🧪 Radon Testing in Des Moines, IA

National cost guides put most jobs between $3,000 and $10,000, about $5,000 on average (Fixr, February 2026), with interior systems near $3,000 and exterior work at $7,000 or more (This Old House, March 2026). No guide publishes Des Moines-only prices; a local provider prices your basement after an inspection.

HomeGuide lists $1,200 to $2,000, about $1,600 on average, for an active soil depressurization system (2026). Price depends on the foundation type, whether there is a crawl space or a sump to seal, and where the vent pipe runs.

It is common across Iowa. Iowa HHS reports that the Iowa Radon Survey found 71.6% of homes above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L, the largest share of any state, and that EPA designates all of Iowa as radon zone 1. Testing is the only way to know a specific home's level.

If both are planned, plan them together. Cutting the floor for drain tile, sealing cracks and adding a sealed sump lid all affect radon entry, and a radon system can draw from under the slab or from a sealed sump. Ask for one plan and test radon again after the basement work is done.

Newer homes usually have drain tile and a sump pump, so leaks often come from backfill that has settled into a dip along the wall, downspouts that empty next to the house, a discharge line that ends too close, or a pump that cannot keep up in heavy rain. These are often cheaper fixes than a new drain system.

A long horizontal crack near mid-height of a block wall often means soil pressure is pushing the wall inward. Measure and photograph it, and have it assessed: options range from carbon fiber straps and wall anchors to steel beams or, for walls that have moved far, a rebuild.

It depends on the cause and the policy. Groundwater seepage is often excluded, sewer backup usually needs a separate endorsement, and river or surface flooding is covered by flood insurance, not a standard policy. Ask your agent which endorsements you have before water season.

Away from the foundation, onto ground that drains away from the house and not onto a neighbor's lot or the sidewalk, and never into a floor drain or laundry tub that leads to the sanitary sewer. In winter, a freeze-relief fitting near the house keeps a frozen line from backing water into the pit.

Simple interior drain tile and crack injection often do not; structural work such as a wall rebuild, piers and egress windows usually does, and plumbing work such as a backwater valve generally needs a plumbing permit. Rules differ between Des Moines and each suburb, so ask the provider who files the permit and confirm with your city.

A partial run on one wall can be finished in a day; a full perimeter in a typical basement often takes two to three days, plus curing time for the new concrete strip. Finished basements take longer because walls and flooring have to come out first.

Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Altoona, Windsor Heights, Indianola and Norwalk, plus Waukee, Grimes, Pleasant Hill, Bondurant, Carlisle, Polk City, Adel and Mitchellville. Availability for your address is confirmed when a provider contacts you.

The cause the provider found, the method, the linear feet of drain or number of anchors, straps or piers, the pump make and model, where the discharge ends, floor patching, any radon fan and pipe route, permits and who pulls them, cleanup, and the written workmanship and manufacturer warranties.