What Do I Need Before I Build a Garage in Denver?

The City of Denver requires a licensed contractor to oversee the construction of any new garage within city limits. Once you have hired an experienced and professional Denver garage building contractor to build your garage, they will need to go through the permitting process.

Some of those permits include the residential zoning, 1R building permit, the quick roofing permit, and the electrical permit. If your home is located along a parkway, you will also need to submit a completed Parkway Exception Request form to the city prior to permitting. Local Denver Resource here & here.

Once you and your licensed contractor have obtained and submitted all of the necessary legal paperwork, you can proceed with the construction of your new garage. It’s important that you understand the differences between an attached and a detached garage before you settle on design plans.

Of course, there are pros and cons to each type, but most Denver residents will likely prefer an attached garage to protect them from the harsh climate during winter months. Skis, snowboards, snowmobiles, and the like, take up a lot of space. A garage is a great storage solution for all of your recreational outdoor sporting equipment.

It also serves to help protect your vehicles from all of the elements, especially during those difficult Denver winters. If your home does not currently have a garage, you may want to consider hiring a Denver Garage Builder to assess your project and provide you written estimates.

Ways Denver Home Owners Find Garages Useful

Vacationing sports fans will likely regale a person with tales of the outstanding athletic achievements they have seen performed in Denver because of the altitude and the thin air. Permanent residents, however, will likely describe the more mundane aspects of the weather in the Mile High City.

For example, Denver suffers (enjoys?) almost six feet of snowfall every year – fantastic for any ski bums and their friends in the area but not much comfort for the average commuter or family person.

Similarly, the city and surrounding area endure temperatures that on average are below freezing every day in the month of December. It is not an environment where a vehicle owner wants to leave their car exposed to the elements.

Without a doubt, a garage is best used for vehicle storage but there are other uses that a Denver homeowner will find useful.

For instance:

Additional storage – As with most large cities, there are any number of outside activities available to its residents. From simple trail running through mountain biking to alpine skiing, these activities all require a small to large amount of equipment. Storing them in an outside garage space – instead of the main house – means more convenience for the owner and less dirt and grime inside the house.

An apartment space – Denver is the largest city in the state of Colorado and the 19th most populous in the United States. It is also the fastest growing large city in the U.S.As such, residential rental rents are relatively high. The addition of a garage apartment will add both monthly income and real resale value to your home.

Add a hothouse – Summers in the Mile High City are temperate and a wide variety of tropical and semi-tropical plants will grow there quite well. Winters, however, will devastate these types of plants if proper care is not taken by the homeowner. Adding an enclosed hothouse to your garage provides a secure and temperature controlled space for doing so.

Include some play space – Similarly, your children will enjoy having a dedicated garage space to play in when the worst of the winter weather hits and you will appreciate the lack of noise and distraction in the main house. In addition, knowing that your kids are safe and secure makes for a priceless addition to your garage.

Denver Building Resources:

Project guide detached / attached – Denvergov.org
Zoning and permitting guide – Denver development services
Single family one story detached guide – Colorado chapter of the international code council