After a storm, the first thing we tell homeowners is — don't panic, and don't let the first person who knocks on your door talk you into anything. Call a local contractor you trust and have them walk the property with you. What we look for: dented or missing shingles, granules washing out of your gutters, damaged fascia, soffit, or siding. But honestly, the dents are just the starting point. It's the collateral damage that tells the real story — the AC unit, the gutters, the window screens, the painted wood surfaces. When hail hits a property, it hits everything. That pattern of damage across multiple surfaces is what builds a complete picture for your insurance company, and a detailed damage report can make a significant difference in what your claim covers. A lot of storm damage isn't visible from the ground either — hail impacts on shingles can look like small dark bruises that are easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for. That's why having an experienced contractor document everything before you file is so important. Here's what most homeowners don't realize: a storm can actually be a turning point for your home. When we walk a property after a storm, we're not just cataloging damage — we're looking at the full picture of what your home needs. Most of our customers end up with an entirely new roof, new siding, new gutters — all covered by insurance — and their home is in significantly better shape than it was before the storm hit. That's not spin. That's what happens when you use the right products and work with a contractor who knows the claims process.

Most roofs we do are completed in a single day. That said, it depends on the size of your home, the complexity of your roof, what's currently on it, and what system we're installing. A traditional Malarkey Vista shingle on an average Des Moines home — one day. Malarkey Windsors, which are a heavier, more premium shingle, typically run two to three days. DECRA stone-coated steel, our most premium system, is usually three to four days. The more complex the roof, the more complex the system has to be — more parts, more cuts, more flashings, more precision. That time investment is what separates a roof that lasts from one that doesn't. We show up in the morning with our full crew, a dump trailer, and all materials at once. By the time we leave, your old roof is gone, your new one is on, and your yard has been magnetized and cleaned. Most homeowners are surprised at how fast and clean the process is.

TimberTech is simply the best deck board on the market and the details prove it. Most composite decking products are capped on three sides. TimberTech caps all four sides of every board. That might sound like a small thing but it's the difference between a board that's protected and a board that's waiting to fail from the one exposed edge. Four-sided capping means moisture, mold, and staining have nowhere to get in. TimberTech also has a Class A fire rating — the highest rating available. If a grill tips over or a fire starts near the home, that matters. Most homeowners never think about this until they need to. Beyond protection, TimberTech takes the appearance seriously. They put real effort into recreating the look of natural wood — the grain, the variation, the feel. You get the beauty of wood without any of the maintenance that comes with it. I've looked at a lot of deck products over the years. TimberTech is where I landed and I stand behind it on every project.

It took me a long time of trial and error to land on ProVia, and there's a significant difference in quality compared to what else is out there. The thing about ProVia is they take pride in the details that most window manufacturers cut corners on. Hinges that actually pull the window in tight when you close it. Door jambs built with composite material so they don't rot. The ability to customize in ways that most brands simply can't match. They seal up well, they function properly, and they're built to last. When you've been in this business long enough you've seen every brand perform — or fail to perform — in Iowa conditions. ProVia is where I landed and I stand behind it on every job.

This is one of the most common questions we get, and the honest answer is — most of the time it's not a repair situation, even when homeowners think it is. People don't start thinking about their roof until something happens. And when something happens, the instinct is to fix that one thing and move on. But a roof isn't like a car where you replace the brake pads and you're good. It's a system. When you have a failure, it's generally just the first one you've noticed — not the only one. Here are the signs we look for that tell us a roof is in system failure rather than needing a spot repair: shingles blowing off, granule loss filling your gutters, shingles that are no longer sealed down and flap in the wind or rise at the edges, shining around shingle edges, or water getting into your home. Any one of these on its own is worth a free consultation. More than one and you're almost certainly looking at replacement, not repair. Repairs make sense when a storm or isolated event affects just one specific section of an otherwise healthy roof, or when general maintenance like resealing exposed nails is needed. But if your roof is showing age, we'd rather give you an honest assessment than sell you a repair that buys you six months.

This one is genuinely hard to pin down because scope varies so much from project to project. If we're skinning an existing deck — just replacing the boards on a solid existing structure — that can be done in a couple of days. If we're replacing framing, adding footings, or expanding the deck's footprint, that takes longer. New posts need time to set. Permits need to be pulled. Utility locates have to come out before we can dig — and that timeline isn't always in our control. As a general expectation for a full deck build, plan for close to a week. But the honest answer is that it depends entirely on the scope of what we're doing. We'll give you a realistic timeline during the design phase so you know what to expect before we start.

In most cases, yes — if the damage was caused by a storm event like hail or wind. What a lot of homeowners don't know is that filing a claim doesn't automatically mean your premiums go up. In fact, when you replace your roof with a Class 4 impact-resistant system — which is what we install — many Iowa insurance carriers will actually reduce your premiums. We've seen homeowners save enough on their annual premium to offset a significant portion of their out-of-pocket costs. The key is having a contractor who understands what insurance companies are looking for and can document everything correctly from the start. Taylor Exteriors has been through this process hundreds of times. We know what adjusters look for, we meet them on-site, and we make sure nothing gets missed.

Honestly, most people already know. When a window stops feeling like a window — when you start feeling outside air come through the seals, when it gets drafty around the frame, when it stops functioning properly — that's your answer. But here are the specific signs we look for: failed seals that have allowed the gas between the panes to escape, which shows up as fogging or condensation between the glass that you can't wipe off. Wood components that are breaking down or showing moisture damage. Windows that have stopped opening, closing, or locking the way they should. If you're sitting in your living room in January and you can feel cold air near your windows, you don't need a professional to tell you something is wrong. But a free consultation will tell you whether it's a seal issue, a hardware issue, or a full replacement situation — and what the most cost-effective path forward looks like.

Here's how we walk our customers through it: 1. Free consultation — we come out, walk the property with you, and document everything with photos before you file anything 2. Claim filing — we help you file with the right documentation so your claim starts strong 3. Adjuster meeting — we're there when the adjuster comes out. This is important. Having an experienced contractor present means nothing gets overlooked 4. Scope review — we go through the insurance scope line by line to make sure it covers everything that needs to be done 5. Installation — our crews do the work to manufacturer standards using the products we recommend 6. Done — we handle the paperwork so you're not chasing anyone down One of the biggest mistakes we see is homeowners who sign with the first contractor who shows up at their door after a storm — before they've done any research, before they've verified the company is legitimate, before they've even let anyone they trust look at their roof. Take a breath. Do your homework. A reputable local contractor will still be there tomorrow.

For most jobs — replacing a handful of windows and maybe a door or two — we can get it done in a day. A whole-home window replacement is a different conversation. That depends on the total number of windows, the size of each unit, how high up they are, and how much interior trim work needs to be addressed. A full home can stretch to two or three days. One thing that affects timeline that homeowners don't always think about is the exterior work. If we're doing full replacement windows — which is what we prefer — that involves working with the exterior of the home. If siding work is also happening or planned, we always recommend coordinating the two projects so the exterior is addressed properly all at once.

The signs we look for: rot and mold in the boards, excessive fading that can no longer be stained or painted over, rotting around the posts and footings where the structure meets the ground, and movement. If you walk on your deck and it moves, or it doesn't feel solid underfoot, that's a structural concern that needs to be addressed — not ignored. Wood decks in particular reach a point where they've taken on enough moisture that sealing and staining no longer work. Once you're past that point you're fighting a losing battle. The deck is telling you it's done. If you're not sure, walk it. Push on the railings. Look at the base of the posts where they meet the ground or the footing. If anything looks soft, dark, or spongy — call us.

I've been in this industry long enough to see what works, what protects homes, and what is actually built to last. These two products aren't even in the same category as traditional asphalt shingles. Malarkey shingles almost seem too good to be true after a hail storm. You walk a roof that took a serious hit and the shingles look as good as the day they were installed. The reason is how they're made. Malarkey uses synthetic polymers that don't require the super-heating or oxidation process that traditional asphalt shingles go through. That manufacturing process is actually what destroys traditional shingles — you cook the oils and pliability right out of the product. That's why you get a gutter full of granules right after a traditional roof gets installed. You've essentially knocked decades off its life before the first rain falls. With Malarkey, the oils stay in the shingle. The flexibility stays. The performance stays. DECRA is a completely different animal. It's a stone-coated alumisteel product with interlocking panels that has been engineered and refined since World War II. It's extraordinarily resilient to storms and wind, it has a designer look that's unlike anything else on a roof, and it has a track record that spans decades. Its only real downside is price — it's a premium investment. But for the right homeowner who wants the last roof they'll ever need to think about, it's the answer.

Most homeowners think the choice is between wood and composite. But there's actually a third option that's worth understanding — PVC decking — and it's the one we get most excited about. Wood is the traditional choice and it has real appeal. But it requires constant maintenance — staining, sealing, treating — and it's fighting a losing battle against Iowa weather the entire time. Eventually it absorbs enough moisture that sealing stops working and rot sets in. It's not a question of if, it's when. Composite decking is a combination of recycled plastics and wood fiber with a protective coating that seals the board. It resists rot, mold, and fading significantly better than wood and eliminates most of the ongoing maintenance. TimberTech composite carries up to a 30-year warranty. For most homeowners it's a substantial upgrade over wood. PVC decking is the next level entirely. It's air-filled PVC — no wood fiber at all — which means it is completely impervious to moisture, rot, mold, and fading. There is nothing in the board for the elements to attack. TimberTech's PVC line backs that up with a 50-year limited lifetime warranty. It's the most attractive, most durable, most protected board available. If you're building a deck and you want to do it once and never think about it again, PVC is the answer.

We pull into your driveway in the morning with our full crew, a dump trailer, and all of your materials at once. We don't stage jobs or make multiple trips — everything arrives together so we can work efficiently without disrupting your day any longer than necessary. We start with tear-off, removing your old roofing and loading it directly into our trailer as we go. Once the deck is clean, we install underlayments, edge metals, and all flashings. Then starter strip, then we begin shingling. Toward the end of the job we install the proper ventilation and cap, and seal any exposed nails from vents or cap. When the roof is done, we do a full cleanup — magnetizing the entire home and yard to pick up any nails, cleaning debris out of your gutters, loading all waste and leftover materials. When we pull out of your driveway the job is done. Most homeowners tell us they're surprised how clean we leave things.

Siding is hard to pin down to an exact timeline because every home is different — the size, how tall it is, how many different sections and angles there are all factor in. But as a general rule, expect close to a week for most Des Moines homes. Vinyl and aluminum wrap installs go on faster and might come in a day or two shorter. LP SmartSide takes a bit longer because of the precision the product requires to install correctly. Either way, a week is a reasonable expectation for an average home. Here's how the process typically goes: materials arrive a couple days before the crew to stage the job. Then our crew shows up with a trailer, we do full tear-off and clean up, make any repairs to the underlying structure that are needed, and wrap the home. Then siding installation begins. When the job is done everything goes with us — though occasionally due to size constraints materials might get picked up the following day.

This is an important distinction and it affects both the quality of the finished product and what you actually see through your window every day. A full replacement window has nail flanges that attach the window directly to the wall structure from the outside. To install it properly you need to work with the exterior — pulling or cutting siding and installing trim around the new window. It's more involved, but the result is a window that's properly integrated into your home's envelope, seals correctly, and performs the way it should. A pocket insert — sometimes called a replacement insert — goes in from the inside. You remove the interior components of the old window and drop a new unit into the existing opening without touching the exterior. It's faster and less disruptive, but it comes with real tradeoffs. The seal quality isn't the same as a full replacement. And because the insert has to be structurally rigid on its own, it requires more vinyl frame material — which means less glass. The whole point of a window is the glass. A pocket insert gives you less of it. We generally push for full replacements unless the exterior situation makes it cost prohibitive or genuinely not feasible. We'd rather do it right once than have a customer come back to us with performance issues down the road.

Typically one year from the date of the storm, though some policies allow two. Our advice — don't wait. Storm damage gets worse over time. What starts as a few compromised shingles can lead to water intrusion, which leads to decking damage, which leads to interior damage. The longer you wait, the more complicated the claim gets. If you're not sure whether you have damage, call us. The consultation is free and there's no obligation. We'd rather come out and tell you your roof is fine than have you find out six months later that water has been getting in.

Class 4 is the highest impact-resistance rating for roofing. It means the shingles have been tested to take a serious hit from hail without cracking or failing. In Iowa, where we see hail every spring and fall, that matters. Here's why we push Class 4 on every project: the products we use — Malarkey, DECRA — are going to significantly lower the chances of the next storm damaging your home. That's not a sales pitch. That's the whole point. We want to leave your home in better shape than we found it, and that means installing products that hold up. The other reason is financial. A lot of Iowa insurance carriers will reduce your premiums when you have a Class 4 roof. We've seen significant discounts — sometimes enough to make the upgrade essentially pay for itself over a few years. We'll show you the math during your consultation so you can make the decision that makes sense for your situation.

We back our work with a 5-year in-house labor warranty — meaning if something goes wrong with the installation, we come back and make it right, no questions asked. On materials, the base Malarkey warranty is 40 years prorated. But through our certifications as a Malarkey Emerald Premium contractor, we're able to offer upgraded warranty packages including 50-year non-prorated material coverage and up to 25 years of labor warranty through Malarkey directly. That's one of the strongest warranty packages available in the industry and it's only available through certified installers. When you're comparing contractors, ask about warranty. A lot of companies offer the standard manufacturer warranty that any contractor can provide. The enhanced coverage we offer is different — it requires certification, it requires meeting installation standards, and it's backed by the manufacturer not just the contractor.

Our crew arrives with the windows loaded in an enclosed trailer — we keep them protected right up until install. A dump trailer comes for the old windows and debris. The crew works through the home window by window, removing the old units and installing the new ones. As they go they address any trim issues on the interior. If there's significant exterior work needed — siding repairs, trim replacement around the new windows — we coordinate a siding crew to handle that properly rather than leaving it as an afterthought. By the time we're done the windows are in, the trim is addressed, and everything goes with us when we leave.

Here's how a deck project flows from start to finish with Taylor Exteriors: Design — we start by understanding what you want. Size, style, levels, features. The bigger and more creative the better — we can build around pools, do multiple levels, incorporate picture framing of boards. Whatever you can imagine, we can design. Permits and locates — before anything goes in the ground we pull the necessary permits and call for utility locates. This step takes time and isn't fully in our control, but it's non-negotiable and we handle it so you don't have to. Posts and footings — once locates are cleared we dig and set the posts and footings. These need time to cure properly before framing begins. Framing — the structural skeleton of the deck gets built out. Decking and railings — boards go down, railings go up, and your deck takes shape. The process requires patience because permits and locates add time that has nothing to do with how fast our crew works. But doing it right means your deck is permitted, inspected, and built to last.

For our region, LP SmartSide is simply the best siding product available. Here's why we stand behind it: It has a 1.75 inch hail warranty — meaning it's tested and warranted to withstand significant hail impact. In Iowa that matters. A lot. It doesn't delaminate like other engineered wood or hard board products. It doesn't crack or snap like cement board. It doesn't fade and get brittle like vinyl. It's resilient, it's durable, and it's built for the kind of weather we get in the Midwest. The pre-painted LP SmartSide comes with an internal flashing system built in, which is a detail most homeowners never think about until they have a water problem. And here's something vinyl can never offer — if you want to change the color of your home down the road, or you need spot color matching after a repair, LP SmartSide can be painted. Vinyl is whatever color it is forever. The color on LP SmartSide is also rated to last at least 15 years. That's not a guess — it's part of the warranty.

A storm chaser is a company that follows severe weather from state to state. Some of them are outright scams — they take a deposit and disappear. Others are more organized: they roll into town with trucks and marketing, grab crews they've never worked with before, knock out as many jobs as they can, and move on to wherever the next storm hit. Once they leave the area, good luck getting anyone on the phone if you have a concern. The better-organized ones are actually harder to spot because they look legitimate. But the pattern is the same — they're not from here, they don't have relationships here, and once the storm work dries up they're gone. There's another problem with storm chasers that homeowners don't always hear about: a lot of them push the boundaries of what insurance will pay. They add line items for work that doesn't get done, charge pricing that's well beyond reasonable, and it can actually complicate your claim and push back your payment. Some of that pricing needs to be challenged — but storm chasers take it to a level that creates real problems for homeowners. Taylor Exteriors has been in Des Moines since 2016. Sam Taylor grew up in this industry and our team lives in the same communities as our customers. We're members of the HBA of Greater Des Moines. We're not going anywhere. When you have a question two years from now, we're still here. That's the difference.

ProVia's warranty is one of the strongest in the industry. Here's what's covered: • Lifetime — the window and door units themselves against chipping, cracking, peeling, warping, or delamination for as long as you own and live in the home. This warranty is also transferable to one subsequent buyer which adds value if you sell. • Lifetime — hardware including moving parts, balances, and locking mechanisms • Lifetime — insulated glass seal against failure and fogging between panes • Lifetime — glass breakage coverage for manufacturing defects or accidents not covered by homeowner's insurance • Lifetime — screens against manufacturing defects • 15 years — factory-applied paint finish on vinyl components • 10 years — interior wood component paint or stain finish • 10 years — internal blinds Taylor Exteriors backs the installation with a 5-year labor warranty. When you add that to ProVia's lifetime coverage on the product itself, you have comprehensive protection on the investment.

The signs depend on what type of siding you currently have, because different products fail in different ways. Masonite siding — look for swelling at the bottom edges and around nail penetrations. That swelling means it's taking on water, and once that starts it can't be reversed. It's done. Wood siding — when it starts absorbing water it stops holding paint. If you're repainting every couple of years and it still looks bad, the siding is the problem not the paint. Vinyl siding — fading, cracking, and brittleness are the telltale signs. Vinyl gets brittle over time, especially in Iowa winters, and once it starts cracking it's only getting worse. Cement board — delamination, cracking, and sections breaking away from the home. Cement board that's failing tends to fail in visible, obvious ways. Metal siding — chalking, denting, and damage is mostly cosmetic but metal is notoriously difficult to repair and match. If you're dealing with ongoing cosmetic issues and can't get a good match, replacement often makes more sense than chasing repairs. If you're not sure what you have or what stage it's in, a free consultation is the fastest way to get a straight answer.

TimberTech's warranty depends on which product line you choose: PVC decking — 50-year limited lifetime warranty. This is the strongest deck board warranty available and it reflects how the product is built. No wood fiber means nothing to rot, nothing to fade, nothing to fail. Composite decking — up to 30-year warranty depending on the specific product line. Taylor Exteriors backs all deck installations with our standard labor warranty. We'll walk you through the specific warranty details for the product you choose during your consultation so you know exactly what's covered.

Anything. The bigger the better. We build single level, multi-level, wrap-around, poolside, and elevated decks. We do picture framing of boards for a finished, custom look. We design around obstacles, grade changes, and unique lot conditions. If you can imagine it we can build it. The projects we get most excited about are the ones where a homeowner has a vision for what their outdoor space could be and they just need a team that can execute it. Bring us the big ideas — that's where we do our best work.

Honestly — not dramatically on its own. Siding doesn't inherently carry an R-value that's going to change your energy bills in a meaningful way. Even vinyl with foam backing doesn't move the needle much in terms of actual insulation performance. I'd rather give you a straight answer than oversell it. Where siding replacement can help is sealing the home against wind penetration, depending on how compromised your current siding is. A tight, properly installed siding system keeps air where it belongs. The bigger opportunity — and this is something we see fairly regularly — is what we find when the old siding comes off. Occasionally we open up a wall and find insulation that was never there, or insulation that has deteriorated over decades. When that happens, siding replacement becomes an opportunity to address something that actually will impact your energy efficiency. It's not guaranteed, but it's worth knowing going in that we pay attention to what's underneath and flag it when we find it.

Yes — the right windows in the right situation genuinely improve your home's energy efficiency. When people start thinking seriously about window replacement it's usually because something has failed — drafty conditions, seals that are gone, windows that no longer keep the outside out. Fixing that problem has a real impact. Beyond just sealing the home better, there are meaningful options to address the level of efficiency you want. Glass type, gas fills between panes, low-E coatings that keep UV rays and temperature transfer out — these aren't just features on a spec sheet, they make a difference in how your home feels and what you pay to heat and cool it. The honest answer is that the biggest energy gains come from addressing failure. If your current windows are drafty and failing, new ProVia windows will make a noticeable difference. If your windows are older but still functioning reasonably well, the efficiency gains will be more modest. We'll give you a straight assessment during your consultation so you can make the decision that makes sense financially.

LP SmartSide comes with one of the strongest warranties in the siding industry: • 50-year substrate warranty — the engineered wood core of the product • 15-year paint warranty — the finish holds its color • 1.75 inch hail warranty — warranted against hail impact up to 1.75 inches • 5-year labor warranty through Taylor Exteriors When you're comparing siding bids, ask every contractor what warranty they're offering and whether it covers hail. Most siding products don't have a hail warranty at all. That alone tells you something about how LP SmartSide is built differently.