Full rear elevation of a completed second-storey pop-top addition on the Front Range
Edgewater, Colorado · Design-Build

Edgewater additions, pop-tops and whole-home remodels.

Design-build in Edgewater — additions, second storeys, whole-home remodels and structural work on some of the tightest residential lots in the metro.

Edgewater, Colorado

In Edgewater the lot decides the project. Twenty-five feet wide changes everything.

Edgewater’s own zoning record cites 25-foot and 50-foot lot configurations as its common conditions. On a 25-foot lot, setbacks consume a large share of the width before a single wall is drawn, and the practical route to more space is usually up rather than out. That is a different design problem from the one a suburban lot presents, and it needs solving on paper first.

Lot geometry25-foot and 50-foot lots are the normEdgewater’s official rewrite record cites common 25-foot and 50-foot lot configurations. On a 25-foot lot the side setbacks take a large proportion of the buildable width, which is why so many Edgewater projects end up as second storeys, pop-tops and vertical additions rather than rear extensions. Establishing the buildable envelope is step one here, not step three.
Residential code2021 IRC, effective September 2023Edgewater adopted the 2021 International Residential Code under Ordinance 2023-08, effective 1 September 2023. That is one cycle behind neighbouring Denver, Wheat Ridge and Arvada. Edgewater is small and its boundaries are close — confirming which jurisdiction a lot is actually in is worth doing before design, not after.
Plan reviewContracted to a third party since 2013Edgewater’s building division has been contracted to SAFEbuilt since 2013, so plan review runs through an outside firm rather than city staff. It works, but it means submittal completeness matters more than usual — there is no counter conversation to smooth over a gap in a set.
Accessory dwelling unitsNo published local standard — the state floor appliesWe could find no published Edgewater ADU standards. The city’s zoning rewrite explicitly names ADUs as a goal and runs through the fourth quarter of 2026. Edgewater is a subject jurisdiction under Colorado HB24-1152, so the state floor applies regardless: one ADU where single-unit detached homes are allowed, administrative approval with no public hearing, objective standards only, no permanent owner-occupancy, generally no new parking requirement, and 500 to 750 square feet must be allowed.

Verified against official City of Edgewater and Colorado Department of Local Affairs sources as of August 2026. Code editions and ADU rules change, and several Front Range jurisdictions are mid-revision right now. Treat this as the starting point for your project, not as legal advice, and confirm the current standard with Edgewater Community Development before you commit to a design. We do that on every job as a matter of course.

Straight Answers

Edgewater questions we get asked.

My Edgewater lot is only 25 feet wide. What can I actually build?

Usually upward. Edgewater’s own zoning record cites 25-foot and 50-foot lots as its common configurations, and on a 25-foot lot the side setbacks take a large share of the buildable width before anything is drawn. That is why second storeys, pop-tops and vertical additions are the common answer here rather than rear extensions. The right first step is establishing the buildable envelope, then designing inside it.

Can I build an ADU in Edgewater?

The state floor applies, but there is no published local standard we could verify. Edgewater’s zoning rewrite explicitly names ADUs as a goal and runs through the fourth quarter of 2026. In the meantime Edgewater is a subject jurisdiction under Colorado HB24-1152, which requires one ADU to be allowed where single-unit detached homes are allowed, approved administratively with no public hearing on objective standards, with no permanent owner-occupancy requirement, generally no new parking space, and 500 to 750 square feet permitted. We confirm the current local process with the city before designing one.

Who reviews my Edgewater plans?

A third party. Edgewater’s building division has been contracted to SAFEbuilt since 2013, so plan review runs through an outside firm rather than city staff. It works well, but submittal completeness matters more than usual because there is no counter conversation to close a gap in a set. We submit complete.

Rear elevation of a completed pop-top addition on the Front Range
Start Yours

Bring us the house you already love.

We will look at what is standing, what your lot width actually allows and what Edgewater requires — then tell you honestly what it takes. It starts with a short phone consult, not a sales visit.

Prefer to talk now? Call (720) 637-2060

Get your free project estimate

A few quick questions on our secure estimate page — about 2 minutes. We call you back the same business day to talk it through.

Start My Free Estimate