King County · Washington
General Contractor in Des Moines, WA
Des Moines runs along a saltwater bluff with Sea-Tac immediately inland. Those two facts — slope on one side, aircraft noise on the other — shape most projects here.
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Professional Home Remodeling Services in Des Moines
Des Moines is a narrow city between Puget Sound and the airport, and its housing is mostly modest post-war stock with a band of much more valuable view property along the water. The technical issues sit at both edges.
The post-war residential body
Away from the water, across the neighborhoods either side of Pacific Highway and up toward Woodmont, the stock is largely 1940s through 1970s — ramblers, modest two-bedroom houses and some split-entries on regular lots. These are good remodeling candidates: simple load paths, accessible crawl spaces, real setbacks and room to extend. Conditions are era-consistent: original or lightly updated electrical service, galvanized supply in the earlier houses, single-pane windows, insulation well below current standards, and asbestos-containing sheet vinyl and ceiling texture that gets tested before demolition rather than after.
The bluff and the waterfront
The land falls steeply to Puget Sound along most of the city’s western edge, and the properties on and above that bluff are the demanding ones. Landslide hazard is mapped over substantial areas, and work affecting foundations, drainage, retaining or footprint there needs geotechnical investigation and engineered detail. The recurring pattern is a mid-century house with a fine view, an aging deck and site water being directed toward the bluff. Replacing the deck without correcting the drainage is a temporary fix, and we say so before quoting. Properties close to the water also bring shoreline provisions.
The marina district
Des Moines has the largest public marina on Puget Sound outside Seattle, and the neighborhoods around it have a genuine waterfront-town character with older, tighter lots and difficult access for staging. Narrow streets and limited turning space mean deliveries have to be sequenced rather than stacked, which is a real cost factor.
Aircraft noise
Sea-Tac is immediately east, and parts of Des Moines lie under approach and departure paths. Many homes in the affected areas received sound-insulation work through the Port of Seattle program — upgraded windows and doors, wall treatments and mechanical ventilation, since sealing a house tightly requires providing air another way. We identify what was installed before demolition and specify replacements that maintain or improve on it, rather than undoing work that was done for good reason.
What We Build in Des Moines
Six core services cover most of what Des Moines homeowners ask us for. Every one is handled in-house, on one permit, by one project manager.
Kitchen Remodeling
Custom cabinetry, counters, lighting and full layout changes, permitted and built to code.
Bathroom Remodeling
Wet-room waterproofing, tile, vanities and fixture upgrades on older plumbing.
Home Renovation
Whole-house remodels that update systems, layout and finishes in one coordinated build.
Custom Homes
Ground-up design-build on infill lots and view parcels, from feasibility to final permit.
Room Additions & ADU
Bump-outs, second stories, attached ADUs and detached DADUs for added living space.
Patio Building & Remodeling
Covered patios, decks and outdoor living that stand up to Puget Sound winters.
Ready to Start Your Des Moines Home Project?
Whether it’s a single bathroom or a whole-house remodel, the first step is the same — a walkthrough, an honest scope and a number you can plan around. We’ll tell you what your Des Moines home actually needs, not what’s easiest to sell.
Remodeling in Des Moines: What the Area Demands
Des Moines occupies a long strip of Puget Sound shoreline and the bluff above it in south King County, immediately west of Sea-Tac Airport.
Geography and how it affects a build
The city is essentially a plateau edge: gently sloping glacial ground inland, dropping sharply to the water along the west. The bluff carries mapped landslide hazard over substantial areas, so geotechnical involvement is common rather than exceptional there. Inland the till drains poorly, making perimeter drainage and downspout tightlining routine. Barnes Creek and Massey Creek run to the Sound with associated buffers. Marine exposure on the west face is hard on cladding, flashing, hardware and railings, and we detail for it rather than to code minimum.
Neighborhood character
The marina and the waterfront give Des Moines a distinct small-town coastal feel that sets it apart from its inland neighbors, and the downtown around the marina has been steadily reinvested in. The bluff-top streets hold the highest-value property, with views across to the Olympics. Inland the neighborhoods are modest, diverse and affordable by regional standards, with a substantial immigrant community and many multi-generational households — which shows up in briefs for extra bathrooms, second living areas and separate entrances. Highline College anchors the northern part of the city.
Construction considerations specific to Des Moines
Landslide hazard and geotechnical requirements on the bluff. Shoreline provisions near the water. Aircraft noise and the legacy of sound-insulation work inland. Marine-grade detailing on west elevations. Difficult staging in the marina district and on narrow bluff streets. Poorly draining till inland.
Nearby areas we also serve
About Des Moines, WA
Des Moines was named by early settlers after Des Moines, Iowa, and began as a waterfront community reached by steamer from Seattle. Through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it was a mill town and then a summer destination, with cabins and beach houses along the Sound and a dock where the Mosquito Fleet steamers called. The land above the beach was logged and then farmed in a modest way.
Two twentieth-century developments defined the modern city. Post-war housing demand filled the plateau with affordable single-family houses through the 1940s, 50s and 60s. And in 1944 Sea-Tac Airport opened immediately inland, growing into a major international hub — bringing employment and access, and also aircraft noise, land acquisition and the long-running sound-insulation program that has treated thousands of homes in the surrounding communities.
Des Moines incorporated in 1959 and has since annexed additional area, reaching around 33,000 people. The marina, opened in the 1970s and now the largest public marina on the Sound outside Seattle, remains the centerpiece of civic life. For homeowners the picture is modest, improvable post-war housing inland at reasonable prices, and genuinely valuable view property on the bluff — with slope engineering and the airport contour as the two things to plan around.
Remodeling in Des Moines — Common Questions
My house is on the bluff. What does that involve?
Substantial areas along the Des Moines bluff carry mapped landslide hazard. Work affecting foundations, drainage, retaining or footprint there requires geotechnical investigation and engineered detail, and review takes weeks rather than days.
The framing is not much more expensive. The engineering, review and schedule are, and we price them separately so the number is honest.
My deck is failing and the lower level is damp. One problem or two?
Usually one, and usually water. On bluff-side properties the cause is commonly site water being directed toward the bluff and the house rather than away, with perimeter drainage that is undersized or has failed.
Replacing the deck without correcting the drainage is a temporary fix on a permanent problem. We will tell you that before you spend the money.
My home had sound insulation installed. Will a remodel undo it?
Only if it is done carelessly. Replacing treated windows with standard units, or opening a treated wall assembly without restoring it, loses the benefit — and the mechanical ventilation matters too, because a tightly sealed house needs a designed air path.
We identify what the Port of Seattle program installed before demolition and specify replacements that maintain or improve on it.
Is a 1950s Des Moines rambler worth remodeling?
Usually yes. Simple framing, accessible crawl space, generous lot and easy to open up or extend. These are among the more cost-effective projects in south King County.
What they need is systems and insulation, and that is where the budget belongs on a house of that age.
Why is staging harder near the marina?
Narrow streets, tight older lots and limited turning space mean material deliveries have to be sequenced rather than stacked, and dumpster placement and crew parking need planning.
It is a genuine cost factor and we price it explicitly rather than absorbing it into a contingency.
Can I turn my daylight basement into a separate living space?
A lot of Des Moines housing sits on bluff and hillside lots, so daylight and walk-out lower levels are common and already have the geometry a second living area needs. What decides it is egress window sizing, finished ceiling height, a compliant separate entrance, fire separation, and whether the result is classified as an accessory dwelling unit or simply as more living area, which changes both the review path and the parking question.
The constraint we watch hardest is water, not code. Lower levels poured in the 1950s and 1960s often have no perimeter drain and no slab vapor barrier. We confirm drainage and slab moisture before any framing goes in, because a beautifully finished lower level over a damp slab fails within two wet seasons.
Proudly Serving Des Moines, WA and Surrounding Areas
We work throughout Des Moines — the marina district, downtown, Woodmont, Zenith, Redondo and the bluff neighborhoods — and across the neighboring south King County communities of Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac, Kent, Federal Way and Tukwila.
Licensed, bonded and insured in Washington, with one project manager throughout.
| Zip Code | Area Code | City | County | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98198 | 206 | Des Moines | King County | Washington |
| 98188 | 206 | Des Moines | King County | Washington |