Siding Installation cost in Des Moines, IA

Des Moines, IA · updated August 2026

$16,100

Typical local cost

$7,800 – $37,200

Typical range

per sq ft of wall area
$6 – $17.50

Installed, local pricing

Permit
Usually yes

$120 – $490 in fees

Typical timeline
5-12 days of work

5-12 days of work, 3-7 weeks including permitting

Calculate my siding cost

Des Moines runs -2% against the U.S. average · data confidence Medium · modeled estimate, not a quote

Most Des Moines homeowners pay around $16,100. The local adjustment for this trade is x0.978 — driven mainly by Polk County labor rates and 60% exposure to local code requirements.

Estimate your Des Moines job

Priced with this market's cost index, so the calculator, the size table and the ranges on this page all agree.

Square footage

180 sq ft

With waste allowance
198 sq ft
Square yards
20
Perimeter (per area)
54 ft
Square meters
16.72

Estimates only. Local pricing, site conditions and code requirements change the real number.

Cost by project size

Generated from the same unit pricing the calculator uses.

Estimated cost by project size
Project sizeEstimated range
800 sq ft of wall area$4,800$14,000
1,100 sq ft of wall area$6,600$19,300
1,400 sq ft of wall area$8,400$24,500
1,800 sq ft of wall area$10,800$31,500
2,300 sq ft of wall area$13,800$40,300

Based on Des Moines pricing of $6–$18 per sq ft of wall area.

Where the money goes

Labor
$8,900
54% of median
Materials
$7,200
44% of median
Permit & fees
$305
2% of median

Des Moines project costs-2% vs U.S. average

Based on Polk County labor rates, local material logistics and permit-fee posture for this trade.

What the project looks like start to finish

Typical sequence for this scope. Timing varies with contractor backlog and plan-review queues.

  1. 01

    Planning & quotes

    Scope, material choice, contractor selection

  2. 02

    Permit application

    Filed with City of Des Moines building department

  3. 03

    Materials & staging

    Order lead time on non-stock materials

  4. 04

    Installation

    5-12 days of work, 3-7 weeks including permitting

  5. 05

    Inspection

    Weather barrier / sheathing, Final inspection

  6. 06

    Closeout

    Final sign-off, warranty and documentation

Des Moines labor intelligence

What the trade charges here, and how much of your price it is.

Loaded hourly rate

$57–$73

Exterior crews in Polk County · -5% vs U.S. ($68/hr)

Typical crew

3 × 6 days

On-site time for a typical siding job here.

Labor in the price

$8,900

55% of the median — the rest is material, disposal and permit.

Because labor is 55% of this job, Des Moines wage levels move the price far more than material prices do. A quote well under this labor figure usually means a smaller crew, a longer schedule, or unlicensed help.

Basis: Hometriva labor model: national exterior crew rates adjusted by the Polk County labor factor (x0.948). · BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Hometriva methodology

Why Des Moines differs from the national average

The local delta, broken into dollars by driver.

Trade labor rates$475Code and inspection load$275Material and delivery$175
Dollars of the Des Moines difference owned by each driver, versus the U.S. median for siding installation.
  • Trade labor rates-$475

    Polk County crews price 5% below the national average, and labor is 55% of this job.

  • Code and inspection load+$275

    Siding Installation carries 60% exposure to local code requirements, and this jurisdiction's review load indexes at x1.03.

  • Material and delivery-$175

    Materials are nationally traded, so they move less — but delivery into this market runs 2% under baseline.

Basis: Decomposition of the modeled Des Moines median against the U.S. median for this scope. · City of Des Moines building department, Hometriva methodology

Des Moines vs Iowa vs the U.S.

Des Moines$7,800$37,200Iowa average$7,200$34,400U.S. average$8,000$38,000
Modeled ranges for siding installation. The tick marks the median in each geography.

Change the inputs, see your number

The same local model, run against your job instead of the average one.

Simulated siding installation in Des Moines

$16,405

Likely range $8,105$37,505

Simulated from the same local model as the numbers above — it changes the inputs, not the pricing method.

What makes the number move

  • Wall square footage and number of stories
  • Material: vinyl, fiber cement or engineered wood
  • Removal and disposal of the old cladding
  • Rot repair discovered after tear-off
  • Trim, soffit and corner detailing

Who issues each permit

Tracked per discipline — the building permit issuer is not always the body that reviews electrical, plumbing, zoning or fire.

Permitting authority by discipline
DisciplineIssuing authority
buildingCity of Des Moines building departmentModeled estimate
electricalCity of Des Moines building departmentModeled estimate
mechanicalCity of Des Moines building departmentModeled estimate
plumbingCity of Des Moines building departmentModeled estimate
zoningCity of Des Moines building departmentModeled estimate
fireCity of Des Moines building departmentModeled estimate

Permit requirement in Des Moines

In most cases yes — Polk County and the City of Des Moines generally require a permit for siding installation. Height, size and location on the lot determine the exact review, so confirm with the building department before you start.

Permitting authority
City of Des Moines building departmentModeled estimate
Permit fee
Estimated allowance $120$490Modeled from comparable fee schedules — not an official quoted fee.

Inspections

  1. Weather barrier / sheathing
  2. Final inspection
Full Des Moines permit guide for siding installation

Local conditions that change this job

Only the exposures that materially affect siding installation.

Design wind speed exposure

Moderate58/100

Named-storm exposure

High62/100

Coastal / salt-air exposure

Minimal0/100

Humidity

High62/100

Deep frost line and derecho wind history change footing depth and roofing decisions relative to milder Midwest markets.

Owner-occupied homes

58%

Owner-occupied share of the housing stock, which drives how much of this work is homeowner-funded versus landlord-funded.

Households in market

85,653

Approximate household count in Des Moines, used to size the contractor pool for this trade.

Permit activity index

x0.98

Relative permit volume and fee load versus the national baseline.

Nearby market comparison

MarketLocal factorMedianPer sq ft of wall area
Des Moines (this page)x0.978$16,100$6$17.50
Omahax0.968$16,000$6$17.50
Minneapolisx1.183$19,500$7$21.50
Kansas Cityx1.001$16,500$6$18

What Des Moines homeowners actually paid

Real reported invoices from this market, aggregated. Add yours — it takes 20 seconds and no personal details.

No name, email or address is collected. Reports are reviewed before they count.

Quotes homeowners were given in Des Moines

Quotes run ahead of final invoices. Reporting yours shows the local spread and where there is room to negotiate.

No name, email or address is collected.

How Hometriva estimates Des Moines siding costs

Hometriva does not publish invented city prices. The Des Moines estimate for siding installation is produced by this chain, and every input is stored separately:

  1. National baseline$16,500

    Typical U.S. cost for siding installation on a single-family home.

  2. Local labor factorx0.948

    Des Moines-area trade labor rates, weighted at 55% of this job.

  3. Material factorx0.978

    Material and delivery pricing into Polk County, weighted at 45%.

  4. Regulatory factorx1.029

    Local code, product-approval and inspection load, applied at 60% for this project type.

  5. Applied multiplierx0.978

    Blended Des Moines adjustment specific to siding installation.

  6. Permit component$120 – $490

    Budgeted separately from the contract price because it is paid to the jurisdiction.

Because labor, material and regulatory factors are weighted per project, siding installation in Des Moines carries a different local adjustment than other trades in the same market.

Reviewed by

Hometriva Cost Data Desk

Maintains the unit-cost baselines, local adjustment factors and material pricing. Reviewed for siding installation pricing in Des Moines, IA.

  • National unit-cost baselines against current trade pricing
  • Local labor and materials factors for the market
  • Material installed-cost ranges and service life

Last reviewed August 2026 · Editorial standards · Report an error

Frequently asked questions

Is fiber cement siding good for Florida?

Fiber cement handles humidity and wind-driven rain better than most wood products and resists termites, but it needs correctly detailed flashing and periodic repainting to stay watertight.

Sources

Sources & verification

Last verified August 2026. Cost figures are modeled estimates based on national baselines adjusted for local labor and material pricing — they are not quotes. Permit rules change; confirm with the building department before starting work.

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