Home Remodeling
in Des Moines

Yes, you will generally need a permit for bathroom remodels in Des Moines. Section 26-302 of the Des Moines Municipal Code exempts painting and similar finish work along with minor repairs. The city's permit exemption policy explicitly states that removing and replacing finishes on an entire wall requires a permit.

Plumbing carries its own set of requirements. Even when a project is exempt from a building permit, the code calls for separate plumbing permits when the work warrants them. Section 26-606 of the municipal code requires one for any replacement or alteration to a plumbing system, with the exception of basic maintenance like fixing a leak or repairing a faucet, unless that repair is the entire project.

Setting a new tub or replacing the water lines behind it goes beyond that, so projects like a tub-to-shower conversion or a master bathroom transformation, for example, will need both permits.

West Shore Home handles the permitting for every job, so you are not the one sorting out which permits apply. Our installers are in-house employees rather than subcontractors, which means the same team is accountable for the paperwork and the workmanship. Schedule your free design consultation, and we will tell you exactly what your project needs.

Replacing ten vinyl windows in Des Moines averages $20,569 according to the 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, and you get back 70.3% of the cost when you sell. That number covers ten standard-sized windows, along with new exterior trim.

Because every home is different, West Shore Home quotes are based on what your windows actually need. Some homeowners replace a handful of double-hung or sliding windows on one side of the house, while others do the whole house at once. A bay window or an arched specialty shape costs more than a plain rectangle, and with more than half of Des Moines homes built before 1960, plenty of windows here are non-standard.

Bigger projects are where most homeowners use financing, which is available to qualified homeowners with approved credit. Schedule your free design consultation, and we will measure every window before quoting you a price.

In most cases, no. The city's permit exemption policy counts replacement as minor repair work when the opening in your wall stays the same size, and any bedroom window still opens wide enough to climb out of in an emergency. Doors work the same way, as long as the new one matches the old in size and swings in the same direction. Fire-rated doors, like the one between a house and an attached garage, are the exception.

Every window and door replacement that West Shore Home installs is a like-for-like swap, so your project will typically be exempt, unless your home sits in one of the city's historic districts, which follow their own review process. Your double-hung window or entry door goes into the opening you already have and is custom-sized to fit it rather than the other way around. Section 26-302 of the municipal code is where those exemptions come from.

Homes in one of the city's historic districts need approval before work begins. Chapter 58 of the municipal code treats the style of your windows and doors as part of your home's exterior, so switching from original wood to a different material means getting sign-off from the city's historic preservation commission.

Either way, West Shore Home helps you sort out what applies before work starts. Our installers are West Shore Home employees, not subcontractors, so the crew doing your demo is the same crew that completes the final cleanup. Schedule your free design consultation, and we will walk your home with you to determine what is needed for your next window or door project.

A steel entry door replacement in Des Moines averages $2,281 according to the 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, and you get back 234.1% of the cost when you sell. A new front door is one of the few projects that pays for itself twice over.

Final prices vary, where a straightforward entry door in steel sits at the lower end, fiberglass with decorative glass runs higher, and French doors or patio doors tend to be the most expensive. The handle set, the finish, and the glass can all affect your final price as well.

West Shore Home offers custom widths and heights, so an older home with an opening that is not a standard size still has options. Financing is available for qualified homeowners with approved credit, and you can schedule your free design consultation to get an exact price for your entry.

Steel and fiberglass both hold up through an Iowa winter, so the choice usually comes down to the look you want. Every entry door West Shore Home installs is filled with foam insulation instead of being hollow inside, and both materials are ENERGY STAR® certified.

Steel doors have an extra built-in layer that slows the cold from working its way through, plus a reinforced area around the lock. Fiberglass gives you the grain and depth of real wood without having to repaint it every few years, and it can be stained by hand or painted a custom color, which matters if you are matching a brick bungalow or a Tudor front.

What tends to fail first is the frame. Wood frames soak up water and start to rot, so ours use a composite bottom that won't absorb moisture, with the added bonus of a sweep along the floor that prevents drafts. Our patio doors are built the same way. Schedule your free design consultation to see both materials side by side.

The strongest wind protection West Shore Home offers comes from putting a storm door in front of your entry door. Ours carry a +55/-55 design pressure rating, meaning they are tested to withstand 55 pounds per square foot of positive and negative pressure, which is what wind does to a house in a storm.

Our storm door frames are up to 20% thicker than what most companies use, with tempered safety glass on every model and a stainless steel screen. The entry door behind it is filled with foam insulation, sealed along the bottom with a triple-layer sweep, and hung on heavy-duty hinges that keep it from sagging over the years.

Our French doors and patio doors are built the same way, with financing available for qualified homeowners with approved credit. Schedule your free design consultation, and we will put together the right combination for your entry.

For any room where moisture is a concern, yes, LVP flooring is the best choice. Luxury vinyl plank is waterproof all the way through, while solid hardwood tends to warp or discolor when it gets damp and needs sanding and refinishing every so often.

If you really want the look of real wood, engineered hardwood puts a real hardwood surface over a dense core underneath, and it can handle water sitting on top of it for up to 36 hours. It also has built-in Cleantivity™ technology, which prevents bacteria from building up on the surface. Others go with luxury vinyl tile for a stone look that is equally as waterproof as LVP.

All three go down over the hard floors you already have, so nothing gets torn up to get started. Schedule your free design consultation to find what works best in your home.

Luxury vinyl plank is generally the more practical choice for basement flooring, and it is what West Shore Home specializes in installing. LVP is waterproof, clicks together right over the hard floor you already have, and feels warmer underfoot than ceramic or stone.

Warmth is the part homeowners underestimate. A Des Moines basement runs cold from November through March, and a tile floor down there is noticeably colder to stand on than a plank one. Tile also takes longer to install and leaves you with grout lines to keep clean, while luxury vinyl tile gives you the stone look without either of those.

No floor fixes water coming in through a foundation, so that comes first if your basement has ever taken on water. Schedule your free design consultation and we will walk the space with you.