Service area Jefferson County
Golden home remodeling, from 12th Street Victorians to 1990s subdivisions
Golden has three local historic districts, and most of its houses were built before 2000, which gives remodels here a particular set of questions.
Golden within the Front Range service area
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Overview
Remodeling Golden homes
Remodeling For Less provides Golden home remodeling for owners who want a new kitchen, a better bathroom, a finished basement, a more open floor plan or a whole-home refresh. Golden is a small, largely built-out city, so almost every project here improves a house that already exists rather than replacing it.
Two things set Golden apart. Its historic districts put exterior changes in front of a review board, and a city housing study expects more remodeling requests from older residents who want to stay in their homes. Both come up below.
Areas and neighborhoods in Golden
- 12th Street Historic District
- 8th and 9th Street Historic District
- East Street Historic District
The housing
Golden's houses, oldest to newest
Golden began in 1859 as a supply town for the gold rush and served as the territorial capital from 1862 until 1867. Brickmaking was a major Golden industry for about a century, and its best-known brickworks supplied much of the brick for Denver's finer residences and buildings. A 2022 city housing study found that only about 15 percent of Golden's housing predates 1960. Just under a quarter has been built since 2000, mostly apartments.
The historic core
The 12th Street district holds some of the city's most intact homes built by pioneer entrepreneurs, including Victorian and Italianate designs. The 8th and 9th Street district began in 1859 as a blue-collar neighborhood near the brickworks and mills. East Street mixes merchants' homes and farmhouses with some of Golden's earliest postwar subdivision houses. Inside, these homes call for the careful work old houses always do: tired wiring, small kitchens and bathrooms squeezed into space that wasn't planned for them.
The decades that added a third of Golden's homes
About one-third of the city's housing units were built in the 1960s and 1970s, and the average single-family house in Golden dates to 1973. At fifty-plus years, original kitchens, bathrooms, windows and mechanical systems are often due if they haven't been replaced already. The city's housing study also notes that few Golden homes offer single-floor living, wide doorways or zero-step entries, features a growing number of older households will want.
Golden's strongest years for single-family homes
The housing study calls the 1980s and 1990s a strong period for single-family construction, with about a third of the city's single-family houses built then. The structure is younger here, so projects lean toward updates rather than repairs: a kitchen that has aged out, bathrooms with original fixtures, or a basement waiting to be finished.
Local factors
What a Golden remodel has to clear
Historic Preservation Board review
Most exterior alterations in the 8th and 9th Street, 12th Street and East Street districts, or to an individually designated site, need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board. The board meets on the second Wednesday of each month, and the city asks for a complete application four to six weeks ahead. Applications include drawings, material specifications and a context study of nearby buildings. The city's guidance focuses on exterior work, so confirm with staff how it applies to your plans.
What the Building Division exempts
Golden's permit guide exempts cabinet and countertop replacement, flooring, painting and plumbing fixture replacement in existing locations. Basement finishes and fireplaces, whether wood, pellet or gas, do need permits. Any licensed contractors on the job must be identified on the permit before it's issued. If you're unsure where your project falls, the Building Division will tell you before you start.
Aging in place and ADUs
Golden's 2022 housing study anticipates more permit requests from older households remodeling to stay in their homes, and notes that few existing houses offer single-floor living, wheelchair-width doorways or zero-step entrances. The same study notes that Golden allows accessory dwelling units on single-family and duplex lots. If you're weighing a basement or garage conversion for a family member, check the current ADU rules with the city first.
If this, then that
Where a Golden project tends to start
| If | Then |
|---|---|
| If your house is in one of the three historic districts and the plan touches the exterior | Then schedule the board's review before the building permit and design the addition or window change to the district guidelines. |
| If you want to stay in a 1960s or 1970s house as you get older | Then a reconfiguration that brings a full bath and bedroom to the main floor may matter more than new finishes. |
| If your kitchen and baths just look dated and the layout works | Then a refresh is likely, and the counters, cabinets, flooring and paint are on Golden's permit-exempt list. |
Services in Golden
What each service looks like in Golden
Four services line up with the houses and plans described above.
Bathroom remodeling
An accessible bathroom is one of the most practical aging-in-place projects: a curbless shower, blocking in the walls for grab bars, a comfort-height toilet and a door wide enough for a walker or wheelchair. In a split-level or two-story house, the bigger question is whether there's a full bath on the level where you'll live.
Kitchen remodeling
A kitchen update that keeps cabinets, sink and appliances in place can skip the permit for cabinet, countertop and fixture swaps. Moving the sink, adding circuits or changing a gas line is different work, and in a historic house a new window over the sink may need board review first.
Basement finishing
A basement finish needs a permit in Golden. Plan for moisture control, egress for any bedroom and headroom under ducts. If the space might become an ADU for a relative later, lay out plumbing and a separate entry with that in mind now.
Whole-home refresh
In the 1980s and 1990s homes, a whole-house refresh of floors, paint, trim, doors and lighting often does more than any single room remodel. Flooring and painting are on Golden's permit-exempt list.
Planning checklist
Before you remodel in Golden
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Questions
Remodeling questions from Golden homeowners
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Usually. Most exterior alterations in a historic district or to a designated site need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board. The compatibility application carries no fee, but it needs drawings, material specs and a context study. Plan on four to six weeks of lead time before the monthly meeting.
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No. The city's permit guide lists cabinet and countertop replacement, flooring, painting and plumbing fixture replacement in existing locations as exempt. Relocating plumbing, adding electrical circuits or making structural changes usually brings a permit back into the picture.
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Yes. Golden's permit guide lists fireplaces, whether wood, pellet or gas, among interior projects that require a permit. The same list includes basement finishes.
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The city's 2022 housing study says Golden allows ADUs with single-family and duplex homes. Rules on parking, size and occupancy can change, so check the current code with the city before designing a basement or garage conversion.
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Start with a full bath and a bedroom on the main level, a zero-step entry and wider doorways. Lever handles, curbless showers and blocking for grab bars are simpler additions. The city's housing study found few existing homes offer these features, so many owners will need some remodeling to get them.
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The bottom line
The bottom line
Golden is a built-out city of older houses with a strong preservation program and an aging population. That mix points many projects toward careful exterior work in the districts and practical, stay-put remodels everywhere else. Decide whether you need a refresh, a reconfiguration or a full remodel, and call [Phone] to talk through your Golden home.
Talk through your Golden project
Start with the room and what isn't working. The scope follows from there.
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