Installers fastening charcoal fiber cement siding on a modern two-story home

02 — Siding Division

The envelope that outlasts the hail.

Fiber cement, engineered wood, cedar and steel installed to the manufacturer's letter, so the 30-year warranty is real and the Front Range weather stays outside.

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James Hardie Preferred Contractor LP SmartSide Certified 3.8M sq ft installed 15-year install warranty
Two-story home with new navy fiber cement siding and white trim
Evening BlueHardie Plank · Arvada
Mountain modern home with clear cedar siding

Why Siding Fails

Most siding doesn't fail.
The install does.

Every product we hang carries a 30- to 50-year warranty. Almost every warranty claim we've ever seen denied was because of how the last crew installed it.

Nails over-driven through the face. No kick-out flashing at the roof-to-wall. Butt joints without flashing behind them. Clearance to grade ignored. We've torn off a lot of ten-year-old siding that should have lasted fifty. So our crews are factory-trained, our foremen carry the installation manual on their phones, and our project manager photographs every flashing detail before it gets covered.

Hardie Preferred · Elite tier LP BuildSmart Preferred Class 4 impact rated options

Materials

Five siding systems.
Honest pros and cons on each.

Most Popular

Fiber Cement

James Hardie · HardiePlank, HardiePanel, HardieShingle, Artisan

$11–16
per sq ft installed

Cement, sand and cellulose. Doesn't burn, rot, or feed termites. Class 4 hail options. ColorPlus baked-on finish carries a 15-year paint warranty.

  • 30-year non-prorated warranty
  • Best hail and fire resistance
  • Heavy: needs a skilled crew
Best Value

Engineered Wood

LP SmartSide · Lap, panel, board & batten, trim

$9–14
per sq ft installed

Treated wood strand with a resin overlay. Real wood look, lighter and easier to cut than fiber cement, with 16-foot lengths for fewer seams.

  • 50-year prorated substrate warranty
  • Excellent impact resistance
  • Requires repainting at 10–15 years
Premium

Cedar

Western red cedar · Bevel, channel, shingle, T&G

$14–22
per sq ft installed

The real thing. Nothing else looks or ages like it, especially on mountain modern homes in Evergreen and Golden. Needs a rainscreen and a maintenance plan.

  • Unmatched natural beauty
  • Naturally rot and insect resistant
  • Re-stain every 3–5 years
Hail Proof

Steel

26-gauge · Lap, board & batten, standing seam

$13–19
per sq ft installed

If you're tired of filing hail claims, this is the answer. Kynar finishes hold color for decades and the panel simply shrugs off 2-inch stones.

  • Class 4 impact, Class A fire
  • 40-year finish warranty
  • Can dent from direct impact
Budget

Vinyl

Insulated .046 gauge · Dutch lap, board & batten

$6–10
per sq ft installed

Lowest cost and zero painting. We only install insulated, thick-gauge panels because the thin stuff cracks in Colorado cold snaps and hail.

  • Lifetime limited warranty
  • No painting ever
  • Cracks in extreme cold; limited colors

Stucco Repair & Trim

We also patch and re-color stucco, replace rotted trim, soffit and fascia, wrap posts and beams in PVC or fiber cement, and install rainscreen systems behind any of the above.

Ask about exterior repairs

Interactive

Siding Visualizer

Pick a material, a color, a trim and a gable accent. The house re-skins live. Send us the combination and we'll bring the physical samples.

Hail & Storm Restoration

When the storm hits,
we handle the adjuster.

The Front Range takes more hail than anywhere in the country. We've restored over 600 homes through insurance claims and we know exactly what a full-elevation approval looks like.

Before: faded, cracked beige wood siding with hail damage
After: new iron gray fiber cement siding with white board-and-batten gable
BeforeAfter
01

Free Damage Inspection

We photograph and chalk every elevation and document hail hits per square so the claim is undeniable.

02

Adjuster Meeting

Our restoration lead meets the adjuster on site and walks them through the damage, elevation by elevation.

03

Supplement & Scope

If the first scope misses items (it usually does), we supplement with photos and code requirements until it's right.

04

Restore & Upgrade

Insurance pays for like-kind. Most clients upgrade to Class 4 fiber cement or steel for a modest difference.

Colorado law (SB 38) protects you: you have the right to choose your contractor, cancel within 72 hours, and we never waive or rebate your deductible.

The Details That Matter

Behind every lap
there's a system.

The siding is the finish. What's underneath decides whether the wall stays dry for fifty years.

  • Housewrap or ZIP, lapped and taped shingle-style
  • Kick-out flashing at every roof-to-wall
  • Self-adhered flashing at every window and door
  • Rainscreen furring behind cedar and in the foothills
  • 6" clearance to grade, 1" to roofing, 2" to decks
  • Joint flashing behind every butt joint
  • Stainless or hot-dipped fasteners, never electro-galv
  • Factory-finish touch-up kits left with the homeowner
Black board-and-batten modern farmhouse with cedar soffits in Golden
EbonyLP SmartSide board & batten · Golden

Warranty

Two warranties, stacked.

15yr

Platte River Installation Warranty

If a lap loosens, a flashing leaks, or a trim board fails because of our workmanship, we fix it, plus any interior damage it caused.

30–50yr

Manufacturer Product Warranty

James Hardie 30-year non-prorated, LP SmartSide 50-year prorated, steel 40-year finish. Registered in your name at completion.

15yr

ColorPlus Finish Warranty

Choose factory-finished Hardie ColorPlus and the paint itself is covered against peeling, cracking and chipping for 15 years.

Siding FAQ

Straight answers.

A typical 2,000 sq ft two-story home has roughly 2,200–2,600 sq ft of siding surface. Full tear-off and replacement with James Hardie runs $28,000–$42,000 in the current market; LP SmartSide $22,000–$36,000; steel $32,000–$50,000. Trim, soffit and fascia add 10–20%. The calculator gives a ballpark in 30 seconds.
We don't recommend it and most manufacturers won't warranty it. Tear-off lets us inspect the sheathing, replace rot, and install a proper weather barrier and flashing. It usually adds a day and a dumpster, and it's the difference between a 10-year job and a 50-year one.
Most single-family homes take 5–10 working days from tear-off to final cleanup. Larger homes, cedar with rainscreen, or extensive rot repair can run 2–3 weeks. Material lead times for ColorPlus colors are 2–4 weeks, so we order before we schedule.
Yes. We meet the adjuster, document damage, submit supplements and bill the carrier directly for the approved scope. You pay your deductible and any upgrades you choose. We never inflate claims or rebate deductibles; both are illegal in Colorado and we don't need to.
Pre-finished (Hardie ColorPlus or LP pre-finished) costs about 15% more but comes with a 15-year finish warranty and no painter on your schedule. Site-painted gives unlimited color choice at a lower material cost. We do both and will show you the math for your house.

Free Exterior Assessment

Let's look at your house
before the next storm does.

A 30-minute walk-around with photos, a moisture reading at the trouble spots, and a written recommendation. No pressure, no obligation.

Schedule an Assessment Call