Key numbers
103 verified hail storms with stones of 1.5 inches or larger reached El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs, from 2000 to 2025 in the storm records we keep; the largest measured 4.5 inches (softball size) on July 13, 2011 (NOAA NCEI).
| Hail storms by decade, 2000 to 2025 | 2000s: 35, 2010s: 44, 2020s: 24 Source: Storm library: El Paso County hail history |
|---|---|
| Largest hail | 4.5 in. (softball), July 13, 2011 Source: NOAA NCEI |
| Costliest hail storm | $352.8 million insured losses (2016 dollars), July 28, 2016 Source: RMIIA |
| 45.44 million | Siding (aluminum, fiber cement, vinyl or steel) was the main exterior wall material on 45.44 million U.S. homes in 2020, more than any other material. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2020 |
| 24% | In 2023, improvement spending on U.S. homes built before 1980 was 24% higher than on homes built since 2010, and maintenance spending was 76% higher. Source: Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2023 |
| About 0.02 | Without algae growth, asphalt shingle solar reflectance changes by about 0.02 or less over three years; algae staining in humid climates can cut it by up to 0.06. Source: LBNL / Cool Roof Toolkit (abstract), 2012 |
A storm counts when the library lists El Paso County among the areas it hit. Each hail size is the storm's largest report, which may have fallen in a neighboring county, and insured losses cover every area the storm hit.
Integrity Roofing and Painting replaces siding on existing Colorado Springs homes, and the siding we mainly install is James Hardie fiber cement. A replacement here is more than new boards: we strip the old cladding to the sheathing, fix rot and bad flashing, install a continuous water-resistive barrier, flash every window, door and roof-to-wall joint, and then hang siding chosen for hail, strong sun, freeze-thaw cycles and, on many west-side lots, wildfire rules. We do replacement work only, not siding on new construction.
When siding needs replacing, not repair
Small problems can be patched: a cracked board, a missing piece of trim, a loose corner. Replacement makes sense when the damage is spread across walls or reaches behind the siding:
- Hail damage on several elevations. Cracked or holed vinyl, split wood, chipped and broken fiber cement on the storm-facing walls.
- Soft or swollen boards at the bottom courses, under windows or beside roof lines, which usually means water is getting behind the cladding.
- Paint that fails every few years on old wood or hardboard, even after good prep.
- Boards that cannot be matched. Discontinued profiles and faded colors make spot repairs stand out.
- A wildfire-area home where the owner wants a noncombustible wall before the next fire season.
Our hail-damaged siding and insurance guide covers storm damage, and water behind siding explains how to trace a wet wall.
What the building code asks of a re-side
The International Residential Code sets the basics for any siding job:
| Code section | What it requires |
|---|---|
| R703.1 | The walls form a weather-resistant envelope that drains water getting past the cladding |
| R703.2 | At least one water-resistive barrier layer, such as No. 15 felt or an ASTM E2556 wrap |
| R703.4 | Corrosion-resistant flashing at windows, doors, wall-to-roof joints and built-in gutters |
| R703.10 | Fiber cement meets ASTM C1186 Type A, Grade II; lap boards at most 12 inches wide, lapped at least 1-1/4 inches |
| R703.11 | Vinyl siding is certified to ASTM D3679 |
Those rules matter on a replacement because the old wall often has none of them done well. Pikes Peak Regional Building Department handles permits in most of the region; our Colorado Springs building code data page lists the adopted code edition.
Why we lead with fiber cement here
Colorado Springs walls take three kinds of punishment: sun at over 6,000 feet, hail most summers, and big swings between warm afternoons and freezing nights. James Hardie builds two product lines by climate. Its HZ5 line is made for climates with freezing temperatures, extreme seasonal temperature swings, and snow and ice, which describes the Front Range. The company backs its siding with a 30-year limited, transferable, non-prorated product warranty, and its ColorPlus factory finish carries a separate 15-year limited finish warranty. Those are James Hardie’s warranties, not ours; our workmanship terms are written into your contract.
Fiber cement also needs its details done right: clearance above roofs, decks and grade, sealed cut edges, and kickout flashing where a roof edge meets a wall. Skipping them is the most common reason fiber cement fails early in a freeze-thaw climate. Read our fiber cement siding page for how we install it, or compare all three materials in how to choose siding for Colorado.
Wildfire rules on the west side
After the Waldo Canyon fire, the Colorado Springs Fire Department published its Ignition Resistant Construction Design Manual. In the city’s wildland urban interface, ordinance section K104.1(2) requires approved ignition-resistant siding on new or reconstructed homes: fiber-cement board, stucco, masonry and manufactured stone are on the list, while natural wood, hardboard and vinyl are not. Our WUI siding rules page explains when those rules reach a re-side. Statewide rules are covered in WUI siding, eaves and decks.
Siding, roof and gutters together
A re-side and a reroof share the same joints: step flashing, kickouts, the gap between shingles and siding, and the gutter line. Doing them in the right order, roof first, keeps flashing layered correctly. We also install gutters and paint and replace windows, so one crew owns the whole wall. See our roof replacement and gutter pages, and for repainting existing fiber cement, Hardie board painting.
Get a siding replacement estimate
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred roofing contractor with 650+ Google reviews. Our Colorado Springs office is at 115 N Union Blvd. Call (719) 488-2800 or book a free inspection, and we respond the same business day. Larger projects can use financing.
Sources: 2021 IRC Chapter 7, sections R703.1 to R703.11 (UpCodes); James Hardie, HardieZone system and warranty; James Hardie, Frequently Asked Questions; Colorado Springs Fire Department, Ignition Resistant Construction Design Manual (March 2020).
