Gutters, soffit, fascia — the parts roofers quietly bundle in.

When a roofer walks your house, they're looking at more than the roof plane. They're checking whether water ran down the fascia last winter, whether the soffit vents are painted shut, whether your gutters are pulled away from the house, and whether the drip edge is lapped correctly. Some of that matters enormously — some is opportunistic upsell. Knowing the difference saves a meaningful amount of money on almost every Des Moines roof job.

Section oneDrip edge — non-negotiable

Drip edge is the L-shaped metal flashing that sits between shingle and fascia at the eave and rake. It's cheap, required by current Iowa building code on new installs, and invisible once the job is done. Every Des Moines re-roof should include new drip edge all the way around. If a bid omits it or describes "reusing existing," push back — reusing it is a corner-cut that costs you almost nothing to fix.

Section twoGutters — sometimes a bundled deal

Aluminum seamless gutters in a standard 5- or 6-inch K-style run in a predictable price range per linear foot in Des Moines, and most roofers quote them as a same-crew add-on. Bundling usually saves around 15 to 25 percent versus a separate gutter contractor — and the scheduling is cleaner. Bundled gutters are worth doing when the existing ones are 20+ years old, pulling away, or already damaged. They're not worth redoing just because the crew is on site.

Section threeSoffit and fascia — the inspection test

Look at the eaves from the street. If the paint is flaking in large sheets, if you can see daylight or gaps at the fascia-shingle line, or if the soffit panels are bulging or water-stained, those need to be addressed during the re-roof, not after. Once the new shingles are on, replacing rotten fascia means partially undoing the new edge details. Any good Des Moines crew will flag this on the walkthrough; if they don't, you should.

Gutter guards are the single most over-sold add-on in the Des Moines exterior market. If you have heavy tree cover a good mesh system may earn its keep — otherwise skip it.

Section fourGutter guards and the hard-sell pattern

Gutter guards are the single most over-sold add-on in the Des Moines exterior market. The cheap snap-in plastic kind rarely outlast one bad ice storm; the premium branded systems (Leaffilter, Gutter Helmet, etc.) cost more per linear foot than the gutters themselves. If you have heavy tree cover, a well-designed mesh or micro-mesh system installed under the shingle is a reasonable add. If you don't, skip it entirely. And under no circumstance should you sign a gutter-guard contract during a door-knock visit.

Section fiveDownspouts, extensions, and drainage

The most expensive roof on the nicest house still fails if the downspouts dump water at the foundation. Extensions that carry water four to six feet out, or tie into a buried drain, are cheap and critical. Ask specifically whether existing extensions will be reinstalled and whether any need upgrading — this is the line item most often forgotten between tear-off and final walkthrough.

Informational only. This page is general guidance from an independent resource — not legal, insurance, or professional contracting advice. Roofing is a significant financial and safety decision; confirm specifics with a licensed Iowa roofing contractor, your city's building department, and your own homeowners policy before acting on anything here.