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Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Whole-home renovation in Highlands Ranch, CO

Highlands Ranch is the south-metro edge of our service area, adjacent to the Littleton and Centennial work we do daily. This page covers whole-home renovation specifically in Highlands Ranch — the homes here, the local approvals, and the work. For how we design and build generally, including process and cost, see our whole-home renovation services.
Right here in Highlands Ranch

Our shop, our crews, and most of our projects are all in town.

Our Home Base

Whole-home renovation for Highlands Ranch homes

Renovating in Highlands Ranch is the easiest construction and the hardest paperwork in our service area. The homes are post-1980, so there’s no knob-and-tube, no aluminum branch wiring, and no asbestos concern in the post-1980 stock — the structure is sound and we’re improving the house rather than repairing it, which makes budget and timeline more predictable and lets the contingency run leaner.

The one real exception is polybutylene supply pipe in the 1981-through-mid-90s phases, which fails without warning and should come out while the walls are open. The rest of the difficulty is procedural: any exterior element goes to HRCA’s ARC, the Metro District reviews utility impacts before Douglas County will permit, and your neighborhood’s Supplemental Declaration governs. Three approvals, sequenced properly, is the job.

What We Build

Permits and approvals in Highlands Ranch

Whole-home renovation at this scope is permitted work, and we pull the permits and schedule the inspections for you. In Highlands Ranch that runs through the Douglas County Building Division, via the county’s permitting system, under the International Residential Code as adopted by Douglas County.

Highlands Ranch has the most layered approval process in our entire service area, and it catches nearly everyone. It isn’t a city — it’s an unincorporated community in Douglas County, so the county’s Building Division is the authority having jurisdiction, not a city hall. On top of that, the Highlands Ranch Metro District reviews projects on behalf of Highlands Ranch Water for impacts to the public water and sewer systems, and Metro District approval is required before Douglas County will issue a building permit or a certificate of occupancy. That’s two approvals before you break ground.

You can be fully permitted by Douglas County and still be in violation with HRCA. Three approvals, in the right order, is how a Highlands Ranch project stays out of trouble.

We renovate homes across Highlands Ranch, including Northridge, Southridge, Eastridge, Westridge, Backcountry, Highwoods, Timberline Ridge, and Shadow Canyon, and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Working on more than one space? We also handle kitchen remodeling in Highlands Ranch and bathroom remodeling in Highlands Ranch, and everything we do locally is on our Highlands Ranch remodeling page.

Highlands Ranch Questions

Whole-home renovation FAQs — Highlands Ranch

Q.01
Is a newer home cheaper to renovate?

Generally yes. Post-1980 construction means no knob-and-tube, no aluminum branch wiring, and no asbestos concern — we’re improving the house rather than repairing it, which makes budget and timeline more predictable.

Q.02
What's polybutylene and do I have it?

Gray plastic supply pipe manufactured 1978 to mid-1995 — which covers Highlands Ranch’s first phases. It degrades from the inside and can rupture without warning. A renovation is the cheapest time to replace it, since the walls are open.

Q.03
What makes a Highlands Ranch renovation complicated?

Not the construction — the approvals. HRCA’s ARC for exterior work, Metro District review before the county will permit, and Douglas County itself. Three layers, and your neighborhood’s Supplemental Declaration on top.

Q.04
How long does a Highlands Ranch renovation project take?
A comprehensive whole-home renovation typically runs about 6 to 18 months including design, permitting, and construction. You get a schedule in your proposal. For a fuller breakdown of whole-home renovation costs, see our cost guide.

Let’s build something right here in Highlands Ranch.

Send a note about your project, your timeline, and your budget — we’ll set up a free in-home walkthrough, usually within a few days. You’re a neighbor, not a lead.