Story City Iowa
Construction & Remodeling
Story City sits 11 miles north of Ames with about 3,439 residents and 1,610 homes. A quarter of those homes were built before 1940 and only 43 have gone up since 2010, so almost everything here is remodeling work on houses that have already stood a long time.
Story City, Iowa General Contractor
About Us
We started Busy Builders in 2020 to bring honesty back to remodeling and home building. Our team came out of the trades with decades of hands-on work behind them. We have served more than 1,285 Central Iowa homeowners since.
Our Mission
Give every homeowner the most transparent and honest experience we can. Real numbers, real timelines, and a plain answer when the answer is not what you hoped.
Our Vision
We want to be the registered general contractor that Story City homeowners call first, and recommend to the neighbour down the street without thinking twice.
Full-Service Construction and Remodeling in Story City
New home construction in Story City, where only 43 of the town’s 1,610 homes have gone up since 2010. That makes an infill lot or an acreage build the exception here. It also means the houses next door were framed to a very different standard. Perimeter footings reach 42 inches below final grade because the city ordinance says so. Every inspection runs through an outside firm on one business day of notice. Starting around $150 per square foot, with final costs varying by scope, materials and complexity.
Home remodeling in a town where a quarter of the housing predates 1940. The median home dates to 1971. Lead-safe practice, knob-and-tube wiring, undersized electrical service and stone foundations are the normal starting point here, not a bad surprise. We open walls and check what is actually there before we quote a number. A guess on a house this old is worth nothing to you. Story City reviews zoning and setbacks inside the building permit, so one application covers both steps.
Kitchen remodeling in Story City homes, most of which were laid out before open plans and modern appliance loads. Moving a sink or a range usually means new supply and drain runs. It also means adding circuits to a panel sized for a different era. Both trigger separate trade permits at $75 each through City Hall. We price the electrical and plumbing honestly up front instead of finding them halfway through. Starting around $250 per square foot, with final costs varying by scope, materials and complexity.
Basement remodeling on Des Moines Lobe ground, where water is the first problem and everything else comes second. Story City requires approved drainage in every window well. That single detail often decides whether a finished lower level stays dry through a wet spring. We check grading, downspout runs and the existing footing drain before framing anything. Older basements here also bring 7 foot ceilings and non-conforming egress. We tell you what is possible before you plan a bedroom down there.
Bathroom remodeling in Story City, from a walk-in shower conversion through to a full gut renovation. In pre-1978 homes, which is most of this town, we follow lead-safe renovation practice as a matter of course. A waterproof membrane goes behind all tile in showers and wet walls, because tile and grout alone do not stop water. Plumbing and mechanical work pulls its own permit at $75 each. The inspection sequence runs through Safe Building rather than through city staff, on one business day of notice.
Home additions in Story City, including sunrooms, garages, second stories and in-law suites. R-1 lots need 30 feet front and rear, plus 8 feet to the side on a single story. That review happens inside the building permit rather than as a separate zoning step. New footings reach 42 inches below final grade. Exterior landings level with a door on both sides need frost protection under a local amendment. Starting around $300 per square foot, with final costs varying by scope, materials and complexity.
Basement finishing in Story City starts with a radon test. Story County sits in EPA Zone 1, and Iowa averages 8.5 pCi/L indoors against 1.3 nationally. Bedrooms need 5.7 square feet of net clear egress opening and a 7 foot habitable ceiling. Every window well needs approved drainage under the city’s own amendment. We test and solve moisture before a single stud goes up. Opening finished walls later to fix either one costs far more than doing it in order.
Deck building in Story City, footed 42 inches below final grade as the city ordinance requires. That is a written rule here, not a rule of thumb an inspector might waive. Exterior landings sitting level with a door on both sides need frost protection, which is a local amendment most builders never read. We size beams and joists for Iowa freeze and thaw. Post bases sit on hardware rated for the load rather than burying wood in concrete, and the footing inspection happens before any pour.
CITY HALL, AND CLOSED MONDAY MORNINGS
Story City issues its own building permits. The desk sits at City Hall, 504 Broad Street. The number is 515-733-2121.
Worth knowing before you drive over. The lobby is closed Monday mornings and opens at 1:00. Tuesday through Friday it runs 8:00 to 4:30.
Zoning and setback review happen inside the building permit here. There is no separate zoning application to chase, which saves a step most towns make you take. The form captures your zoning district, lot area and all three setbacks at once.
In the R-1 district that means a 9,600 square foot minimum lot. Front and rear setbacks are 30 feet. Side setbacks are 8 feet on one story and 10 feet on two or more.
- City Hall sits at 504 Broad Street, 515-733-2121, with the lobby closed Monday mornings
- Zoning and setback review is built into the building permit, so there is no second form
- R-1 lots need 9,600 square feet with 30 foot front and rear setbacks
THE CITY HAS NO BUILDING INSPECTOR
Story City employs no in-house building inspector of its own. Every inspection on every job is run by an outside firm, Safe Building, reachable at 515-333-4161.
Scheduling takes one business day of notice. Inspections are completed by the end of the next business day, which is faster than most towns this size manage.
If the work is not ready when the inspector arrives, a trip charge can follow. So we only call one in when the stage is genuinely finished.
A full build runs twelve inspections in order. Footing, foundation, foundation insulation, sewer and water, groundwork plumbing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, framing, insulation, sidewalk and approach, then final. Nobody occupies the house until the certificate issues.
- Inspections run through Safe Building at 515-333-4161 rather than through city staff
- One business day of notice, then completed by the end of the next business day
- Twelve inspections on a full build, ending with sidewalk, approach and final
FOUR AMENDMENTS THAT CHANGE A JOB
Story City adopted the 2018 International Building Code with 28 local amendments. There is no separately adopted residential code section here. One and two family work runs through the amended building code instead.
Four of those amendments matter on most residential projects. Perimeter footings must reach 42 inches below final grade. All window wells must have approved drainage.
Exterior landings that sit level with a door on both sides need frost protection. And the accessory structure permit exemption is raised to 200 square feet, more generous than the 120 the model code allows.
These are written rules, not judgment calls. That makes them straightforward to plan around before a drawing goes out.
- Perimeter footings reach 42 inches below final grade, written into the ordinance itself
- Approved drainage is required in every window well, so it affects every egress job
- Sheds up to 200 square feet skip the permit, though the setbacks still apply
THE PERMIT FEE IS NOT PUBLISHED
Story City publishes several of its fees, but not all of them. Trade permits run $75 each. A water permit is $350 and a sewer permit is $350. A Board of Adjustment appeal costs $80.
The building permit fee itself is not published anywhere on the city site. Call City Hall at 515-733-2121 for a current figure before you set a budget. We will not print a number here that we cannot source.
Contractors also register with the city on top of the state. That takes an Iowa contractor registration number and a $500,000 liability certificate on file before work starts. We carry both and file them ahead of the first day on site.
- Trade permits are $75 each, water and sewer are $350 each, and an appeal is $80
- No building permit fee is published, so call 515-733-2121 before you set a budget
- City registration plus a $500,000 liability certificate must be on file first
YOUNG GLACIAL GROUND THAT HOLDS WATER
Story City sits on the Des Moines Lobe, Iowa’s youngest glacial landscape at 12,000 to 14,000 years old. The Iowa Geological Survey describes it as having incomplete surface drainage.
In practice that means wet soils and seasonal high water tables. It also means buried farm tile where you least want it, and the occasional glacial boulder in an excavation.
Footing drains, sump systems and site grading get more attention here than on older ground further south. That is not upselling, it is what this landscape asks for.
The South Skunk River runs through town with a Floodway Fringe overlay along it. In that overlay the lowest residential floor, basement included, must sit a foot above the base flood elevation.
- Des Moines Lobe ground drains poorly, so grading and footing drains come first here
- Floodway Fringe rules put the lowest floor a foot above base flood elevation
- Story County is EPA radon Zone 1, so we test before we finish any basement
ELEVEN MILES FROM AMES, AND OLDER
About 3,439 people live here across 1,610 homes. A quarter of those homes were built before 1940. Only 43 have gone up since 2010.
So nearly everything we do in town is work on a house that has already stood a long time. That shapes how we quote, how we sequence and what we check before committing to a number.
Roland-Story Community School District serves Story City and Roland, with three schools and about 1,094 students.
Ames sits 11 miles south, Nevada 13 miles southeast and Maxwell 22 miles south. We work in all of them, so a crew is rarely far away and a site visit does not need a week of notice.
- 3,439 residents across 1,610 homes, and a quarter of them were built before 1940
- Only 43 homes here have been built since 2010, so this is a remodeling town
- Roland-Story Community School District serves both Story City and nearby Roland, about 1,094 students
Our Building Partners.
- Achievement
Your Dream, Our Passion.
Since 2020, more than 1,285 Central Iowa homeowners have trusted us with their projects, and it shows.
Quality Construction at the Right Price.
Additions
Based on Average Pricing in Story City.
- Additional Story
- Tornado Shelter
- Living Room
- Bedroom
- Sunroom
- Bathroom
- Garage
- ADU
Kitchen Remodeling
Based on Average Pricing in Story City.
- Countertops
- Appliances
- Cabinetry
- Windows
- Islands
- Lights
Home Building
Based on Average Pricing in Story City.
- Dream Build
- Multi-Family
- Tiny Home
- Spec Build
- Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs About Building in Story City, IA
Who issues building permits in Story City?
Story City Hall, at 504 Broad Street. The number is 515-733-2121. One thing catches people out. The lobby is closed Monday mornings and opens at 1:00, then runs 8:00 to 4:30 Tuesday through Friday. Zoning and setback review happen inside the building permit application here, so there is no separate zoning permit to file. The form captures your zoning district, lot area and all three setbacks. We prepare and submit the whole package, including the energy compliance path, so you are not making that trip yourself.
Who actually inspects the work?
Not the city. Story City employs no in-house building inspector and contracts every inspection to an outside firm, Safe Building, at 515-333-4161. Inspections need one business day of notice. They get completed by the end of the next business day, which is quick for a town this size. If the work is not ready when the inspector arrives, a trip charge can follow. So we only call one in when the stage is genuinely finished. A full build runs twelve inspections, from footing through to the final before occupancy.
How deep do footings have to go in Story City?
42 inches below final grade for perimeter footings. That figure is written directly into the city’s own code amendments. It is not left to an inspector’s judgment, so there is nothing to argue about on site. Exterior landings that sit at the same elevation on both sides of a door also need frost protection. That comes from a separate amendment and it is the one most builders miss. Both rules come out of the 28 local amendments Story City attached to the 2018 building code.
What does a building permit cost here?
The city publishes trade permits at $75 each. A water permit is $350, a sewer permit is $350 and a Board of Adjustment appeal is $80. It does not publish the building permit fee anywhere on its site. We will not print a number we cannot source, so call City Hall at 515-733-2121 for a current figure before you set a budget. Story City also requires contractors to register with the city on top of the state, with a $500,000 liability certificate on file first.
Do I need a permit for a shed or a detached garage?
Story City raised its accessory structure permit exemption to 200 square feet. That is more generous than the 120 square feet the model code allows. Below that you do not need a building permit. Above it you do. Setbacks apply either way, and in R-1 that means 30 feet front and rear, plus 8 feet to the side on a single story structure. If the building takes power or water, the trade permits apply separately at $75 each regardless of the footprint. We confirm the exemption against your plan before we file anything.
Is Busy Builders licensed in Iowa?
Iowa registers general contractors rather than licensing them. We are registered with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. That registration is required of anyone earning $2,000 or more a year from construction work. Story City adds its own requirement on top. The city wants contractor registration and a $500,000 public liability certificate on file before work starts. We carry both and file them ahead of the first day on site. Electricians, plumbers and HVAC technicians do hold separate state licenses, and we coordinate that trade work.
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