Skip to content A new James Hardie wall is one of the best long-term upgrades a St. Louis home can get, and it never has to feel stressful. Our team walks every elevation, talks color and budget, and sends a clear quote the same week. No pressure, no games.
St. Louis weather can be merciless on home exteriors, and rotted, splitting, or warped cladding is one of the most common calls we get from Chesterfield to Webster Groves. At Top Quality Exteriors, we install James Hardie siding because it shrugs off hail strikes, ice storms, and the freeze-thaw swings that destroy lesser materials in just a few short Missouri seasons of pounding weather. Fiber cement does not feed termites, will not burn in a grass fire, and resists the moisture that ruins ordinary wood lap inside of a decade or less.
Every install we run starts with a careful tear-off, sheathing inspection, fresh house wrap, and new flashing around windows and doors. We blind-nail every HardiePlank board to spec, leave proper expansion gaps, and seal joints with color-matched caulk so nothing telegraphs through the finish. Most homeowners pick ColorPlus Technology factory finishes for the 15-year fade warranty, though we also hang primed boards when an HOA palette demands a custom shade. If your scope calls for a section swap, our siding repair crew can patch matched boards in.
Missouri throws everything at a wall: hail from May squalls, ice dams in January, and 95-degree humidity that warps anything organic on the house. James Hardie fiber cement is engineered specifically for the HZ5 climate zone we live in, which covers homes in Kirkwood, Ballwin, Wildwood, and the rest of the St. Louis metro area. The HZ5 formula uses thicker boards, a tighter cellulose blend, and freeze-thaw additives so the planks do not crack at the fastener line after the third or fourth Missouri winter. Hardie also carries a Class A fire rating, which matters in tight-set neighborhoods like Clayton and Webster Groves where a neighbor grill fire can torch wood siding in minutes. We are a James Hardie Preferred Contractor, so we follow the published install manual to the letter and your 30-year non-prorated warranty stays fully valid all the way through. When customers want a side-by-side comparison, we walk through pricing, lifespan, and maintenance against vinyl siding so the choice is clear.
A Hardie install is detail work, not a panel-and-go job. We walk every homeowner through the same five-step process so you know what each day on site looks like. From the first walk-around to the final caulk bead, here is how we run a project.
I walk every elevation, photograph any damage, and check the wall sheathing carefully. Our team measures square footage, corners, and trim. You get a written punch list and quote.
We bring ColorPlus boards and ship-lapped sample planks right to your front door. Our team helps match the roof, brick, and stone tones. You sign off before any order is placed.
Our crew strips old siding, pulls bad sheathing, and tapes every seam tight. We install fresh house wrap and new flashing at every window. The wall is sealed before Hardie goes up.
I set the starter strip and then blind-nail each HardiePlank board to factory spec. Our team holds the 1-1/4 inch overlap and proper gaps. No face nails, no buckling, no shortcuts.
We caulk every joint, finish paint touch-ups, and sweep nails with strong magnets. Our team walks the job with you and confirms every elevation. The warranty papers are yours.
Top Quality Exteriors holds James Hardie Preferred Contractor status, a label Hardie only grants to crews who follow the install manual and pass annual field audits. Our installers train directly on HardiePlank, HardieShingle, and HardiePanel, so the boards go up with the correct blind-nail pattern, overlap, and clearance to grade. We carry liability and workers comp on every crew member, pull permits in Ladue and Town and Country, and keep your paperwork on file.
What sets us apart is how the jobsite runs day to day. One project manager owns your install from contract signing to final walk, so you are not chasing a new face every morning. Our crews dumpster debris daily, tarp landscaping before tear-off, and protect AC condensers, decks, gas meters, and gardens. We back every Hardie install with a written workmanship warranty on top of the manufacturer coverage, and we answer the phone long after the truck pulls away.
Most full James Hardie projects in the St. Louis area run between $18,000 and $38,000, with a typical 2,200 sq ft Creve Coeur or Kirkwood home landing right in the middle. The biggest cost drivers are square footage, the number of corners and dormers, sheathing repairs we uncover during tear-off, ColorPlus versus primed boards, and the trim package you pick. Tear-off of two layers, wrap upgrades, and shutter or window-wrap details also add line items to the bid sheet.
A cheap Hardie bid almost always means face-nailed boards, no kickout flashing, and a crew skipping the published 6-inch clearance to grade. That siding looks good for two years and then fails warranty inspection the moment a claim is filed. Spending more on factory ColorPlus, blind-nailed boards, and a Preferred Contractor install buys you 30-plus years of low-maintenance protection. Our bid takes about 45 minutes on site and never comes with high-pressure tactics.
Every credential we carry is a commitment to quality, safety, and your peace of mind — on every project, in every state we serve.
