Progress Village sits in that stretch of unincorporated Hillsborough County between Tampa and Riverview, tucked along the US-41 and I-75 corridor with quick access to Big Bend Road and the Alafia River. It's a working-class, family-oriented community with a mix of established ranch homes from the 1970s and 80s and newer construction filling in along the newer subdivisions closer to Riverview. That age spread matters for siding, because a lot of the older housing stock out here was built with materials that simply weren't designed for 50 years of Florida humidity, and it shows on inspection after inspection.
Alpine Exteriors is a licensed general contractor (FL license RB29003900) and we install exactly one siding product: James Hardie fiber cement. Not vinyl, not LP SmartSide, not any of the engineered wood options you'll see marketed as a "budget-friendly alternative." This page isn't a general overview of siding materials — it's specifically about how we run a siding job in Progress Village, what our process looks like from first call to final walkthrough, and what you should expect if you hire us.
This is a decision we made as a company standard, not a knock on every other product on the market. Fiber cement holds up to the specific combination of stressors that Progress Village throws at exterior materials: high ambient humidity almost year-round, intense UV exposure, wind-driven rain during summer storms, and the occasional direct hit from tropical systems moving up from the Gulf or across the peninsula from the Atlantic side.
Vinyl siding softens, warps, and can pull away from fastening points in sustained high heat — and Hillsborough County summers regularly push attic and wall-cavity temperatures well past what vinyl manufacturers rate their products for. Engineered wood products, even the better ones, depend on flawless factory sealing and field caulking to keep moisture out of the substrate; one missed seam during install or one small deer-strike-sized ding years later, and moisture finds its way in. We've pulled failed engineered wood and vinyl off enough Progress Village homes to know which failures repeat: cupping, edge swelling, color fade that never comes back with a repaint, and soft spots near ground contact where sprinklers or drainage keep the bottom courses damp.
James Hardie fiber cement is cement, sand, and cellulose fiber — it doesn't feed mold, it doesn't warp in heat, and it carries a Class 1(A) fire rating, which matters more than people think given how close some Progress Village lots sit to dry brush and utility easements. It's also simply the product we've built our installation process, our crews' training, and our warranty structure around. When a contractor tells you they can install "whatever you want," it usually means they don't specialize in anything. We'd rather be excellent at one thing.
We start with a walkaround of the home, not a driveway estimate. We check for soft sheathing (common on homes with old wood or masonite lap siding that's been failing quietly for years), look at flashing details around windows and doors, check the condition of the weather barrier if any is exposed, and note drainage issues — grading, sprinkler overspray, gutter discharge — that will affect how the new siding performs over time. In Progress Village specifically, we pay close attention to homes near the Alafia River floodplain edges and anywhere irrigation runs directly against the foundation, since that's where we most often find hidden rot.
You get a written scope that spells out square footage, which Hardie profile and finish you're getting, trim details, color, underlayment/weather barrier plan, and a firm price — not a range that grows once we start pulling old siding off.
Old siding comes off down to the sheathing. Any rotted OSB or plywood gets cut out and replaced before anything new goes up — we don't skin over bad substrate, because that just hides the problem for the next owner to find. This is also when we correct flashing around windows, doors, and any penetrations (hose bibs, vents, electrical) so water has a proper path away from the wall assembly.
A code-compliant weather-resistant barrier goes down before siding, with proper overlap and taped seams. Hardie boards are installed per James Hardie's fastening and clearance specifications — correct nail placement, proper gap at the bottom for drainage, and minimum clearance from grade, roofing, and decking so the material isn't sitting in standing water or debris.
Trim goes on, seams get caulked with a paintable, flexible sealant rated for exterior use, and the surface is left ready for finish coating — either factory-primed Hardie that we finish-paint on site, or ColorPlus prefinished boards if you've chosen that option.
We walk the exterior with you, point out any touch-up items, and don't consider the job done until you've signed off. Site cleanup includes magnetic nail sweeps of the yard and driveway — old siding jobs leave a surprising amount of debris and stray fasteners behind if a crew isn't careful.
| Stage | What Happens | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment & estimate | Walkaround, moisture check, written scope | Same week |
| Tear-off & substrate repair | Old siding removed, rot cut out and replaced | 1-3 days |
| Weather barrier & install | Barrier, Hardie boards, trim | 3-7 days |
| Finish & walkthrough | Caulk, paint touch-up, final inspection | 1-2 days |
Two separate warranties apply to a Hardie siding job, and it's worth understanding the difference before you sign anything.
We register the manufacturer warranty in your name at project completion and give you copies of both documents so you have a paper trail if you ever sell the home.
Hillsborough County's hurricane season runs June through November, and Progress Village — sitting inland from Tampa Bay but still well within reach of tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain bands — sees its share of wind-driven water intrusion during active years. Fiber cement's rigidity and proper fastening schedule matter here more than color or texture choice. A correctly installed Hardie system holds up to sustained wind loads far better than siding that's face-nailed loose or over-driven, which is unfortunately common with rushed installs. We also time larger tear-off phases around the forecast when possible — you don't want open wall sheathing exposed during an afternoon storm system moving through, which happens often enough in a Florida summer that it has to be part of the plan, not an afterthought.
We work throughout Progress Village and the surrounding Hillsborough County communities — Riverview, Gibsonton, Bloomingdale, Brandon, and into South Tampa and the Big Bend corridor. Being local means we know which neighborhoods have older masonite or hardboard siding still on the original homes (a lot of it dating to the 80s and 90s and well past its service life), and which newer developments are dealing with builder-grade vinyl that's already showing UV fade and warping years ahead of schedule.
If your Progress Village home has siding that's cupping, fading unevenly, showing soft spots, or just past its realistic lifespan, we're happy to come take a look. There's no obligation and no pressure — we'll tell you honestly what we see, walk you through what a James Hardie installation would involve for your specific home, and give you a firm written estimate. Use the form below to get started.
We standardized on James Hardie fiber cement because it holds up better to Florida's heat, humidity, and storm exposure over the long run, and it's the product our crews are trained and equipped to install correctly. We'd rather do one thing well than offer a lower-performing option just to hit a lower price point.
Ask for their state license number and verify it directly on the Florida DBPR license lookup website — our license, RB29003900, is verifiable there along with our license type and status. A legitimate contractor will give you this number without hesitation and shouldn't ask you to just take their word for it.
HardiePlank is horizontal lap siding, the most common look for full-house coverage, while HardieShingle mimics a staggered or straight-edge shingle pattern often used as an accent on gables or dormers rather than the whole home. Both are the same fiber cement material, just different profiles for different design goals.
No — James Hardie fiber cement is cement, sand, and cellulose fiber, and it doesn't provide a food source for termites the way wood-based or wood-substitute siding can. It's one of the reasons it holds up well long-term in a state with as much termite pressure as Florida has.
Parts of Progress Village sit near the Alafia River floodplain, so drainage and grading around the home matter as much as the siding material itself. During our on-site assessment we check grading, sprinkler placement, and gutter discharge specifically because those factors — not just rainfall — are usually what causes hidden moisture damage over time.