Seven Contractors and Remodelers Around Dubuque, Iowa Worth a Call
Dubuque's housing stock runs old, and the country around it runs rural, which means the contractor question comes up constantly here: who do you call for a porch that has started to lean, a basement that takes on water every spring, or an addition on a farmhouse outside town. The listings in our Contractors & Remodeling category spread across Dubuque County and over the river into Grant County, Wisconsin. Here are seven we would start with, chosen for a mix of trades and towns rather than any ranking.
Wunderlin Builders
A general building contractor on Means Drive in Platteville, across the river in Grant County.
Platteville is a forty-minute drive from downtown Dubuque, and plenty of Wisconsin-side homeowners never look further than town for a builder. A contractor listed under this category is the kind of outfit you would call for a new build, a major remodel or an addition, and the right first step is a site visit and a written estimate. Ask what they self-perform and what they sub out.
Nadermann Development
A development and contracting firm on Skylark Drive in Peosta, west of Dubuque along Highway 20.
Peosta has grown fast over the last two decades, and much of that growth is new residential and light commercial construction. A firm with development in its name is typically working at the lot-and-build end of things rather than small repairs, so this is a name to have if you are looking at raw ground or a spec home rather than a kitchen refresh. Confirm scope early so nobody wastes a trip.
Greg Droessler Construction
A construction contractor on Clinton Road in Cuba City, Wisconsin.
Cuba City is a small town, and small-town contractors tend to work by word of mouth and stay booked through the building season. Expect the general run of residential work — framing, remodels, outbuildings — and expect to plan ahead if you want a slot before the ground freezes. A short phone call will tell you quickly whether the job is a fit.
Custom Precast Co
A precast concrete manufacturer on Monroe Street NE in Cascade, in the southwest corner of Dubuque County.
Not every contractor pours on site. Precast concrete is made in a plant and trucked out, which covers things like septic tanks, foundation components, steps and retaining wall blocks — the unglamorous parts of a build that have to be right the first time. Cascade is about half an hour out of Dubuque, and a supplier there is well placed for the farms and small towns on that side of the county.
Opening Specialists
A Dubuque contractor on Century Drive, filed under Contractors & Remodeling.
The name suggests doors and windows, but we will let them tell you exactly what they handle. What we can say is that openings are where older Dubuque houses lose the most heat, and replacing or repairing them is among the more common remodeling jobs in a city with this much pre-war housing. Get a couple of quotes and ask about lead times before the fall rush.
Grain Bin Gazebos
A specialty builder on Asbury Road in Durango, northwest of Dubuque.
The name says what it is: a builder working in the repurposed-grain-bin niche that has become a fixture of Midwestern backyards and farmsteads. This is a specialty rather than a general contractor, so think of it for an outdoor structure, a patio shelter or a feature on acreage rather than a bathroom remodel. Durango is a short drive up Asbury Road from the northwest edge of Dubuque.
Master Key Locksmithing
A locksmith shop on Jackson Street in Dubuque.
Locksmiths end up in the contractors category because so much of what they do is finish work: rekeying after a closing, replacing hardware on a remodeled entry, fitting deadbolts to old doors that were never square to begin with. A locally based shop is the one to have in your phone before you are standing on the porch at ten at night, and an in-town Dubuque address matters when you need someone quickly.
Seven is a start. Our Contractors & Remodeling directory carries the full list for Dubuque and the surrounding towns on both sides of the river, with phone numbers and websites where we have them. Whatever the job, get it in writing, check that the contractor is registered in Iowa or certified in Wisconsin as the work requires, and tell us who did right by you.
