Window and siding replacement in Des Peres
What the code and the permit desk actually require here — and what the houses in Des Peres tend to be hiding behind the siding.
- People
- 9,170
- Homes
- 3,331
- Size
- 4.3 square miles
- From downtown
- About 14 miles west
- ZIP codes
- 63131
- Founded or incorporated
- 1934
Des Peres was incorporated as a town in 1934. Dougherty Lake was one of its original residential subdivisions, and its City Hall predates incorporation, having originally been built by a neighboring Lutheran church as an orphanage.
Des Peres
The housing here is mostly built in the 1970s (nearly 30% of homes).
What that vintage turns up
Original single-pane aluminium and wood units, most of which have been replaced at least once by now — which means what you are usually looking at is a first-generation replacement window from the 1990s, not the original. Aluminium frames of this age conduct cold straight through and sweat in January, which is what people are describing when they say a room feels draughty in a house with no measurable draught.
Aluminium siding was the default for years and a lot of it is still up. It does not rot and it does not burn; what it does is chalk, so the factory finish oxidises to a powder that comes off on your hand, and it dents and never un-dents. The honest decision on aluminium in decent shape is repaint against replace, and repainting is often the right answer. Later in this window, hardboard and wood-composite lap started going up, and that material has a litigation history rather than a maintenance history.
The one to watch on a house of this age
Plywood and board sheathing under this vintage holds up better than the OSB that came later, which means rot found here is usually local to a flashing failure rather than general. Find the leak, not just the soft spot.
Lead paint. Likely on anything built before 1978, and the rule does not care how much paint there is. 69.2% of the homes in St. Louis County were built before 1980, and on anything pre-1978 the EPA renovation rule applies to both of these trades. Window replacement is never exempt from it, at any size — a single window triggers it. A whole-house re-side clears the twenty square foot exterior threshold on the first wall. What the rule actually requires of a contractor.
Neighbourhoods
We work across Dougherty Lake.
The rules in Des Peres
Siding replacement Permit required
Des Peres adopted the 2018 IRC and amended its exempt-work list only by taking things off it, never by adding. Siding was never on the list, so a permit is required.
Window replacement, same opening Permit required Enlarging or cutting an opening Permit required
Same reasoning — window replacement is not exempt under the 2018 IRC as Des Peres adopted it.
A replacement window here has to be U-0.32 or lower
The city adopted the 2018 editions of the building, residential, swimming pool and spa, existing building, fire and property maintenance codes, and no International Energy Conservation Code. Its only energy amendment deletes IRC Section N1103.3.5 on building cavities.
That figure comes from the 2018 edition this jurisdiction has adopted.
A window fitted here must also carry an SHGC of 0.40 or lower.
For comparison, ENERGY STAR asks for U-0.25 or lower with an SHGC of 0.40 or lower everywhere in this metro, which is stricter than every code edition in force here. And the code only bites when the sash and the glazing are replaced together — replace the glass alone in an existing sash, or add a storm window over the top, and it does not apply.
Contractor registration Not published
No contractor registration, licensing, bond or insurance requirement is stated on the Building Department page, the Permit Requirements page, the residential building permit application, or in the permit/petition fee schedule.
What the permit costs
Fee Schedule — Permits/Petitions (9-21-18): 'Residential Remodel' is '$100 + $6 per $1000 of improvement cost' with a '$500' development deposit. There is no separate line item for residing or window replacement, and no contractor registration fee appears in the schedule.
Local quirks
Des Peres contracts with St. Louis County for mechanical, electrical and plumbing inspection but keeps the building and residential codes in-house, so the County’s siding and window exemptions do not reach here. No architectural review board or design review body was found in any published Des Peres source, despite the city's affluence — unlike Town and Country and Brentwood, which both have one. Permit questions are routed to Public Works (Permits@DesPeresMO.org), not to a standalone building department.
Who to call
- Building dept
- 314-835-6100
- Official
- Director of Public Works
- Permits
- Department page
How Des Peres compares with the rest of St. Louis County
Same county, same climate, same houses. Not the same rules.
| Place | Permit to re-side | Permit for a window | Window must meet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Peres | Yes | Yes | U-0.32 |
| Affton | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Ballwin | Yes | Yes | — |
| Brentwood | Yes | Not published | U-0.28 |
| Chesterfield | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Clayton | Yes | Yes | U-0.30 |
| Creve Coeur | Not published | No | U-0.35 |
| Ellisville | Not published | Not published | — |
| Eureka | Depends | Depends | — |
| Florissant | Depends | Yes | U-0.30 |
| Kirkwood | Not published | Not published | U-0.30 |
| Manchester | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Maryland Heights | Not published | Yes | U-0.35 |
| Mehlville | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Oakville | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| Richmond Heights | Not published | Not published | U-0.28 |
| Town and Country | Depends | No | — |
| Unincorporated St. Louis County | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
| University City | Depends | Yes | U-0.32 |
| Webster Groves | Yes | Yes | U-0.35 |
| Wildwood | Depends | Depends | U-0.34 |
Work we have done in Des Peres
Not yet — Des Peres is on our list rather than in our records. We will say so until that changes.
Where these facts came from
Everything on this page about Des Peres was read off a published source. Where a question has no published answer we have said so rather than filling the gap.
Sources: library.municode.com · desperesmo.org · desperesmo.org · desperesmo.org · desperesmo.org · desperesmo.org · desperesmo.org
Work coming up in Des Peres?
We will tell you what the rules here are, including when they work in your favour.
Tell us about the house
We answer the phone. If we miss you, we call back.