Boulder Area Realtor Association (BARA) Presentation
Rodwin Architecture’s Scott Rodwin and Kirsten Snobeck made a fantastic presentation to a fully packed room at BARA regarding construction in Boulder. The program, titled Understanding the rules for building and remodeling in Boulder was very informative.
Scott is the principal architect with Rodwin Architecture in Boulder Colo. Kirsten is great; in addition to knowing her stuff, she is also on the board for Historic Preservation. This is an excellent firm to consider when looking at a project in the City of Boulder.
Rodwin Architecture offers a free consultation for clients contemplating a remodel or pop-top type project. This would be a preliminary step to a more involved Feasibility Study.
Little Things Big Issues
Most informative in the session was learning about the multitude of little things that can impact a project in the City of Boulder. This firm really knows – from experience – all the small items that can trip up approval of a big project. For instance:
- Often overlooked, parking is a serious concern. When a garage is previously converted to living space (with or without permitting) the driveway is not considered parking by Boulder. Rodwin Architecture points out a project to expand a house can stumble over this important item.
- Water. Quite often home owners add a bathroom or expand a kitchen. Doing so could require an upgrade to the water service from 3/4″ to one inch. If so? This seemingly easy fix adds $15,000 to $25,000 to a project quickly.
- Prior permits. This is a big deal according to the architects at Rodwin. If a previous seller pulled permits for work, but then failed inspection, those permits are considered failed and closed. If that is the case, it can first be necessary to get new permits just to remove the problem issues before starting the new project.