Additions · Des Moines & the metro
Home Additions & ADUs
in Des Moines, IA
We build room additions, bump-outs, four-season rooms, second stories and ADUs in Des Moines, IA, with the foundation, framing, roof tie-in and exterior finished so the new part looks like it was always there.
What the job covers
Home Additions & ADUs,
start to finish.
- Foundation and footingsFrost-protected footings, block or poured walls, matched to the existing basement or crawl space.
- Framing and roof tie-inWalls, floor and roof framed to the plans and married into the existing roofline without a leak.
- Windows, doors and exteriorSiding, trim and roofing matched to the house as closely as the current catalog allows.
- Insulation and drywallInsulated to current code, drywalled, taped and ready for paint.
- Accessory dwelling unitsDetached, attached or garage ADUs, now allowed on single-family lots in Iowa, built as a complete small home.
- Trades and permitsLicensed electrical, plumbing and HVAC subcontractors scheduled around the framing; drawings handled by us.
Worth knowing
How the addition ties into the house.
Two things separate an addition that lasts from one that leaks. The first is the foundation: new footings have to go below the 42-inch frost depth Des Moines publishes, and they have to bear on undisturbed soil, not on the backfill left from the original house. An addition on a shallow footing moves independently of the house, and the crack shows up at the seam every spring.
The second is the roof tie-in. Where a new roof meets an old one, the flashing, the valley and the underlayment have to be done as one system. It is the most common leak on an addition and the hardest to fix afterward, so we plan the roofline on paper before anyone cuts into the existing roof.
Additions and ADUs need a building permit everywhere in the metro, and an ADU still has to meet setbacks, height and lot coverage; Iowa cities cannot require extra parking. We check those rules for your address before we quote and produce the drawings for the permit.
When an addition beats moving
Signs it is time to call.
You like the street but not the square footage
A 14 by 20 family room addition is a fraction of the cost of trading up in the same neighborhood.
The kitchen is the size it was in 1955
A bump-out of a few feet changes a kitchen more than any cabinet package.
A parent or adult child is moving in
A main-floor suite with its own bath, or a small ADU in the back yard, gives them their own space.
You need a four-season room, not a screen porch
Insulated walls, real windows and heat make a room you use in January.
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) 414-8477In writing
Send the details
Better for larger buildings, additions, and anything you want on record before a visit.