Roof repair, roof replacement and storm damage roofing for Des Moines homeowners, from a locally owned Grimes company on the northwest edge of the metro. Nearly half of the city's 97,604 homes were built before 1960, and more than a quarter before 1940 — steep, layered, tear-off roofs that need a roofer who has done them before.
At A Glance
The short version, for homeowners comparing roofers in Des Moines, Iowa.
Old Roofs, Steep Pitches
Des Moines is the oldest housing stock in the metro by a wide margin. The 2020–2024 American Community Survey counts 97,604 housing units with a median build year of 1961. 26,067 of them — 26.7% of the city — were built before 1940, and 47,800 — 48.9% — before 1960. Those are the Beaverdale brick cottages of 1920–1940, the Sherman Hill and Drake Victorians from the 1880s onward, the Highland Park streetcar suburb and the 1940–1959 veterans' ranches of Merle Hay, where the city's own neighborhood plan puts 69% of homes in that twenty-year window.
Steep pitches, dormers, chimneys and valleys mean more flashing to fail. Decades of re-roofing mean two or three shingle layers that hide soft decking and almost always require a full tear-off. Attic ventilation sized for 1930s insulation causes ice damming every February. None of that is a problem for a crew that expects it, and it is exactly what an out-of-state storm crew is not set up for.
Des Moines Residential Roofing
From the 1880s Victorians of Sherman Hill to the 1990s subdivisions around Easter Lake, we handle every kind of residential roof Des Moines has.
Leaks, lifted shingles, failed flashing, cracked pipe boots and storm punctures, fixed properly the first time. On a pre-war roof, a repair is often two layers deep; we tell you honestly when a patch will hold and when it will not. See our residential roof repair work across Central Iowa, or our emergency roof repair service if water is coming in right now.
Full tear-offs and re-roofs in architectural asphalt, impact-resistant Class 4 shingles or standing-seam metal. Tear-off of multiple layers, decking replacement and ventilation upgrades are routine on Des Moines homes built before 1960.
We inspect free, photograph every point of hail and wind damage, and give you a clear written report and repair estimate you can keep for your records or share with your insurer. Des Moines has taken three tornadoes since 2022, baseball-sized hail in 2021 and a measured 75 mph derecho gust in 2020.
Correctly sized seamless gutters and downspouts keep Iowa downpours off your fascia and foundation. Older homes with box gutters or undersized downspouts get a proper drainage plan, not just a replacement.
Wind-driven hail hits the north and west elevations too. Siding repair and replacement to match your new roof, done by the same crew on the same schedule.
Not sure whether you have damage? We climb up, take photos and give you a straight answer — no cost, no obligation, and no invented damage.
Built 1961, Failing 2026
Des Moines is many housing markets in one city. The census puts the median year built at 1961 across 97,604 housing units, and each era fails in its own way.
| Build era | Share of Des Moines homes | What we typically find first |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 or earlier | 26,067 homes (26.7%) — largest cohort | Beaverdale, Sherman Hill, Drake, Highland Park, River Bend: steep pitches, multiple layers, soft decking, tired chimney and valley flashing, undersized ventilation. |
| 1940–1959 | 21,733 homes (22.3%) | Merle Hay and the post-war ranch belt: second or third roof, low-slope sections, layered shingles, ice-dam scarring at the eaves. |
| 1960–1979 | 20,859 homes (21.4%) | Second or third roof by now: failed valley metal, rusted step flashing, decking soft around vents. |
| 1980–1999 | 12,721 homes (13.0%) | Second roof installed in the 2000s and now aging out: brittle mats, dead sealant strips, cracked pipe boots. |
| 2000–2009 | 7,227 homes (7.4%) | Original builder shingles at 17–26 years old, right in the replacement window; nail pops, curling tabs. |
| 2010 and newer | 8,997 homes (9.2%) | Storm damage rather than age: hail bruising and wind-lifted tabs from the 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025 events. |
Housing-unit figures from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 five-year estimates, tables B25034 and B25035. Failure patterns are what we commonly find on Central Iowa roofs of that age, not a prediction about your own.
Add it up: 47,800 of 97,604 homes — 48.9% of Des Moines — were built before 1960, and only 16,224 (16.6%) since 2000. This is a city of tear-offs, not layovers.
The Northwest Edge Of The Metro
Des Moines has hovered around 212,000 to 214,000 residents since 2020, but its metro passed 779,000 in 2024, and the suburbs feed storm crews into the city every hail season. We are a fixed address in Grimes, twenty-six minutes from City Hall and closer to the north-side neighborhoods off Merle Hay Road and Douglas Avenue.
Check This From The Ground
You do not need a ladder for most of these. Stand across the street on a bright morning and look at your roof against the light.
If you see two or more, get eyes on it. An instant roof estimate takes a minute online, or call for a free inspection.
Straight Numbers, No Games
Most Des Moines roof replacements land between roughly $9,000 and $28,000 for architectural asphalt shingles, driven by roof size, pitch, how many layers come off and how complicated the rooflines are. Impact-resistant shingles and standing-seam metal cost more. These are typical Central Iowa planning ranges — not a quote. Your real number comes from a measurement and a written estimate, and both are free.
| Home / roof size | Architectural asphalt | Impact-resistant asphalt | Standing-seam metal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small ranch (about 15–20 squares) | $9,000 – $14,000 | $12,000 – $18,000 | $22,000 – $34,000 |
| Typical two-story (about 20–28 squares) | $13,000 – $19,500 | $17,000 – $25,000 | $30,000 – $46,000 |
| Large or acreage home (about 28–40 squares) | $18,000 – $28,000 | $24,000 – $35,000 | $42,000 – $65,000 |
| Steep pitch, multiple layers or complex valleys | Typically adds 10–25% to any range above | ||
A "square" is 100 square feet of roof surface. Ranges assume tear-off, underlayment, ventilation and clean-up. Against a median owner-occupied home value of $194,700 in Des Moines, a roof is a larger share of the property than in the suburbs, which is exactly why a written estimate and a repair-versus-replace answer matter more here. Compare our detailed roof replacement cost guide for Central Iowa, or read whether to repair or replace your roof.
Polk County Weather Reality
Des Moines has taken three tornadoes since 2022 on top of the derecho and the metro hail seasons. These are the events on the NOAA record that Des Moines homeowners still call us about.
Des Moines International measured 75 mph, a trained spotter north of the airport reported 80 mph, and NWS logged broken tree limbs throughout the Merle Hay neighborhood. Costliest thunderstorm event on record nationally, with 1.4 million customers losing power across the region.
Crossed the Des Moines River and hit the Woodland Hills neighborhood, damaging multiple structures along a 13.62-mile path; $75 million in property damage in the same outbreak as the Winterset EF4.
An EF2 formed just northwest of Easter Lake on April 26 with roof damage as it tracked northeast into Pleasant Hill. An EF1 on July 15 crossed Urbandale, Windsor Heights and I-235 into Des Moines with damage to homes and power lines.
1.5-inch hail at 31st and Ingersoll and 1.75-inch at Fort Des Moines in 2021; egg-size hail on the west metro in 2022. On July 10, 2025 the airport measured a 74 mph gust.
Iowa homeowners policies commonly set a time limit for reporting hail damage, often twelve months from the storm date, and that clock runs whether or not you knew you had damage. The Iowa Insurance Division publishes plain-English guidance at iid.iowa.gov. Our part is simple: we document the damage with photos and a written report, promptly, so you have a clear record whatever you decide to do with it.
Local Coverage
Des Moines recognizes 46 neighborhood associations. We work all of them, and we know which era each one was built in, because that tells us what we will find on the roof before we climb the ladder.
We also work the streets around Merle Hay Mall, Drake University, Tower Park, Ashby Park, Grays Lake, Easter Lake Park, the State Capitol and the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Simple & Transparent
Tell us what you are seeing on your Des Moines roof.
We drive out from Grimes, get on the roof and photograph what we find.
An honest written quote, plus a photo-documented damage report.
Tear-off, decking checks, new roof, cleanly staged on your drive.
We review the work and magnet-sweep every nail off the lawn.
Serving The Whole Metro From Grimes
Des Moines is the center of everything we do. From our Grimes shop on the northwest edge, we cover the city and every suburb around it.
Verified Google Reviews
A 5.0-star average across 57 Google reviews. Three, word for word.
"Scott is professional, efficient, and honest. He went WAY above and beyond and provided top-notch service."
— Colin & Whitney M."Scott was so responsive and quickly helped us repair a leak in our ceiling. Incredibly friendly and gave great advice."
— Whitney Peitz"Scott and his team were very professional and punctual. Honest and informative about our roof and insulation."
— Kristen PohlmanDes Moines Roofing FAQ
About 18 miles and 26 minutes to City Hall by IA-141, I-80/35 and I-235, and noticeably less to the north-side neighborhoods. Merle Hay, Beaverdale and Highland Park are reached straight off I-35/80 or down Meredith Drive. That is not a guaranteed response window, but it is a drive we make every week.
Local. Hutch Unlimited LLC is BBB A+ accredited and has been locally owned in Grimes, on the northwest edge of the metro, since 2021. Owner Scott inspects the roof himself and is the person who answers the phone, before the job and after it. We will still be here next spring, which is the question worth asking any roofer who shows up after a storm.
Old. The census puts the median year built at 1961 across 97,604 housing units, with 26.7% of homes built before 1940 and 48.9% before 1960. Most of those homes have been re-roofed two or three times, and the current roof is often past twenty years with another layer or two underneath it.
Yes, and it is a large part of what we do. Beaverdale developed between 1920 and 1940, and its brick cottages and Craftsman bungalows have steep pitches, dormers and chimneys that need careful flashing. We tear off to the deck, replace soft boards, fix the ventilation and install a roof that suits the house.
Small repairs such as a cracked pipe boot, a few wind-lifted shingles or resealed flashing are usually a few hundred dollars. Larger repairs involving decking, valley metal or a whole slope run higher, and at some point a full replacement makes more sense. The inspection and the written estimate are free, so you get a real number before deciding anything.
We will not, and neither should anyone else. Multiple layers hide soft decking, add weight the rafters were never sized for, and cannot be inspected properly. Nearly half of Des Moines homes were built before 1960, so layered roofs are common here, and the honest answer is a full tear-off. We show you the decking photos before we close it up.
Yes. The March 5, 2022 EF2 damaged multiple structures in the Woodland Hills area, the April 26, 2024 EF2 formed just northwest of Easter Lake with roof damage along its path, and the July 15, 2024 EF1 crossed I-235 with damage to homes. If you are near any of those tracks and never had the roof checked, a free inspection is overdue.
Iowa homeowners policies commonly set a reporting window, often twelve months from the storm date, so an older event may fall outside it while a recent one does not. That is a question for your insurer; the Iowa Insurance Division's guidance at iid.iowa.gov explains the basics. Our job is to get the damage documented quickly and clearly.
All of them. Des Moines recognizes 46 neighborhood associations, and we work from Sherman Hill and Drake in the center to Merle Hay and Beaverdale on the north side, Highland Park and Union Park across the river, South of Grand and Waveland Park on the west side, and Easter Lake and Indianola Hills on the south side.
We do. Hutch Unlimited works with Acorn Finance so you can spread the cost rather than paying in one hit — useful when you want an upgrade such as Class 4 shingles or metal beyond a basic like-for-like replacement. See our roof financing page for the options.
Both. Hail and straight-line wind rarely stop at the roofline — the same storm that bruises shingles dents gutters and siding. Documenting all the damage at once, not just the roof, gives you the full picture of what your home needs.
Yes. Standing-seam metal makes sense on a home you plan to keep for decades, and it stands up better to metro hail. See our metal roofing page for panel styles, colors and how the cost compares with asphalt over the life of the roof.
Still have a question? Call (515) 313-7355. Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00, Sat 8:00–12:00.
Free inspections, photo-documented damage reports and honest answers — from a locally owned Grimes company on the edge of the metro, not a storm chaser passing through.
Written and reviewed by the Hutch Unlimited Roofing team, Grimes, Iowa. Storm, census and housing figures are cited to their sources above. Last updated September 5, 2026.
