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 |
| 15.65 million | Stucco was the main exterior wall material on 15.65 million U.S. homes in 2020. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2020 |
| 27.7% | Vinyl siding was the principal exterior wall material on 27.7% of new U.S. single-family homes started in 2025, followed by stucco (24.1%) and fiber cement (22.6%). Source: National Association of Home Builders (analysis of Census Survey of Construction), 2025 |
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.
James Hardie fiber cement is the siding Integrity Roofing and Painting mainly installs when we replace siding in Colorado Springs. It is a cement, sand and cellulose board that does not burn, does not dent like vinyl or metal, and holds paint well under high-altitude sun. For this climate we use James Hardie’s HZ5 boards, made for freezing temperatures, wide seasonal swings, and snow and ice. Fiber cement only performs that way when the installation details are right, so most of this page is about those details. We do replacement work on existing homes, not new construction.
What the code and the listing say
Fiber cement siding has a specific section in the International Residential Code. R703.10 requires boards meeting ASTM C1186, Type A, minimum Grade II, limits lap siding to 12 inches wide, and requires at least a 1-1/4 inch lap. The ICC Evaluation Service report for James Hardie’s lap, panel and shingle products, ESR-2290, adds the details a building official checks:
- Fire: noncombustible under ASTM E136; flame spread 0 under ASTM E84.
- Weather barrier: install over a code-compliant water-resistive barrier.
- Fasteners: corrosion-resistant, of the type, size and spacing in the report’s tables.
- Wildfire code: a supplement says the products qualify as noncombustible siding in any fire hazard severity zone under the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code.
That listing is why fiber cement is on the Colorado Springs Fire Department’s approved siding list for the wildland urban interface. See WUI siding rules in Colorado Springs.
The details we do not skip
Clearances. James Hardie’s instructions require a gap between the bottom of the siding and roofs, decks, patios, steps and grade. Fine Homebuilding’s well-known case of crumbling Hardie shingles at an entry landing came down to boards sitting too close to a horizontal surface, wicking water on warm winter days and freezing at night. The fix it described: cut back, flash, use a water-tolerant trim at the base, and keep at least 6 inches to grade.
Kickout flashing. Where a roof edge dies into a wall, a kickout turns roof water into the gutter. Without one, water runs down behind the siding. R703.4 requires flashing at wall-to-roof intersections, and on a re-side we can finally install it correctly.
Cut edges and joints. Every field-cut edge gets sealed or primed, butt joints are flashed or sealed as the instructions require, and caulk does not close the gaps that are meant to drain.
Freeze-thaw. Independent research by Kuder and Shah in the ACI Materials Journal put fiber-cement board through as many as 300 freeze-thaw cycles and found it does lose strength over time, with manufacturing method making a difference. The practical takeaway is to keep the boards dry at the edges, which is what the clearance and flashing details do.
Problems with existing fiber cement, such as failed caulk and short clearances, are covered in fiber cement clearance and caulk problems.
Primed boards or ColorPlus
| Primed boards | ColorPlus boards | |
|---|---|---|
| Finish | Site-painted 100% acrylic topcoat | Factory baked-on finish |
| Paint timing | Within 180 days of install, per James Hardie | None needed at install |
| Finish warranty | Paint maker’s terms | James Hardie 15-year limited finish warranty |
| Color choice | Any color | James Hardie’s palette |
Both carry James Hardie’s 30-year limited, transferable, non-prorated product warranty. Those warranties belong to the manufacturer; our workmanship coverage is written into your contract. For repainting fiber cement later, see Hardie board painting.
Hail and fiber cement
Heavier siding still takes hail damage: chipped paint, cracked corners and broken boards at laps. Haag Engineering’s published ice-ball tests covered vinyl and metal siding but not fiber cement, and IBHS has said no hail-impact standard exists yet for siding. Treat any hail rating claim for siding with care. After a storm, check the walls with the roof; our hail-damaged siding and insurance guide and hail on fiber cement and wood siding explain what to look for.
Comparing other materials
If you are weighing alternatives, read vinyl siding, engineered wood siding and how to choose siding for Colorado. Our siding replacement page covers the full job.
Talk to us about fiber cement
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred roofing contractor with 650+ Google reviews. Call (719) 488-2800 or book a free inspection; we respond the same business day.
Sources: ICC-ES, ESR-2290 (James Hardie lap, panel and shingle siding); 2021 IRC sections R703.4 and R703.10 (UpCodes); James Hardie, HardieZone system; James Hardie, FAQ; Fine Homebuilding, Fiber-Cement Siding Problem (2016); Kuder and Shah, ACI Materials Journal 100(6), 2003; IBHS, Hail Impact Testing of Building Cladding.
