How to Choose a Roofer in the Des Moines Metro

Search "best roofing companies in Des Moines" and you'll get ranked lists, most of them written by people who have never been on an Iowa roof. We're not going to rank the metro for you, and you should be skeptical of anyone who does. The useful version of that question is narrower. What do you check before you hand somebody a ladder and a contract?

Verify this before anyone gets on your roof

Ask for a certificate of liability insurance and read it. A contractor carrying real coverage sends it over the same day. One who stalls has already told you what you needed to know.

Ask whether they're licensed to work in Iowa. Ask where the office is, and make sure it's a building you could drive to on a Tuesday rather than a mailing address. After a big hail event the metro fills with trucks wearing out-of-state plates and phone numbers that ring somewhere else. Those crews sign contracts for two weeks, and by August they're gone along with the workmanship warranty.

Ask how long they've worked in Iowa, then read the reviews properly. The star average matters less than whether the reviews spread across years and across neighborhoods. A roofer who's been working Des Moines, West Des Moines and Ankeny for a decade leaves a trail you can follow.

What a manufacturer certification means, and what it doesn't

Owens Corning Platinum Preferred is one of the harder certifications in this industry to earn, and it tells you something real. The manufacturer vetted the company before letting it use the name.

It doesn't tell you which crew pulls into your driveway, or that the ventilation will be sized right, or that the chimney flashing gets replaced instead of reused. Certification narrows the list, and the rest comes down to the paperwork and the crew.

Put the scope and the warranty in writing

"Replace decking as needed" isn't a scope. It's a blank line on your invoice. Ask what decking is included in the base price, the installed price per sheet for anything past that, the thickness that price covers, and how you'll see the damage before you approve the charge.

Same treatment for the rest of it. How many existing layers come off. Whether the garage and the porch are in the price. Whether the chimney flashing is new. What underlayment and ice-and-water protection go down, and who hauls the tear-off away. Our guide to comparing replacement estimates goes line by line, and the Des Moines cost guide covers what moves the number up or down.

Then ask for both warranty documents. The manufacturer covers material defects. The contractor covers the installation. Ask whether labor is included, what voids each one, and what happens if you sell the house in four years. A big number on the front of a proposal answers none of that.

How a roofer should handle storm work

This is where the industry gets ugly, so be blunt about what you're asking for. A roofer documents the damage with labeled photos and measurements, writes a construction scope, and attends the adjuster's inspection when you ask. That's the job.

Coverage decisions belong to you and your insurer. Nobody who climbs your roof can tell you what your carrier will approve, and anyone promising an outcome is selling something they don't control. Claim deadlines vary by policy and insurer, so call your agent early instead of waiting to see how the estimates shake out. Our Iowa roof insurance claim guide lays out the sequence.

Red flags that should end the conversation

A few of these are judgment calls. Most aren't.

• A door knocker who showed up within 48 hours of the storm.
• An offer to cover, waive or eat your deductible, or to get you a free roof. That's insurance fraud in Iowa, and you'd be part of it.
• A contract handed to you on the tailgate, with pressure to sign the day of the storm.
• Out-of-state plates and a phone number that isn't local.
• Full payment demanded before the first shingle comes off.
• Promises that live in conversation and never reach the written agreement.

A roofer who'll still be in business in October can wait a week for your answer.

Comparing two bids without guessing

Bids thousands of dollars apart are usually pricing different jobs. Before deciding somebody padded the number, check the assumptions behind both: the same roof areas, the same tear-off layers, a named product line rather than "architectural shingles," the same decking terms, the same flashing plan, the same warranty.

When they don't match, send both contractors the same short list of questions and ask for revised estimates. A roof inspection helps set the scope, though the proposal still has to say what happens when the crew opens the roof and finds something nobody could see from the ground.

The crew and the cleanup

Ask who is actually doing the work. In-house crew or subcontractors, and if it's subs, who supervises them on site. Ask who your contact is during the job, and what happens when the forecast turns halfway through a tear-off.

Then ask about the end of it. Where the dumpster sits, what protects your landscaping and siding, how they sweep the yard for nails, and how long the job runs from tear-off to final walkthrough. Roofing is loud and messy for a day or two, and the yard shouldn't still be turning up nails a week later.

Where Bakeris fits

We're one option, and you should check us the way you check anyone else. Bakeris Roofing is family owned, started in 1990, and Jeff Bakeris still runs it. We're Owens Corning Platinum Preferred with 700+ Google reviews across two Iowa locations. Our main office is in Runnells and our satellite office is in Des Moines.

Storm damage inspections and full roof replacement estimates are free. Repair visits carry a $98 diagnosis fee, credited toward approved repair work if you move forward. We cover Waukee and the rest of the metro from those two offices. Our workmanship carries a 15-year craftsmanship guarantee and a 10-year No Blame Game guarantee, both spelled out on our guarantee page. Ask to see them in writing the same way you'd ask anyone else.

Call (515) 967-8199 or ask for an inspection, and we'll put the photos, the measurements and the written scope in your hands. Then compare it to whatever else you've collected.

Common questions

What should I verify before letting a roofer on my roof?

Ask for a certificate of liability insurance, confirm they're licensed to work in Iowa, and get the address of an office you could drive to. Ask how long they've worked in the metro. Then read their Google reviews for spread across years and neighborhoods instead of looking at the star average.

Does Owens Corning Platinum Preferred mean a roofer is better?

It means the manufacturer vetted the company, and the certification is harder to earn than most badges you'll see on a truck door. It doesn't tell you who's on your roof next Tuesday or whether the chimney flashing gets replaced. Use it to narrow your list, then ask the scope and warranty questions.

A contractor knocked on my door after the hail. Should I sign?

Not that day. Door knockers in the first 48 hours, deductible offers, free roof pitches and contracts on the tailgate are the pattern Iowa homeowners get burned by. Take the card, verify insurance and a local office, and get a second opinion from a roofer who was here before the storm.

Why are two roofing bids thousands of dollars apart?

Usually because they price different work. Check the roof areas included, the number of tear-off layers, the decking terms, the actual shingle product line, the flashing plan and the warranty. Ask both contractors the same questions and get revised written estimates before you compare totals.