Built for Iowa winters · Des Moines & the metro Decks · Additions · Garages · Fencing (515) 414-8477
Lanham StructuresDes Moines, Iowa
(515) 414-8477Call or text

Elevating the standard of construction · Des Moines, IA

Decks, Additions & Garages
in Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines general contractor. Pole barns, post-frame shops and garages, ADUs and additions, decks and pergolas, fencing, roofing and siding, kitchens and basements, new builds and storm repair, within about 40 miles of the city. Free estimates in writing, a five-year warranty on our labor, and every footing set below the 42-inch frost line.

(515) 414-8477

Free written estimates· 5-year labor warranty· Insured

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Tell us about the projectFree · in writing · after a site visit

Prefer to talk? (515) 414-8477

Got it.

We will call you back to set a time to look at the site. If you would rather not wait, call (515) 619-0180.

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

What we build

Decks, additions, garages and the rest of the house.

Those three are what we are known for. Start with the project or start with the problem. Every page tells you what the job covers, what the city will ask for, and how to tell whether you are looking at a repair or a rebuild.

Decks A finished upper deck built by Lanham Structures with white railings and a long white staircase down to the lawn

Decks & Patios

Wood and composite decks, covered porches, steps and patios, footings set below frost.

See the detail Additions Sunlight coming through the new stud walls of a room addition under construction

Home Additions & ADUs

Room additions, bump-outs, second stories and accessory dwelling units, tied into the house properly.

See the detail Garages A finished white steel post-frame garage by Lanham Structures with two overhead doors and a new concrete apron

Garages

Detached and attached garages, one to four stalls, with the slab, doors and electrical rough-in.

See the detail Fences The corner of a new pressure-treated privacy fence built by Lanham Structures, running between two houses along a driveway

Fencing

Privacy, horizontal and picket fences and gates in treated lumber and cedar, posts set below frost.

See the detail Exterior A roofer laying architectural shingles across a new roof deck

Roofing, Siding & Exteriors

Shingle and steel roofing, siding, soffit, fascia, gutters, windows and doors.

See the detail Interiors A remodeled kitchen with wood cabinets, granite counters, a subway tile backsplash and a tiled floor

Kitchens & Bathrooms

Kitchen and bathroom remodels: layout, cabinets, counters, tile, fixtures and the trades behind the wall.

See the detail Interiors A basement room finished by Lanham Structures, with taped drywall, two new doors and fresh carpet

Interior Remodeling

Basement finishes, drywall and plaster, flooring, tile, doors and trim.

See the detail Commercial A post-frame shop under construction by Lanham Structures, with a red steel roof, a lean-to porch and a scissor lift at the entry

New Builds & Commercial

Post-frame shops and warehouses, ground-up builds and commercial tenant work.

See the detail Outdoors A landscape bed with limestone edging, red rock and shrubs on a front lawn, built by Lanham Structures

Landscaping & Lawn Care

Beds, edging, rock and mulch, small retaining walls, grading and lawn care around the structures we build.

See the detail Repairs A roofer repairing the roof of a brick house against a dark storm sky

Emergency & Storm Repairs

Emergency dry-in and wind, hail and tree-strike repair, documented for your insurer. After-hours calls taken.

See the detail
All 10 services (515) 414-8477

How we work

We put the scope in writing before we start.

Most of what decides whether a building lasts in central Iowa is invisible once it is finished: how deep the footings went, how the ledger is bolted, how the trusses are anchored. None of it can be checked from the street in year five, so it gets written down, inspected and photographed in week one.

That is why we quote after a free site visit and put the scope in writing. You should be able to compare our estimate with anyone else's line by line.

“I care about every project like it’s my own. I want to be the best out there, not the one who makes the most money.”

Val Lanham, owner
About Lanham Structures
Partition walls being framed under the trusses of a post-frame building by Lanham Structures

How it works

Four steps from the phone call
to the final inspection.

Building projects go wrong in the same three places: an unclear scope, a footing that is too shallow, and a permit nobody pulled. All three get settled before we start.

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.

The work

Our recent work.

Decks, garages, post-frame buildings, fences and interiors, all our own jobs. Click any photo to open it full size and look at the framing and the connections, which is where the quality of a structure actually shows.

Full gallery

Where we work

The Des Moines metro,
within 40 miles.

Based in Des Moines, working across Polk, Dallas, Warren, Boone and Story counties. Not on the list? Call and ask. It is where most of the jobs are, not a boundary.

Iowa · within 40 miles of Des Moines

All service areas (515) 414-8477

Find us

Based in Des Moines.

Call, or send the details and we will come out and look at the site.

Phone

(515) 414-8477

Call or text. If we are on a site, we call you back.

Based in

Des Moines, IA

Working within about 40 miles of Des Moines.

Hours

  • Monday8:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Tuesday8:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday8:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Thursday8:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Friday8:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Saturday8:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • SundayClosed

Sunday closed. Also available by appointment outside these hours, and for emergency repairs.

Des Moines, Iowa
(515) 414-8477

Common questions

Before you build.

Yes. We look at the site in person, because setbacks, grade and access change the price, and the estimate comes to you in writing with no charge and no obligation.
For most of what we build, yes. The City of Des Moines requires a permit for every new garage, for elevated decks more than 30 inches above grade, for additions and for finished basement bedrooms. Each suburb sets its own rules. We check them for your address and produce the drawings for the permit.
Usually about two weeks on smaller projects. Larger builds are scheduled at the estimate, around permit review and the weather. We would rather quote a longer schedule and beat it.
Five years on our labor. Materials carry the manufacturer's warranty, which runs up to 50 years on some roofing and decking products. Both are written into the estimate.
Within about 40 miles of Des Moines: Urbandale, West Des Moines, Grimes, Waukee, Altoona, Boone and the rest of the metro. If you are a short drive past that, call and ask.
Cash, check or Cash App. Payment terms are 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