Built for Iowa winters · Des Moines & the metro Decks · Additions · Garages · Fencing (515) 414-8477
Lanham StructuresDes Moines, Iowa
(515) 414-8477Call or text
A wide treated-lumber deck by Lanham Structures with black balusters and broad wraparound steps beside a pool

A Des Moines builder that puts
the scope in writing.

Owner-operated general contractor, founded in 2024 by Ryan Valentin Lanham and known for a higher standard than most in the field. Pole barns, ADUs, decks, additions and garages first, then the rest.

42 inDes Moines frost depth. Footings go below it
10Kinds of job we take, each priced in writing
5 yrWarranty on our labor, on every job
18Communities within 40 miles of Des Moines
The framed roof of a post-frame park shelter built by Lanham Structures, before the steel goes on

How we work

The hidden work goes in the estimate.

A garage on a shallow footing looks identical to one on a proper footing the day it is finished. The difference shows up in year three, when the slab heaves and the door binds. The same goes for a deck ledger, a roof valley, a truss anchor.

So the things you cannot see later get written into the estimate, inspected by the city before they are covered, and photographed for your records. That is the whole method.

Lanham Structures LLC was founded in 2024 by Ryan Valentin Lanham, Val to his customers, and he is on every job himself. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC are brought in from licensed trades; the carpentry is his.

“We want to be your lifelong contractor, not just the one for the job at hand.”

Val Lanham, owner

The process

How every job works.

1

Call or send the details

Tell us what you want built and where. Photos help. Val calls back to set a time to look at it.

2

Free site visit and measurements

We walk the site, measure, check setbacks and the ground, and talk through sizes, materials and what the parcel allows.

3

Written estimate and drawings

You get a written estimate that describes the scope and the materials, and a drawing the permit office will accept. Every job is priced individually.

4

Build, inspect, walk through

We build to the drawing, plan around the inspections the city requires, and walk the finished work with you. Our labor is warranted for five years.

Before you hire anyone

Insured, warranted, in writing.

Ask every contractor who bids your job the same three questions: are you insured, what do you warrant, and will you put the scope in writing. Here are our answers.

Insurance
General liability, $2,000,000Certificate available on request
Warranty
5 years on our laborManufacturer warranties on materials, up to 50 years
Estimates
Free, in writingGiven after a site visit, with the scope spelled out
Payment
Cash, check or Cash AppTerms written into the estimate before work starts

Get an estimate

Tell us what you want
to build.

We look at the site, check what the parcel allows, and put the scope and the price in writing. Then you decide.

  • Footings below the 42-inch Des Moines frost depth
  • Drawings prepared for your city's permit office
  • Free estimates in writing, after a site visit
  • Five-year warranty on our labor, insured
  • Within about 40 miles of Des Moines
  • If a repair will not hold, we say so before you sign

Fastest

Call us

Describe the project and book a site visit in the same call. Photos help, and you can text them to the same number.

(515) 414-8477

In writing

Send the details

Better for larger buildings, additions, and anything you want on record before a visit.

Call now