Custom Home Building in Northern Colorado

Building a custom home is a long list of decisions, and the first one determines how the rest go: who is responsible for the whole thing. With a separate architect and a separate builder, every problem lands between them. With a design-build contractor, the firm that drew the house is the firm that has to build it, so the drawings are buildable, the budget is real, and there is one phone number for the next two years.

Standard Building Company builds custom homes on infill lots in Loveland and Fort Collins, on acreage in Berthoud, Johnstown, Wellington, and unincorporated Larimer and Weld counties, and on mountain lots in Estes Park and along the I-70 and US 40 corridors.

What is included

• Lot evaluation: soils, access, utilities, setbacks, and drainage
• Architectural design from program to permit set
• Structural, soils, and septic engineering
• Permits, plan review responses, and inspections
• Site work, excavation, and foundation
• Framing, roofing, windows, and envelope
• Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing
• Interior finish, cabinetry, and final cleaning

Start with the lot, not the floor plan

In Northern Colorado the lot decides more than people expect. Expansive clay soils along the Front Range change the foundation design and the cost. A lot outside city limits needs a well or a water tap and a septic system sized by the county. A mountain lot adds slope, snow load, wildfire mitigation, and a driveway that has to be plowable. We do the lot evaluation before design starts so the house that gets drawn is the house that can be built on that ground.

Design that respects the budget

The most common custom home failure is a finished set of plans that costs a third more than the owner can spend. We price the house at the concept stage, again at design development, and finally at the permit set, so the budget steers the design instead of discovering it at the end. If a wing has to shrink, it shrinks on paper.

Building in the mountain towns

A custom home in Estes Park, Winter Park, Steamboat Springs, or the Vail Valley is built from the Front Range with a project lead on site through every critical phase. Mountain jurisdictions add design review, wildfire and defensible-space requirements, higher snow loads, and short building seasons for foundations and framing. We plan the schedule around the season and stage materials so weather does not stop the work.

Timeline

A custom home typically runs four to eight months from first meeting to permit, and ten to fourteen months of construction for a Front Range home, longer in the mountains. Lead times for windows, trusses, and custom cabinetry are ordered at permit so they do not hold up the frame.

What drives cost

Site conditions and utilities come first: a lot with city water, sewer, and gas at the street costs far less to build on than one that needs a well, septic, and a long power run. Foundation type, roof complexity, and window count follow. Finish level matters, but it is rarely what makes or breaks a custom home budget. We show all of it in a written estimate with allowances called out.

How a project runs

1. 01

   Walkthrough and concept

   We look at the space with you, talk through what you want, measure, and flag anything that affects cost or schedule before design starts.

2. 02

   Design and written price

   Our design side draws the plan, we price it as it is drawn, and you get a written scope and price before anything is demolished.

3. 03

   Permits and build

   We submit the permit set, schedule every trade, protect the rest of your home, and keep you posted as the work moves.

4. 04

   Final walkthrough

   We walk the finished work with you, close out inspections, and take care of the punch list before we call it done.

Common questions