Roofing companies in Des Moines: how to choose one

What this site is

This is a free local guide for homeowners, not a roofing company. The pages explain what goes wrong on Des Moines roofs, what the fixes typically cost, and what to ask before you hire. Calls and estimate requests go to an independent local contractor partner who inspects the roof, gives you a written quote and performs the work. You are never obligated to hire, and the prices on this site are typical ranges for the area, not quotes.

How to choose among roofing companies in Des Moines, Iowa

There are dozens of roofing companies in Des Moines, and more after every hail storm. The good ones look alike in a few specific ways.

They are local and they stay. Central Iowa roofing is work a contractor can do well from one shop inside a 40-minute drive. Crews that follow storms from state to state are not answering the phone when a warranty repair comes due in October. Ask for a 515 number, a local address, and how many hail seasons they have worked here.

They start in the attic. Satellite measurements count squares, but they cannot see a water trail under the decking, plank decking with two-inch gaps, or a bath fan venting into the insulation, and those change a price after the fact. A roofing company in Des Moines that quotes without opening the attic hatch is guessing.

They write it down. The quote should be one page, itemized, and good for a stated number of days: the shingle product named, underlayment type, ice-and-water membrane to the code line at the eaves and in every valley, six nails per shingle, new flashing, ventilation, a decking allowance per sheet, the permit, and the warranty in years. If the honest answer is a $300 pipe boot or another four winters, that is what it should say.

They build the roof for Iowa. On a replacement, ask for wind-rated architectural shingles, a price for Class 4 impact-rated ones, and ventilation sorted while the deck is open.

What Iowa requires of a contractor, and how to check

Iowa is one of the states that does not license roofers. What it requires is that construction contractors register with the Iowa Division of Labor, part of Iowa Workforce Development, and show proof of workers' compensation and unemployment insurance as part of that registration. Out-of-state contractors also have to post a surety bond. There's no skills test behind it, so registration proves only that a company exists and has its insurance in order. But it takes a few minutes to check on the state's contractor search, and the crews that haven't bothered are telling you how long they plan to stay.

Ask every roofer for registration details and liability and workers' compensation certificates before a ladder goes up; a worker who falls off your roof without coverage can become a claim against your homeowners policy.

Storm season brings one more question. If a contractor offers to pay, rebate or "take care of" your insurance deductible, or asks you to sign something that ties the contract to your claim, stop and check first. Your insurer and the Iowa Attorney General's consumer protection office can tell you what the rules are and what your rights are if the claim is denied. Our guide on questions to ask a Des Moines roofing contractor covers the rest of the list.

Central Iowa roofing, by direction

In the city: Beaverdale, Drake, Sherman Hill, Highland Park, the east side, South of Grand, Merle Hay and Easter Lake — mostly 1910s–50s roofs with brick chimneys and small attics.

North: Ankeny, Johnston, Grimes, Polk City and Bondurant, where roof work is mostly 2000s subdivisions taking hail on open ground.

West: West Des Moines from Valley Junction to Jordan Creek, Clive, Waukee, Windsor Heights and Urbandale. A roofing company Urbandale homeowners hire for the 1970s–90s ranches along Douglas and Meredith should know low pitches and tree cover.

East and south: Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Carlisle, Norwalk and Cumming, where steel roofing on acreages is as common as shingles.

Houses, rentals and small commercial

Residential roofing in Des Moines is most of what homeowners ask about: single-family homes, duplexes, townhomes and rentals for landlords with several roofs to track. Commercial roofing in Des Moines covers everything from low-slope TPO, EPDM and modified bitumen on shops, offices and churches along Ingersoll, Merle Hay Road, Euclid and in Valley Junction, to warehouse roofs that are a different trade entirely. If you own a small commercial building, ask any roofer how many low-slope roofs they have done and what membrane they recommend.

Mistakes homeowners make when choosing a roofer

• Hiring the first one who knocks. After a storm, the first crew on your street is the fastest, not necessarily the best. Take the card and check it out.
• Comparing totals, not scopes. Two quotes for "a new roof" can describe different jobs. Line them up item by item.
• Skipping the paperwork. Registration and insurance certificates take minutes to check and matter most when something goes wrong.
• Paying too much up front. A modest deposit is normal. Most of the money should change hands when the work is done and you've walked the yard.
• Signing on the porch. Anything tied to your insurance claim deserves a night's sleep and a call to your insurer.

Questions for the first phone call

You can learn a lot before anyone visits:

1. Do you look in the attic as part of the estimate?
2. How long will the written quote be good for?
3. Do you use your own crews or subcontractors?
4. Who pulls the permit, and is it included?
5. What happens if you find rotted decking once the old roof is off?
6. How do you handle warranty calls, and who do I call?

Clear, short answers are a good sign. Vague ones usually stay vague. Write the answers down for each company you call, in the same order, so you can compare them side by side once the written quotes arrive. The differences are often easier to see on paper than they were on the phone, especially when one company names a per-sheet decking price and another says it will "see when we get up there."

Reading the contract before you sign

The contract should match the quote. Check that the business name is the same one you looked up with the state, that the scope lists the materials by name, and that the payment schedule ties payments to stages of the work. Look for how changes are handled — rotted decking found during tear-off is the usual one — and make sure the per-sheet price is written down. If the job involves an insurance claim, read any clause about the claim twice and ask your insurer about it before you sign. Keep a signed copy, with the quote and any change orders, in one folder.

Getting a price

Call, text or request an estimate. Estimates through this site are free, written, and come from the local contractor partner, with no obligation to hire. If you're comparing companies after a storm, read the storm damage guide first.

How estimate requests are handled

Calls and requests through this site are handled by an independent local roofing contractor we work with in Des Moines, who provides the written quote and performs the work. We only work with roofers registered as contractors with the State of Iowa — ask for their Iowa registration number. Prices on the site are typical Des Moines ranges, not a quote.