If you’ve been quoted James Hardie siding in Dallas, you’ve probably noticed the bids vary by 30 percent or more for what looks like the same product. The difference isn’t markup. It’s substrate (HZ10 vs HZ5), finish (ColorPlus vs primed), and the install details that determine whether your siding looks like new at year 25 or starts pulling away at the butt joints by year 8. We install James Hardie the way Hardie’s 2024 installation manual says to install it, and we put the spec in writing before we start. We’re CertainTeed ShingleMaster certified (top 3 percent of US roofers) and family-owned in Plano, see all credentials.
Roof Raiders & Co. is run by Mahmoud Abu Saad and Sara Bannat out of our Legacy Drive office in Plano, read the family story. We’ve sided homes from Highland Park brick-and-trim updates to full Stonebriar new-look re-sides to Lakewood historic-area projects where HOA color approval drove the whole timeline. The product is excellent. The install is everything.
Call (214) 326-3106 for a free siding inspection.
the james hardie product lineup, what each one is built for.
Hardie sells four profiles you’ll actually see on Dallas homes. Knowing which one belongs on your elevation is the first decision.
HardiePlank lap siding is the workhorse. Horizontal lap, 5.25 to 8.25 inch exposures, smooth or Cedarmill (wood-grain) texture. This is what goes on 80 percent of the homes we side. It reads as traditional lap and prices in the middle of the Hardie range.
HardieShingle gives you the cedar-shake look in fiber cement. Straight-edge or staggered-edge panels, common on gables, dormers, or a front-elevation accent on a transitional or Craftsman home. A lot of our Stonebriar and Starwood clients pair HardiePlank on the body with HardieShingle on the gables.
HardiePanel vertical is large 4x8 or 4x10 sheets installed vertically, often with batten strips over the seams (board-and-batten). Modern farmhouse aesthetic. Popular in Prosper and west Frisco new builds.
Artisan Series is Hardie’s premium lap. Thicker (5/8 inch vs 5/16 inch standard HardiePlank), deeper shadow line, mitered corners available. It looks more like real wood lap than any other fiber cement product on the market. Price runs 35 to 50 percent above HardiePlank.
| Profile | Thickness | Finish options | MSRP delta (installed) | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HardiePlank lap | 5/16 in | ColorPlus or primed | baseline ($9 to $13/sq ft) | 30-yr substrate, 15-yr ColorPlus |
| HardieShingle | 1/4 in | ColorPlus or primed | +$1 to $2/sq ft | 30-yr substrate, 15-yr ColorPlus |
| HardiePanel vertical | 5/16 in | ColorPlus or primed | flat (~$10 to $12/sq ft) | 30-yr substrate, 15-yr ColorPlus |
| Artisan Series | 5/8 in | ColorPlus or primed | +35 to 50% | 30-yr substrate, 15-yr ColorPlus |
hz10 vs hz5 substrate and why dallas needs hz10.
James Hardie engineers two formulations of the same product. HZ10 is the hot-humid spec. HZ5 is the cold-dry spec. They look identical on the showroom rack. They’re not the same material.
HZ10 has higher moisture-cycling resistance, better UV stability, and an internal formulation tuned for the kind of summer humidity DFW pushes from June through September. HZ5 is engineered for places where the failure mode is freeze-thaw rather than heat-humidity (Minnesota, upstate New York, Chicago suburbs).
Installing HZ5 in Dallas voids the Hardie 30-year substrate warranty. Hardie’s own technical bulletin says so in writing. The reason it sometimes happens on Dallas jobs is that HZ5 is cheaper at the supply house and some contractors don’t ask which one they’re getting. We verify HZ10 stamping on the bundle wrap before a single plank comes off the truck. If a bid you’re comparing is 15 percent below the rest, the substrate question is the first one to ask.
Call (214) 326-3106 for a free siding inspection.
factory-finished colorplus vs site-painted.
This is the second decision that drives 10 to 15 percent of the total bid. ColorPlus is Hardie’s factory finish. The color is baked on in a controlled environment, both faces and edges, with a 15-year limited warranty against fade, peel, and chip. There are roughly 700 ColorPlus colors across the Statement, Dream, and regional palettes.
Site-paint means we install primed Hardie (gray factory primer) and a painter sprays it on site with Sherwin-Williams Emerald or Benjamin Moore Aura exterior. The site-paint warranty is typically 5 years (from the painter, not from Hardie).
ColorPlus adds about $0.75 to $1.50 per sq ft installed. On a 2,400 sq ft re-side, that’s roughly $1,800 to $3,600 more upfront. Site-painted Hardie in Dallas sun needs a repaint in year 7 to 10, and a full exterior repaint runs $4,500 to $9,000 today. If you’ll own the home past year 8, ColorPlus is the cheaper number. If you want a custom color outside the Hardie palette, site-paint is the only path.
the install detail that separates a 30-year hardie roof from a 12-year one.
The product is engineered for 30 years. Whether you actually get 30 comes down to four install details most contractors skip or shortcut.
The 1/8 inch butt joint gap. Hardie’s manual is explicit. Plank ends do not butt tight against each other. They get a 1/8 inch gap, either caulked with high-grade exterior sealant and flashed behind, or covered with H-mold trim. Butting tight saves the installer 10 seconds per joint and sets the homeowner up for cracked planks at every joint in 4 to 6 years as the planks expand and contract.
Blind nailing, not face nailing. Hardie spec is blind-nailed (the nail goes through the top of the plank and is covered by the next course). Face nailing (driving a nail through the visible lap, into the plank below) is faster and is also a Hardie spec violation that voids the warranty. We’ve torn off 9-year-old Dallas Hardie installs that were face-nailed and the heads were rusting through the paint.
Flashing tape at every penetration. Window heads, door heads, hose bibs, dryer vents, gas line penetrations. Hardie sells flashing tape for this. Most crews use whatever’s on the truck. We use the manufacturer-spec tape and integrate it with the WRB so water that gets behind a window head goes back out, not into your sheathing.
Kickout flashing at every roof-wall termination. Where a roof eave dies into a sidewall, water sheets down the roof and needs to be kicked away from the siding. No kickout = a rot column behind the Hardie at exactly that point. We install kickouts at every one. Every single one.
Call (214) 326-3106 for a free siding inspection.
the rapid roof response process.
Five steps from your first call to final walkthrough. Same sequence on every job.
- Free on-site siding inspection. Mahmoud or one of our project leads walks every elevation, measures linear footage, checks existing substrate for rot through punch-test, and shows you HardiePlank, HardieShingle, and Artisan sample boards side by side.
- Written scope inside 24 to 48 hours. Profile, exposure, ColorPlus color or primed-for-paint, linear footage, trim package, sheathing allowance, fixed price.
- Permit, HOA submittal, material drop. We pull the permit, submit to HOA architectural if required, and stage HZ10-verified Hardie on site the morning of install.
- Tear-off, WRB, Hardie install. One elevation at a time, dry-in same day, install per the 2024 manual with photo documentation of every elevation before trim goes on.
- Trim, caulk, paint, final walk. Hardie trim, butt-joint sealant, site-paint if applicable, then we walk every elevation with you against a printed Hardie spec checklist and you sign off before the final invoice.
what james hardie actually costs in dallas.
Real numbers from real Dallas-area jobs we’ve closed in 2025 and 2026. Your number depends on linear footage, complexity, profile, finish, and sheathing condition.
HardiePlank with ColorPlus, standard install. $9 to $13 per sq ft of wall area. A 2,400 sq ft single-story ranch typically runs $22,000 to $31,000 turnkey including tear-off, WRB, install, trim, and ColorPlus.
HardieShingle accent on gables plus HardiePlank body. Add $1 to $2 per sq ft on the gable area. A 2,400 sq ft home with 400 sq ft of HardieShingle gable runs roughly $24,000 to $34,000.
Artisan Series. $13 to $18 per sq ft. The same 2,400 sq ft home in Artisan runs $32,000 to $43,000.
HardiePanel vertical with batten. $10 to $14 per sq ft. A 2,400 sq ft modern farmhouse runs $24,000 to $34,000.
These are turnkey numbers with HZ10 substrate, proper install to manual, and full trim. If a bid comes in under these ranges, ask what’s missing. Usually it’s substrate spec, install detail, or both.
hoa-friendly colorways for plano, frisco, and southlake.
Most major DFW HOAs have a pre-approved Hardie color list. Submitting an approved color shortens the architectural review from 4 weeks to about 10 days. The repeats we see approved most often.
Stonebriar and Starwood (Frisco). Arctic White, Light Mist, Khaki Brown, Aged Pewter, Iron Gray.
Castle Hills (Lewisville/Plano). Navajo Beige, Sandstone Beige, Khaki Brown, Cobble Stone.
Twin Creeks (Allen). Light Mist, Monterey Taupe, Aged Pewter, Heathered Moss.
Vaquero, Carillon, Timarron (Southlake). Arctic White, Cobble Stone, Khaki Brown, Iron Gray.
Lakes of Coppell. Navajo Beige, Light Mist, Aged Pewter.
Roof Raiders has submitted to all of these. We bring the cut sheets, ColorPlus chips, and a written elevation drawing to your HOA submittal so the review packet is complete the day it lands.
the texas 25 percent rule, what carriers actually require.
This applies more to roofing than siding, but it shows up on hail-damage Hardie scoping. Texas Administrative Code 28 TAC 21.1006 (the “25 percent rule”) requires that when 25 percent or more of a roof surface is damaged in a 12-month period and the existing materials don’t meet current code, the carrier owes a full replacement at code. Siding has no equivalent code rule, but carriers will sometimes try to scope hail-damaged Hardie as a partial repair (replacing only impacted planks on the damaged elevations).
The right scope on hail-damaged Hardie is plank-count plus an elevation-match consideration. If your siding is 11 years old, ColorPlus has faded slightly, and the carrier wants to replace 14 planks on the west elevation with new ColorPlus planks, you’ll see the new ones for the next 20 years. We document scoping to your carrier with photos, measurements, and Hardie cut sheets so the adjuster has what they need to write the right scope. We do not negotiate or adjust your claim. Texas Insurance Code 4102.163 bars roofers from doing that.
Call (214) 326-3106 for a free siding inspection.
dfw weather and the storm timeline carriers honor.
Hail bruising on Hardie shows up after these DFW dates more than any others in the last three years.
May 28 2023. Tornado-spawning supercell across north Plano, west Frisco, Prosper. Hail to 2.5 inches reported in McKinney.
April 9 2024. Long-track hail from Mansfield through south Arlington into Grand Prairie. 1.75 to 2 inch hail.
May 23 2024. Allen, Lucas, Wylie storm with 2 inch hail and 70 mph straight-line wind.
June 17 2024. Highland Park, University Park, North Dallas. Smaller stones (1.5 to 1.75 inch) but driven sideways by 60 mph wind, which is the wind direction that bruises south and west Hardie elevations.
Carriers honor claims tied to these dates for roughly 12 months from the storm date in Texas. If you have hail-damaged Hardie from one of these storms and haven’t filed yet, the window is closing.
payment plans.
We offer an in-house zero interest payment plan on qualifying projects. A larger upfront deposit gets the work started and the balance is split over flexible terms depending on the size of the project. Cash jobs are always welcome. Details on our payment plans page.
anti-storm-chaser warning.
After every hail event in 2024 and 2025, out-of-state crews showed up in Frisco, McKinney, and Allen with rental trucks and no Texas trade history offering to “match any siding bid.” Hardie installs are warranty-protected by the contractor on the install line. If that contractor folds the LLC and drives back to Florida in 14 months, your warranty goes with them.
Hail-damaged Hardie scoping also requires understanding that UL 2218 Class 4 impact ratings (the roofing standard) do not apply to siding. A storm chaser quoting “Class 4 rated Hardie” doesn’t know the product. Ask any bidder how long their Texas LLC has been registered, where their physical address is, and to see their James Hardie Preferred Contractor confirmation in writing.
dfw neighborhoods we serve.
We side homes across these DFW cities:
- Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, Dallas
- Highland Village, Wylie, Garland, Mesquite, Irving, Carrollton
- Coppell, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Keller, Southlake
- Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Prosper
Stonebriar, Starwood, Castle Hills, Twin Creeks, Vaquero, Carillon, Timarron, Lakes of Coppell, Plantation Resort, and Lakewood are HOAs we’ve submitted Hardie color packets to and gotten approved.
If you also need roof replacement, hail damage repair, or window replacement scoped at the same time, we handle the whole exterior on one project schedule.
Call (214) 326-3106 for a free siding inspection.
What's included
- HZ10 substrate verification on every plank and panel delivered (Texas heat-humidity spec, not HZ5)
- HardiePlank, HardieShingle, HardiePanel, or Artisan Series profile installed per the 2024 Hardie installation manual
- ColorPlus factory-finish color match with 15-year finish warranty, or site-paint with primed Hardie if you want a custom color
- Tyvek HomeWrap or equivalent weather-resistive barrier installed and taped behind every course
- Hardie flashing tape integration at all penetrations, kickout flashing at every roof-wall termination
- 1/8 inch butt joint gap with caulk-and-flash or H-mold per Hardie spec (not the butted-tight shortcut most crews use)
- Stainless or hot-dipped galvanized nails at 16 inches on center, blind-nailed per spec, never face-nailed through the lap
- Old siding tear-off, sheathing inspection, and rot repair priced transparently before install starts
- Final walkthrough with the homeowner against a printed Hardie spec checklist before final payment
- James Hardie 30-year substrate warranty plus our 5-year workmanship warranty in writing
How it works
- free on-site siding inspection. Mahmoud or one of our project leads walks every elevation with you, measures linear footage and waste factor, checks existing substrate for rot, and shows you sample boards of HardiePlank, HardieShingle, and Artisan side by side so you can feel the thickness difference before you decide.
- scope, profile selection, and color lock. We send a written scope inside 24 to 48 hours with the exact profile, exposure, ColorPlus color or primed-for-paint spec, linear footage, trim package, and a fixed price. If you want to drive to the Hardie color showroom in Plano to see ColorPlus panels in sunlight, we set that up.
- permit, HOA submittal, and material drop. We pull the City of Dallas, Plano, Frisco, or applicable suburb permit, submit color and profile to your HOA architectural committee if required, and stage HardiePlank or Artisan on site the morning of install. HZ10 stamping is verified on the bundle wrap before a single plank goes up.
- tear-off, WRB, and Hardie install to manual. Old siding comes off one elevation at a time so the house is never fully exposed overnight. WRB goes on, flashing tape wraps every window and door, and HardiePlank installs blind-nailed at 16 inches on center with the 1/8 inch gap at every butt joint. We document each elevation with photos before trim and caulk go on.
- trim, caulk, paint touch-up, and final walk. Hardie trim boards install at corners, windows, and frieze. Sealant goes in butt joints per spec. If you chose site-paint, we paint with the Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore color you picked. Then we walk every elevation with you against the printed Hardie checklist and you sign off before the final invoice goes out.
