treated differently than a house tucked into a subdivision with mature trees and neighboring homes on either side.
| Factor | How It Affects Cost |
|---|---|
| Square footage of exterior wall | The primary driver of material and labor cost |
| Tear-off vs. new construction | Removal and disposal of old siding adds labor time |
| Sheathing repair | Rot or water damage found during tear-off adds cost but is essential to address |
| Product mix | Combining plank, panel, and shingle styles (common for accent walls) costs more than a single product |
| Finish choice | Factory ColorPlus finish vs. primed-for-field-paint changes material and labor pricing |
| Trim scope | Full trim replacement vs. reusing sound existing trim |
| Story height and roofline complexity | Two-story sections and steep or complex rooflines take more time and equipment |
We give real numbers during an on-site estimate based on your actual house, not a generic square-footage formula — every Lithia property we've worked on has been different enough (lot size, existing siding condition, HOA requirements) that ballpark pricing over the phone isn't honest pricing.
Several Lithia neighborhoods, FishHawk Ranch chief among them, have architectural review requirements for exterior changes including siding color and style. We've worked through HOA approval processes on prior Lithia jobs and can help pull the correct James Hardie ColorPlus swatches and product specs needed for submission before work starts, so there's no scramble mid-project.
Alpine Exteriors holds Florida license RB29003900. We carry the insurance a siding installation job requires, and we pull the proper permits for full re-sides and new installations in Hillsborough County. Ask to see documentation before hiring anyone for exterior work — it's a reasonable thing to request and any legitimate contractor will have it ready.
If you're planning a siding installation in Lithia, whether it's a new addition, a full re-side, or matching an accent wall, we're happy to walk your property and give you a straightforward, no-pressure estimate. Fill out the form below and we'll get in touch.
We made a decision to install fiber cement exclusively because it holds up better to Florida's humidity and long wet season without the swelling, warping, or brittleness issues vinyl can develop over time. It's a higher upfront cost but a longer-lasting, lower-maintenance result, and it's the product we're comfortable standing behind for the long term.
Florida contractor licenses can be verified through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's public license lookup using the contractor's name or license number. Ask any contractor for their license number up front — a legitimate installer will provide it without hesitation, and you can confirm it's active before signing anything.
HardiePlank is horizontal lap siding and is the most common choice for full house exteriors, giving a traditional layered look. HardiePanel is a large vertical sheet product typically used for accent walls, gables, or a more modern facade, often paired with HardiePlank elsewhere on the same house.
Most FishHawk Ranch sections have an architectural review process that covers exterior siding changes, including color and product style. We can help identify the correct approved James Hardie color and product specs for your section before the project starts to avoid delays.
Being inland means less storm surge risk than coastal Hillsborough County, but Lithia still sees significant straight-line wind exposure during hurricanes and severe summer thunderstorms. Correctly fastened fiber cement siding is engineered to handle those wind loads, which is one more reason we don't cut corners on fastener spacing and flashing details.