St. Petersburg Siding Historic Kenwood is one of St. Petersburg's oldest neighborhoods — block after block of Craftsman bungalows, tapered porch columns, deep overhangs, and original wood detailing that has been standing for close to a century. Most of the siding on these homes has been patched, repainted, and patched again more times than anyone can count, and by now a lot of it is doing more holding-together than actual protecting. Residing a Kenwood bungalow isn't the same job as residing a house in a subdivision built in the 1990s. The walls behind the siding are older and less predictable, the neighborhood's historic status often has a say in what goes back up, and the finished look has to hold up to a close look from the sidewalk, not just a glance from the street. This page covers what fiber cement siding work actually involves on a home in Kenwood — what a century of this climate has done to these walls, what a correct tear-off and install looks like on this housing stock, and why a crew that already works this neighborhood makes the job go smoother.
What's Actually Behind the Siding on a Kenwood Bungalow
Most homes in Kenwood were built as wood-frame structures with board sheathing and either horizontal wood drop or lap siding, or a stucco finish applied over frame or masonry — both common choices in early-20th-century Florida construction. Porches, eaves, and trim carry a lot of the Craftsman character: exposed rafter tails, knee braces, tapered columns on brick or stucco piers. None of that ornamental detail is siding, exactly, but it all meets the siding at some point, and every one of those meeting points is a place where water has had a hundred years to find a way in.
What we typically find once old siding comes off is a mix: original board sheathing in reasonable shape in some spots, soft or delaminated sheathing in others, old repairs made with whatever material was on hand at the time, and framing that has moved slightly with a century of settling. None of that is unusual for a house this age, and none of it should be treated as a surprise added on top of your quote after the fact. It's the reason a Kenwood estimate needs an honest look at wall condition, not just a measurement of square footage.
Why This Climate Has Been Hard on These Walls for a Century
Pinellas County's climate is tough on any siding, but it's had a lot longer to work on a Kenwood bungalow than on a newer home. Hurricane-force winds drive rain sideways into laps and seams that were only ever designed to shed water falling straight down, and that wind-driven rain finds old caulk lines and worn paint faster than it finds a sound, well-maintained wall. Intense, nearly year-round UV breaks down finishes and dries out old wood over decades, not just seasons. Salt air moving in off Tampa Bay accelerates corrosion on any exposed metal — old nail heads, flashing, hardware — behind a wall that has been through this cycle for generations. Add the near-daily summer thunderstorms and the humidity that never really goes away, and it's easy to see why a wood wall from the 1920s is usually further along in its wear than its patched-up paint job lets on.
Historic District Review: What to Expect Before Any Siding Comes Off
Kenwood is a locally designated historic district in St. Petersburg, and that status generally means exterior changes visible from the street — including siding replacement — go through the city's historic preservation review process before a building permit is issued. That review typically looks at things like siding profile, exposure, and material in relation to the home's original character, so it's worth building that step into your timeline rather than discovering it after material has already been ordered. We're not the city's preservation office and don't speak for their process — the right move is always to confirm current requirements directly with the City of St. Petersburg's preservation planning staff for your specific property. What we can do is help you put together a siding plan that's likely to read as appropriate for the house before you're in front of that review, which saves everyone a round trip.
Matching the Original Look with James Hardie Fiber Cement
Profile and Exposure
Most original siding on Kenwood bungalows is a narrow wood lap or drop profile, and the closest match in James Hardie's lineup is HardiePlank in a Select Cedarmill or Beaded texture, run at a narrow exposure — typically 4 to 5 inches — to echo the tight, closely spaced lines of the original wall. Wider modern exposures look fine on newer construction but tend to read as visibly "off" next to a century-old porch and original trim, which is exactly the kind of detail a historic review — or just a critical neighbor — will notice.
Trim and Porch Details
The trim is often what makes or breaks the match on a bungalow: corner boards, frieze boards under the eaves, and window and door casings all have proportions that were common in the 1920s and don't match a modern trim package out of the box. HardieTrim boards can be ripped and detailed to match those existing proportions, and original wood porch elements — columns, brackets, rafter tails — are usually left as wood and repaired or restored rather than replaced with fiber cement, since those pieces are shaped in ways flat trim boards can't easily reproduce.
Color: ColorPlus or Field-Painted to an Approved Palette
James Hardie's ColorPlus factory finish is a strong option almost everywhere we work, but Kenwood is one of the cases where field-painted, primed HardiePlank sometimes makes more sense — historic district guidelines occasionally call for a specific approved color or a shade matched to the home's documented original palette that may not exist in the ColorPlus lineup. Either route is legitimate fiber cement; which one fits depends on what your color plan needs to match.
What a Correct Job Involves on a 90-to-100-Year-Old Wall
Tear-Off Reveals the Real Condition
Old siding comes off before anyone can honestly say what a Kenwood wall needs. That's when soft or delaminated sheathing, past patch jobs, and any settled or slightly out-of-plane framing become visible and get addressed — not painted over and covered back up, which is often what happened the last time the house was resided.
Water Management Behind the Siding
Fiber cement siding sheds most of the water; it isn't the wall's only defense. A properly lapped and taped weather-resistive barrier, correctly integrated window and door flashing, and kick-out flashing at every roof-to-wall intersection are what actually keep a wall dry over time, and a century-old bungalow with multiple roof planes and dormers usually has more of those transitions than a simple modern box does. Skipping or shortcutting any of it is exactly how hidden rot builds behind a wall that looks fine from the sidewalk.
Fastening for Wind and Salt Air
Installation follows the manufacturer's Florida product-approved fastening schedule — fastener type, spacing, and pattern — using corrosion-resistant fasteners suited to salt-influenced air, with planks kept clear of grade, roofs, and decks per the manufacturer's clearance requirements. On an older home this also means checking that the framing and sheathing behind the new siding can actually take those fasteners properly, which is part of why the tear-off matters as much as the install.
How Our Process Works on a Kenwood Project
- Walk the home with you, look at the existing siding, trim, and porch details, and talk through what the historic review is likely to expect.
- Put together a siding plan — profile, exposure, trim approach, and color direction — built to read as appropriate for the house.
- Help you assemble what's needed for the city's preservation review and building permit, and adjust the plan if the review calls for changes.
- Tear off the old siding, assess and repair sheathing or framing as needed, and install a correct water-resistive barrier and flashing system.
- Install James Hardie fiber cement to the approved plan and the manufacturer's fastening schedule, with trim and porch details matched to the original.
- Walk the finished job with you before we consider it done.
What Drives the Cost on a Job Like This
Every Kenwood house is different, and a firm number without a walk-through is a guess. As a broad, honest frame, a full reside on a bungalow-sized home here tends to run somewhat higher than a same-size job on a newer house, largely because of the factors below.
| Cost Factor | Why It Matters on an Older Kenwood Home |
|---|---|
| Sheathing and framing condition | Decades of moisture exposure often means some repair is needed once old siding comes off |
| Historic review and permitting | Adds a step to the timeline and can shape which profile, exposure, or color is approved |
| Trim complexity | Matching original corner boards, friezes, and window casings takes more labor than a standard trim package |
| Porch and architectural detail | Working around original columns, brackets, and rafter tails without damaging them takes care and time |
| Roof and wall geometry | Dormers, multiple roof planes, and older additions mean more flashing transitions |
| ColorPlus vs. field-matched paint | A historic-approved custom color may require field painting rather than the factory finish |
Why a Crew That Already Works Kenwood Matters
A siding crew that has never worked in a historic district doesn't know to ask about review requirements before ordering material, doesn't have a feel for what proportions read as "right" on a 1920s bungalow, and hasn't spent time solving the small problems these houses share — narrow lots, mature trees close to the walls, porches and additions that were never quite square to begin with. A crew that already works Kenwood has been through the city's review process before, has a working sense of what profile and exposure choices tend to get approved, and has already made the judgment calls that come up on old wall assemblies — where to stop and repair sheathing, how to detail around original wood trim without replacing more of it than necessary. That experience doesn't show up as a line item on the quote, but it shows up in how the job goes and how the finished house looks next to its neighbors.
Before You Sign a Contract
- Verify the contractor's Florida license on the DBPR website and confirm the name matches the contract — ours is RB29003900.
- Ask directly whether they've done siding work in a St. Petersburg historic district before, and ask for specifics, not just a yes.
- Confirm who is coordinating the historic preservation review and building permit, and get that responsibility in writing.
- Settle profile, exposure, and trim approach before bids come in, so every quote is pricing the same scope.
- Ask how sheathing or framing repairs found during tear-off will be priced if they come up.
- Ask what happens to original wood porch and trim details — repaired, wrapped, or replaced — and get that decision in writing.
- Confirm ColorPlus versus field-painted color and, if a custom historic color is involved, how that gets matched.
- Get the water-resistive barrier and flashing plan described in writing, not just "we'll seal it up."
If you're weighing a siding project on a home in Historic Kenwood, we're glad to walk it with you, talk through what the review process is likely to expect, and put together a free, no-pressure estimate. The form below is the easiest way to get started.