[Recommendation submitted via e-mail] I have recently been involved in remodeling an historic home located half block from the northern border of the Sherman Hill Historic district. The house was in very poor condition when I started. Brian Smith was instrumental in saving several original plaster and lath walls. Unfortunately the original ceilings and a few walls were to far gone to save but, Brian installed and finished new wall board and has brought the home up to a very high standard.

Robert Koster is an expert carpenter who specializes in interior trim. He's done some BEAUTIFUL hardwood trim that I've seen and is talented and creative in working with older homes and unusual spaces. Other capabilities include framing, remodeling, roofing, finishing rooms, additions, drywall, tile, decks, fences, and more! Fully insured and gives free quotes. Plus, he's just about the nicest guy you'll ever meet and is thoroughly professional.

[Via the RenovateDSM e-mail group] We had Jim replace some rotten window sills for us last fall and we were so impressed with his attention to detail, we decided to ask him to bid our main bathroom. His bid was very reasonable -- about the same as what we were charged to renovate our much smaller half bathroom a few months ago.

[Via RenovateDSM Google Groups email] "Crose and Lemke can do both the masonry and concrete work on both older and newer home. [They] are attentive to morter matching and cleaning the masonry or concrete after installation. Highly recommend."

[Recommendation submitted via e-mail] I was a lucky recipient of Don Curry and his crew from Loki's Garden.

Not only did they do a great job with solving my drainage problems, they offered advice on renovating the garden and surrounding area and followed through on every facet of the job with polished results. They were happy to work within our budget and they came through beautifully.

They were on time, did what they promised and made us very happy. We'd hire them again without hesitation.

[Recommendation submitted via e-mail] We are having Glen Peterson do work for us. He does excellent work and is very reasonable. He generally charges $250 for an 8 hour day, no matter what the job is. The only problem is he lives in Perry, which is about 40 miles NW of Des Moines, and he does not always have time to make it to Des Moines.

RJR Construction does framing and finish carpentry for additions, new home construction, decks, garages, and basement finish. They also install cement board siding. They are fast, thorough and experienced. They prefer for the client to supply materials.

[Via the RenovateDSM e-mail group] Don Reynolds with Reynolds Construction built my garage, did a really nice job and the cost was reasonable!

[Via the RenovateDSM e-mail group] I have had Jack Ryan do some carpentry work for me with wonderful results. He is young but trained as a carpenter and not as a jack-of-all-trades.