Setting Goals

Ok, we are getting serious now, and we realize we are faced with several challenges
Goal:

To create a modern home, utilizing eco-conscious measures and materials, for our family of four.

The site: Typical metro Denver residential neighborhood lot with 1 1/2 story bungalows to the north and south. Lot size 37 x 140

The process: Explore and use any delivery method necessary to build a 2300-2500 square foot home for $140 to $165 square foot.

Context: Historically, a strong inner metro housing market that has slowed slightly within the last year, but at much less noticeable pace than the outlaying suburbs.

Tear down or not?

Although the house dates back to 1912 there was little historical value still present. Nancy’s background is preservation carpentry, and I’ve got a lot of experience in historic rehab projects.  We’ve saved many old buildings and houses in the past, but those had significant historic character.  Nonetheless we are conflicted about the idea of tearing this one down.

We thought about keeping the original footprint and adding on to it so that we could fit a house with a large courtyard on this narrow lot. However, trying to retain the original building (700SF) and add on to it would compromise it and look out of place in the neighborhood.

After honest evaluation we decided that saving this structure is not the place to focus our efforts.  We should be concentrating on something new that fits in with the scale and massing of the neighborhood.

Freak Out Week

We hadn’t really planned on building a new house so soon. After a number of small to medium renovations, a new house still felt like a pipe dream. How in the world would we make the numbers work? The price for the lot was not cheap, although it was typical for land value in metro Denver. How could we afford to build anything that resembled a custom quality modern home? Each day was a roller coast ride of emotion..Should we do it? Can we do it? After meeting with various banks we found a creative way to finance the project.

Contractor Discussions

We started talking to a few contractors around town, and each had a different take on the project. We explained that although we wanted to build a new house, it would be small by Denver standards (2400 sf), and simple and modern. One mentioned that he didn’t think it’s possible to build a custom home for under $200 a square foot. Another stated that $150 is totally doable. Time will tell.

The Discovery

We had been looking for a lot in the Platt Park neighborhood of Denver. Although only a few minutes from our current home, this particular neighborhood really appealed to us because of its access to a small main street filled with restaurants, coffee houses and boutiques, as well as its proximity to the new light rail station two blocks away. Our realtor found a lot with a tiny run down house on it... going on the market the next day.  We scrambled and ended up putting down earnest money that same day.  Then we proceeded to freak out!  The house is in the photo above, it’s just covered with a lot of vines...