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Serving Des Moines, IA and surrounding areas. (515) 724-6905
Des Moines homeowners trust us for foundation repair, chimney work, tuckpointing, and 13 more masonry services - done right the first time, with a warranty to back it up.
DEM Des Moines Masonry is a full-service masonry contractor in Des Moines, Iowa, solving the problems that Des Moines homeowners deal with every single year - cracked foundations, failing chimney mortar, spalling brick, and more. We offer 16 masonry services across 12 communities in the greater Des Moines area. Whether your home is a 1940s brick bungalow in Beaverdale or a newer build in Waukee, we have the experience and the tools to fix it right.
Cracks growing every spring? We stabilize settling foundations with steel piers anchored deep into stable Iowa soil - stopping movement before it compounds.
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Crumbling mortar, a failing liner, or a cracked crown let water in with every Des Moines rainstorm. We fix it before freeze-thaw season turns a small problem into a full rebuild.
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Deteriorating mortar joints are the most common reason older Des Moines brick homes take on water. We remove the old material and pack in matched mortar that lasts 20-plus years.
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Loose bricks, white staining, and stair-step cracks are all signs your brick needs attention. We repair the mortar and replace damaged units so the wall holds up through another Iowa winter.
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A frost-heaved concrete driveway cracks, settles, and gets worse each year. Pavers flex with Iowa ground movement and look far better than a patched slab.
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Clay soil on a slope does not stay put without something solid holding it back. A properly built retaining wall keeps your yard from washing out every spring.
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Historic brick in Beaverdale or Sherman Hill deserves careful restoration, not a quick patch. We match original mortar and materials so the work blends in rather than standing out.
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A properly built masonry fireplace adds warmth and resale value. We install them with the right liner, hearth, and surround so they are safe to use and built to last.
Learn MoreReach out by phone or the form on this page. We respond within 1 business day - often the same day. You tell us what you are seeing, and we schedule a free on-site estimate at a time that works for you. No pressure, no commitment required to have someone come out and look.
A mason comes to your property, walks the problem area, and tells you in plain language what is wrong and why. You get a written estimate before anyone picks up a tool. If permits are needed, we handle them. You decide when you are ready - there is no hard sell.
Most jobs wrap up in one to three days. We clean up each day and walk you through the finished work before we leave. You get a written warranty covering the repair. If anything looks off in the weeks after the job, call us and we come back - no runaround.
We carry general liability and workers compensation coverage on every project. We pull permits when required and coordinate city inspections - so you have documentation that stays with your property.
We come to your property, look at the problem, and give you a written estimate before any work begins. There is no charge for the estimate and no pressure to commit on the spot.
We are a locally owned company serving the Des Moines metro. We know Iowa clay soils, freeze-thaw cycles, and the older housing stock in neighborhoods like Beaverdale and Sherman Hill.
We put the warranty in writing before work starts - not after. Foundation repairs use transferable warranties, which can actually help your resale value rather than hurt it.
Questions before you commit? Send us a message or call (515) 724-6905 - we are happy to talk it through before you book anything.
Our basement wall had been bowing for two years and we kept putting it off. The crew came out, assessed it, and finished the repair in two days. They matched the permit process with the city without us lifting a finger. No new movement since.
Tom B., Ankeny, IA — Foundation Repair
The tuckpointing on our 1940s Beaverdale bungalow was overdue. They matched the mortar color better than I expected on a house this old. The job took one day and the crew cleaned up everything before they left.
Renee M., Des Moines, IA — Tuckpointing
I called about chimney repair in September and they fit us in within the week. The inspector found a cracked liner we did not know about. They relined it, sealed the crown, and we used the fireplace safely all winter.
Gary K., West Des Moines, IA — Chimney Repair
We respond within 1 business day - usually the same day. This is a no-obligation estimate, and there is no cost to have someone come out and look. After you submit, someone from our office will call you to schedule your free on-site visit.
(515) 724-6905DEM Des Moines Masonry serves Des Moines, Iowa and the surrounding metro, including Ankeny, West Des Moines, Ames, and 8 more communities. We cover 12 service areas in total and can typically schedule a same-week visit for most locations.
Des Moines averages more than 100 freeze-thaw cycles per year. Each cycle forces water in and out of tiny mortar cracks, expanding and widening them. A hairline crack in October can be a finger-wide gap by April. Catching mortar damage before winter is almost always cheaper than fixing it after.
Homes built before 1960 used softer lime-based mortar with a natural lifespan of 50 to 75 years. Much of that original mortar is now at or past that point. If your brick home is more than 50 years old and has not had tuckpointing done, it is worth having the joints inspected.
Much of Polk County sits on clay-heavy soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. That seasonal movement puts constant pressure on foundation walls. Fixing the foundation without also improving drainage is like patching a roof without stopping the leak - the problem returns.
Stair-step cracks that follow the mortar joints diagonally are a sign of soil or foundation movement - not just normal mortar wear. In Des Moines, this often points to clay soil shifting beneath the foundation. A mason can tell you whether it is a surface repair or whether a foundation specialist needs to be involved first.
Tuckpointing - removing and replacing the mortar joints - is the right call when the bricks themselves are still solid. If bricks are spalling, cracked, or bowing outward, replacement is needed alongside mortar work. A good mason will tell you honestly which situation you are dealing with. See what the{' '}Brick Industry Association recommends for mortar and repair best practices.
Routine repointing does not require a permit. Structural work - foundation piers, chimney rebuilds above the roofline, and load-bearing wall work - does require a permit from the City of Des Moines. Your masonry company should always pull permits for structural work, not skip them.
DEM Des Moines Masonry is a licensed and insured masonry contractor based in Des Moines, IA, serving the greater Des Moines metro across 12 communities since 2024.
We are licensed through the State of Iowa and carry general liability and workers compensation insurance on every job. We pull building permits for all structural work and coordinate city inspections as part of our standard process.
Since opening, we have completed projects across 16 masonry service categories - from foundation pier installation to chimney relining, tuckpointing on century-old brick bungalows, and outdoor kitchen builds. Every job comes with a written warranty.
If mortar crumbles when you press it or gaps are visible between bricks, it is overdue. In Des Moines, schedule between late April and October - mortar cannot cure properly below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Small cracks rarely stay small in Iowa. One freeze-thaw season can double the size of a hairline crack. A $300 repair today can become a $3,000 repair by next spring if water gets in and freezes repeatedly.
Yes, for most jobs. Masonry work is almost entirely exterior. You will hear grinding and tapping. The crew cleans up each day. For foundation work involving crawl space access, the crew may need to move through the home briefly.
Ready to get started? Call (515) 724-6905 or submit a request online and we will respond within 1 business day.
Des Moines is Iowa's largest city, with a population of around 214,000 people and a housing stock that skews older - a large share of homes were built before 1960, particularly in established neighborhoods like Beaverdale, Sherman Hill, Drake, and Capitol East. Many of these homes have original brick exteriors, mortar that is now 50 to 100 years old, and foundations that have worked through decades of Iowa winters. That combination creates real, ongoing demand for masonry services - not just one-time repairs, but recurring maintenance on materials that are aging in a demanding climate.
The city sits at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers, and spring flooding is a recurring reality in lower-lying neighborhoods. Heavy spring rainfall saturates the clay-heavy soil throughout Polk County, putting hydrostatic pressure on basement walls and accelerating the foundation cracking that Des Moines homeowners see every spring. Landmarks like Gray's Lake Park and Principal Park sit near the river corridor, and the neighborhoods around them are among the most active areas for foundation and drainage work in the metro.
Major employers like Principal Financial Group and Nationwide have given Des Moines a stable, long-term homeowner base - people who bought homes in Beaverdale or Sherman Hill years ago and plan to stay. Those homeowners want work done right, with documentation, permits, and a warranty that matters. From the brick bungalows near the Iowa State Fair grounds to the postwar ranch homes on the city's edges, DEM Des Moines Masonry serves the full range of Des Moines housing - and we know how different each neighborhood's needs can be.
By appointment only, no walk-ins.
DEM Des Moines Masonry
611 5th Ave Suite 210
Des Moines, IA 50309
Monday to Saturday: 8 AM to 7 PM. Sunday: 11 AM to 4 PM.
We cover Des Moines and 11 surrounding communities - foundation repair, chimney work, tuckpointing, and more. One call gets you a written estimate with no obligation.
