Roofers in Des Moines: a homeowner guide to repair, replacement and storm damage

What roofs go through in Des Moines

Des Moines, IA roofing has no easy season. Summer brings the severe-weather belt: hail from March through August, straight-line wind out of thunderstorm complexes, and every few years something like the August 2020 derecho, which crossed the metro with hurricane-force gusts and put more roofs on insurance claims in one afternoon than most cities see in a decade. Winter brings about 35 inches of snow and weeks of freeze-thaw, which is how ice dams build at the eaves and push meltwater back under the shingles.

Then there's the housing. The city itself is mostly 1910s–1950s: brick bungalows in Beaverdale, foursquares around Drake and Highland Park, ranches on the east side and along Merle Hay. Those roofs have steep pitches, old chimneys, small attics with almost no ventilation, and sometimes two layers of shingles already up there. The suburbs are the opposite problem: Ankeny, Waukee, Grimes and Johnston have added tens of thousands of builder-grade roofs since 2000, on open ground with nothing to slow the wind, and the first generation of those shingles is aging out right now.

The result is a market where storm damage roof repair in Des Moines is as common as ordinary wear, insurance adjusters are part of most replacement conversations, and a lot of homeowners have been talked into a roof they didn't need by someone with an out-of-state plate. We'd rather you understood what you're looking at.

Roofing in Des Moines: the main jobs

Roof repair — leaks at chimney flashing, pipe boots, valleys and skylights, wind-lifted shingles, soft decking. Most repairs are $300–$1,500 and done in a visit. If you were searching for Des Moines roof repair, that page covers it in detail.

Roof replacement — full tear-off, decking check, synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water membrane along the eaves to code, and architectural shingles nailed for Iowa wind. Typical Des Moines homes run $9,000–$20,000. See the roof replacement guide.

Storm damage and insurance claims — hail, derecho and wind damage documented from the roof, tarped if needed, and written up in a scope your adjuster can follow. See storm damage repair.

Ice dam repair — steam removal of the dam, repair of what it damaged, and the attic air-sealing and ventilation work that stops it coming back. See ice dam repair.

Roof inspections — a walked inspection with photos and a written report, for a house you're buying, a claim you're filing, or a roof you're not sure about. See roof inspection.

How to choose a Des Moines roofing company

Any Des Moines roofing company you are considering should answer three questions without hesitating: is it registered with the Iowa Division of Labor, who carries its liability and workers' compensation insurance, and what does the written quote include line by line. Iowa doesn't license roofers, so registration and insurance certificates are the checks you have. Both take a few minutes.

The roofing company Des Moines neighbors recommend after a storm is usually one that has worked through several hail seasons here, has a 515 number and an address you can drive to, and will tell you when a $300 pipe boot is all you need. Our guide to choosing among roofing companies covers the checks in more detail, and questions to ask a Des Moines roofing contractor gives you the list to read from.

Repair or replace, honestly

The most useful thing a roofer can tell you is that you don't need a roof yet. On a 1950s ranch in Urbandale with one leaking pipe boot, the answer is a $300 repair, not a $14,000 replacement. On a 2004 Ankeny two-story with bruised shingles across three slopes after a hail storm, the answer is a claim and a replacement. A good contractor looks, photographs, and tells you which. Our guide on repair versus replacement walks through the same decision.

After the storm, before you sign

Every hail season, the day after a storm crosses the metro, the door-knocking starts in Ankeny, Waukee and Grimes. Some of those crews are fine. Many are registered nowhere, insured nowhere, and gone by October. Iowa doesn't license roofers, but it does require contractors to register with the state and carry workers' compensation. If someone on your porch offers to "take care of" your insurance deductible, treat it as a red flag: ask your insurer, or the Iowa Attorney General's consumer protection office, what the rules are before you sign anything.

Take the photos, call your insurer, and get a written scope from a contractor with a 515 number and an address you can drive to. If you typed roofer near me Des Moines into your phone after a storm and landed here, the storm damage page explains how the claim works.

How this site works

This is a free local guide, not a roofing contractor. Calls and estimate requests go to an independent local contractor partner who inspects, quotes in writing and performs the work. There is no obligation to hire, and the prices on these pages are typical ranges for the area, not a quote.

Areas this guide covers

All of Des Moines — Beaverdale, Drake, Highland Park, the east side, South of Grand, Merle Hay, Easter Lake — and the Polk County metro: West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Waukee, Clive, Altoona, Grimes, Norwalk and Pleasant Hill. Steel roofing on acreages out toward Norwalk, Cumming and Bondurant is common too. Whether you're comparing roofing in Des Moines, Iowa after a storm or just planning ahead, the pricing page has real numbers to hold every quote against.