Des Moines & Ankeny's Locally Based Home Builders Since 2003

Trusted Custom Home Builder in Des Moines & Surrounding Communities

Happe Homes, a multi-award-winning custom home builder, has proudly served the Des Moines metro and surrounding communities in Iowa since 2003, earning high customer satisfaction and multiple accolades as one of the top home builders in Des Moines and Ankeny. We make it easy to get started with our quick and simple process.

Homes Built Across Iowa

7 +

Years of Experience

6 +

A Message From Our Owner: Commitment to Quality Home Building in Des Moines, Iowa and surrounding communities

It’s easy to find a company that builds homes. The hard part is finding one that actually cares about their customers in the Des Moines Metro area and provides quality workmanship. Happe Homes has been building custom homes in Des Moines and the surrounding communities for over 20 years and we do what we do because we have a passion for building homes and seeing smiles on people’s faces.

Our purpose is happy homeowners in the Des Moines Metro & Surrounding Communities. No pun intended. We’re proud of the relationships we’ve built with our customers here. They know they can trust us to deliver what we promise. We take pride in being excellent communicators with our customers and we make the process fun, not only for our team members, but also for the homeowners in the Des Moines Metro area.

We are a company that builds custom homes tailored to the Des Moines Metro community. Our layouts, our designs, our gladiator series are all great, but ultimately it’s your home, so we will build it to suit your needs so you can enjoy it for many years to come.

You deserve a home that makes you happy.

Locally & Family Owned

All of our homes are designed with quality and unmatched care.

CUSTOMER SERVICE FOCUSED

We strive to provide exceptional service
during the building and buying process.

Teamwork environment

We work together as a team to build you the home of your dreams.

Awarded Des Moines Metro and Ankeny's Best Home Builder

See Why Happe Homes is the Best Des Moines Home Builders

We had such a great experience working with Happe Homes and Gladiator Homes. Getting to pick finishes and flooring from a carefully curated list made building a house easy. They kept us informed of progress and updated us on time lines. Our build got started earlier than anticipated and our closing was three weeks earlier too which was a huge blessing to us! The support from the team did not stop at closing and the warranty team is very responsive. In this current climate of builders closing their doors and leaving clients without finished projects I am so glad we could trust the Gladiator Team to complete our home! Services Floor fitting, Design, Deck construction, Interior decorating, Project management, Predesigned floor plans for homes, Interior finishing, Exterior painting, Home building, Interior design, Drywall installation, Plumbing fixture installation, Flooring

We bought a Happe Home that was already finished and have been very happy with it so far! Our superintendent Jared and his team were really great during the walk throughs and Happe made sure all of the little details were perfect. The quality of everything has been great! We had an issue with our sod washing away on our steep hill and Happe made the situation right. I would recommend Happe Homes!

Happe Homes built our three bedroom, two bathroom ranch with an unfinished basement. From the beginning to the end, my husband and I could not have been more impressed. Our initial consultation gave us all the confidence we needed to take the next steps in building our home. The team at Happe Homes is competent and friendly. We were most impressed with their level of craftsmanship in every stage of the built. (See pictures.) Working with Happe Homes was an overall great and fun experience. After hearing horror stories from friends and family about other builders, we found much relief in our decision to work with Happe Homes. 10/10 would recommend.

Thanks to everyone at happe homes for building our dream home! you guys were a dream to work with! sierra, erin and rylan - y’all rock!! Positive Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value Services Home building The team at Happe Homes is competent and friendly. We were most impressed with their level of craftsmanship in every stage of the built. (See pictures.) Working with Happe Homes was an overall great and fun experience. After hearing horror stories from friends and family about other builders, we found much relief in our decision to work with Happe Homes. 10/10 would recommend.

We recently purchased a Happe Homes ranch plan. We did not build with them as it was completed prior. From the initial showing through closing all of our interactions with Happe have been excellent very easy to work with. The craftsmanship and materials used are very good, way above average for a spec home.

We are very pleased with our home and so glad we went with Happe! The whole team was very helpful throughout the entire process. We started with one of their floorplans but made changes. Chris and Bill were very accommodating and worked with my wife and I to come up with a great plan that fits our needs. To pick out the finishes, Erin was really fun to work with. There are a lot of decisions that need to me made and she walked us through everything without being pushy. During the build, we had a great experience with our project manager, Troy. The whole team has been responsive and helpful since before we bought our house and after. We feel so strongly about Happe Homes, that my parents are also having a house built by them. Highly recommend! Positive Quality, Professionalism Services Consultation, Design, Flooring, Garage design and building, General repairs & maintenance, Drywall installation, Fan installation, Floor fitting, Tile work installation, Plumbing fixture installation, Landscaping, Interior decorating, Exterior painting, Project management, Waterproofing

We have been in our Happe home for 60+ days and are extremely satisfied with their product. The quality is second to none! We built from scratch by picking one of their floor plans and modifying to our needs. The staff walked us through the process step by step and it never felt too overwhelming. They gave us all the information needed to make the right decisions for us. Erin was amazing to work with and helped us make our design vision come to life. Chris, although dually representing us and Happe, was always fair and informative. He always put our questions first and we trusted his expertise. Happe has been extremely responsive in the few, small hiccups we’ve had since moving in and got them fixed right away. We can’t say enough good things about this builder. If you’re thinking of building, we HIGHLY recommend this amazing builder. Positive Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value

My husband and I have just moved into our beautiful new home and we absolutely love it! We expected the building process to be a little overwhelming, but every person at Happe Homes made sure we had a wonderful experience. Whenever we had questions or concerns, we were answered quickly and always in a helpful and pleasant manner. We had fun customizing our home without feeling overwhelmed and always feeling heard in what we wanted. The work itself is impeccable! As someone who is a bit of a perfectionist, I am beyond thrilled with how everything has turned out! I am so grateful that we chose to work with Happe Homes and they have given us this beautiful new home that we get to grow our family in.

Happe Homes built our house and we could not be more with the end result of our home. Day 1 Jake Happe and Bill Junod met us on the lot and described the vision and the process of building a home. When the owner takes the time to meet with you personally you know he is vested in the quality and commitment of his company. With help from Erin and Sierra to fine tune the touches of the house and the guidance and transparency they offer during the building process was great. Then to add the site superintendent Rylan who was spot on when it came to running the project and humored every comment and question we had and resolved issue we identified in a rapid manner. We couldn't ask for a better experience. THANK YOU.

We loved working with Happe Homes on our custom home build in Van Meter! It is beautiful and the process was as seamless as a new home build could be. We appreciated our customer service representative, Sierra, and our site superintendent, Stephen. They were there to answer any questions along the way. I would highly recommend Happe to anyone looking to build!

Bought a new Happe Home spec in Waukee and have loved our experience! Found our home close to them putting finishing touches. Luckily pretty much all the finishes are things I would have selected. We’ve been in our home for 5 months now and had little to no issues. All minor things that come with any new home purchase. Their warranty team is super responsive. Advantages using HH - one year home builder warranty, free moving up to 8 hrs, friendly owners/employees, quality products and tasteful finishes.

Theyre building in our neighborhood and they actually helped fix an issue created by our builder. They communicated with us better than our builder ever did. I would recommend using them if you're looking for a new build.

Literally no way this isn’t 5 star review from every one else. I’m so happy to be in a Happe home. Pun intended. But they really are amazing. So happy I have this home. Positive Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value

We were thinking of moving and building. We reached out to Happe Homes and they answered all of our questions promptly! We changed our minds due to family obligations. Highly recommend! Positive Responsiveness, Professionalism Positive Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value

Best people and best builder! Positive Responsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

So friendly and professional. Will definitely refer them to all my friends and family for their home needs.

Everything was as expected and even better. I couldn’t ask for any more. Positive Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value Services Deck construction, Interior design, Landscaping

Worked with Happe on a charity event, they were extremely helpful and super supportive of our organization. They build beautiful quality homes! Positive Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value Services Country home building, Home addition construction, Home building, Drywall installation, Interior decorating, Exterior painting

A great company. Happe really stands by there work. Through the build process the are knowledgeable an detail oriented. There warranty is top notch and everyone goes above and beyond. I can’t say enough good things about my expense with Happe Homes. Positive Quality, Professionalism Services Custom home design, Design

Excellent customer service. Not to mention they build absolutely BEAUTIFUL homes! I hope I can work with them in the future when it is time for my dream home! Positive Quality, Professionalism

We just moved into our "Happe Home" and couldn't be more excited about our house! We are so thankful to everyone at Happe Homes for making our house exactly how we wanted it. Making selections for the home is always challenging but it definitely helped being able to visualize our options in Happe's showroom. Once construction started, everything was so easy. Kevin was great at communicating with us, making sure everything was completed to the best standard and hit our closing date with no issues! We will definitely recommend Happe Homes to our friends and family.

The whole staff at Happe has been wonderful to work with from start to finish! Definitely recommending Happe to all my friends and family!

This company is building my sons home, they are doing a wonderful job! They have been so helpful working with them and getting them through the building process. Highly recommend!! Can’t wait to see the finished project!

We have lived in our Happe Home for 3 years now, and still love it! Great process, wonderful variety of selections, and quality materials. Couldn’t be happier. Positive Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value Services Home building

We built a home with Happe Homes and couldn’t be happier!! They were professional, took pride in their work and great follow through!! We love our home!!!

My son's town home is beautiful. Happe Homes worked hard to get it finished in time for him to move in before starting his new job transfer in Des Moines. He has enjoyed the home now for 3 years.

This company is great!! Makes beautiful homes and has some of the best people working for them!!! Positive Quality, Professionalism, Value

We recently moved into our "Happe Home," which we purchased during the framing stage. From the moment we signed the purchase agreement, representatives from Happe went out of their way to help us make our selections. They respond promptly and professionally to all emails, phone calls, and texts--our realtor mentioned several times that he has never worked with such a responsive builder. Kevin and Robert, the site coordinators, were in frequent communication to find out how we wanted things, often sending pictures of progress that was being made. We had a problem with a water line soon after closing, and Happe was very quick to fix the situation. Through all of our interactions with Happe Homes, it has been clear that having great customer service is one of their top priorities.

This was my first build with Happe Homes and it went great! Everyone involved was excellent to deal with and my clients are extremely happy with their new home.

Des Moines Custom Homes Builders

Building a home in Des Moines should be an exciting adventure, not a stressful task. That’s why working with a trusted custom home builder in Des Moines makes all the difference. We focus on understanding your vision, lifestyle, and needs to create a home that feels uniquely yours. From modern open-concept layouts to cozy family-friendly spaces, every design is crafted to match the way you want to live.

Our team combines local expertise, quality craftsmanship, and hands-on guidance throughout the entire process. By focusing on your priorities and keeping the experience smooth and enjoyable, we help turn your dream home into reality, a space you’ll love for years to come in Des Moines.

Ankeny's Best Custom Home Builder

Finding the right custom home builder in Ankeny means choosing a partner who listens to your vision and turns it into a home built for the way you live. Known as Ankeny’s best custom home builder, Happe Homes blends thoughtful design, quality craftsmanship, and personal service to create spaces families love for years to come. Whether you’re exploring move-in-ready homes or planning a custom build from the ground up, the process is made simple, enjoyable, and tailored around you, because building your dream home should feel just as rewarding as living in it.

Happe's Featured Homes

Discover Your Dream Home in Des Moines Metro & Surrounding Communities

Many people go into the home building process in Des Moines Metro & Surrounding Communities thinking it’s going to be stressful and they’ll be weighed down by the many decisions they need to make.

At Happe Homes, we take the guesswork out of building your custom home in Des Moines, Iowa and the surrounding communities. We provide you with inspiration, all the details, customizable plans, and material choices – so you can focus on the excitement that comes with building your dream home. We make it easy by providing a high-quality turnkey product and an excellent customer experience, from design and construction to helping with your moving costs on move-in day. Now you can get the home of your dreams in the Des Moines, Iowa area without breaking a sweat!

Featured Communities

Prairie Rose, Waukee

Prairie Rose is Waukee’s newest development located just East of Waukee Northwest High School and just west of Waukee’s Triumph Park. A city trail runs through the development and leads to the Raccoon River Valley Trail. Waukee Schools, walking distance to many activities. A wide variety of home sites and pricing, we will have something for most budgets.

Centennial Estates, Ankeny

Centennial Estates is an upscale Ankeny development located on the Northwest side of town behind Centennial High School. Featuring walking trails, a large pond, and a new city park, this development has all you need for your next home! Centennial Estates offers easy access to Highway 35, shopping centers, grocery, and more. We are proud to offer a variety of model homes as well as available lots to build your dream home.

Tiger Run, Madrid

Tiger Run is located on the northeastern edge of Madrid, a community with a rich history, great traditions and a welcoming, small-town atmosphere. Enjoy beautiful parks, nearby recreational areas and easy access to the High Trestle Trail. Choose from 15 lots starting at $44,500; offering flat and daylight options. You’ll love the pond views while watching the sunrise!

Looking for Finance Loan?

Secure Financing for Your Des Moines Metro Home Purchase

Getting pre-approved for your home is the first step to making your dream home in the Des Moines area come true. Our goal is to make the purchase of a new home a reality for you. Find a Happe Home with confidence, knowing you have the financial tools in place to make your dream home in Des Moines and the surrounding communities a reality.