Service area Arapahoe County
Greenwood Village home remodeling for large lots and custom houses
Greenwood Village incorporated in 1950 specifically to control zoning and keep its rural feel. The result is big lots, custom homes and remodels that rarely look like anyone else's.
Greenwood Village within the Front Range service area
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Overview
Remodeling Greenwood Village homes
Remodeling For Less offers Greenwood Village home remodeling for the village's acreage properties and custom-built houses, including kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, basement finishing, open floor plans and whole-home refreshes. It suits owners of larger, individually designed homes who want updates that respect how the house was built.
The village sits in Arapahoe County south of Denver, and a 1967 annexation brought part of the Denver Tech Center inside its limits. Its residential character comes from a deliberate choice: residents voted in 1950 to incorporate so they could set their own zoning, and that decision still shapes lot sizes, house sizes and how remodels get reviewed.
Areas and neighborhoods in Greenwood Village
- Greenwood Hills
- Orchard Hills
The housing
How Greenwood Village's houses came to be
Before incorporation, the area held farms, dairies, orchards and summer country homes for Denver families. The founding zoning graduated density from west to east, allowing one home per three acres on the western side, one per five in the center and one per ten on the east. Commercial annexations came later, starting in 1967.
Early houses on large parcels
The first residential wave after 1950 was houses on acreage, some tied to small farms or horse properties, and horses still graze in pastures around the village today. Houses this old have often been added onto more than once, which can leave rooflines, floor heights and systems that don't line up. Remodeling them usually starts with sorting out which parts are original, which came later and whether the plumbing, wiring and heating can support a bigger kitchen or new baths.
Planned one-acre subdivisions
Greenwood Hills, announced in 1959 east of South Holly Street and north of East Orchard Road, sold one-acre sites and required homes of at least 1,400 square feet. Orchard Hills followed in 1962 as a 160-acre community of custom homes planned in six small villages, with several houses designed by Eugene Sternberg's firm and covenants setting a minimum house size. These homes often have distinctive architecture worth keeping, so remodels tend to update kitchens and baths inside a design that already works.
Larger houses where crops once grew
As the village matured, larger custom houses filled land that had been farms and dairies, and the city's own history notes that stately homes now stand where crops once grew. These houses tend to have generous rooms, big kitchens and finished or partly finished lower levels. The remodeling work here is less about finding space and more about updating dated finishes and lighting, reworking primary suites and bringing mechanical systems in line with how the house is actually lived in today.
Local factors
What Greenwood Village reviews, and why
Permits reach past the interior
Greenwood Village generally requires a permit for any new building, addition, alteration or repair, plus site improvements such as landscaping, fences and concrete work over 100 square feet. Most remodeling that touches structure, electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems needs a permit and inspections along the way. The city's residential submittal requirements include HOA approval for properties in an HOA-governed area, plus a South Metro Fire Rescue permit application where it applies. Permit questions go to the Community Development department.
Contractor license levels
The village licenses contractors by level. A Level B residential license covers detached single-family homes and alterations, plus the work allowed under Levels C and D. Level D is an individual trade license for items like framing, drywall, roofing or demolition, with a separate license needed for each activity. That distinction matters on a whole-house remodel, because the license should match the scope. Ask any contractor which Greenwood Village license they hold and confirm it covers everything in your plan before you sign.
Rural roots in the utilities
The village's own history recounts shallow wells, cisterns that caught roof runoff and residents expanding a septic system as late as 1995, and one family describes selling land partly to tap into Tech Center water. On older acreage parcels, confirm how water, waste and gas reach the house before planning a new bathroom or a bigger kitchen. The answer can change where fixtures go and how much capacity is available, and it's much easier to learn before design than after the walls are open.
If this, then that
Where a Greenwood Village project usually starts
| If | Then |
|---|---|
| If your house has been added onto over several decades | Then a full remodel of the affected rooms may be simpler than piecemeal fixes, since systems and floor heights often don't match. |
| If your home is an architect-designed 1960s house | Then a reconfiguration inside the existing design usually protects what makes it distinctive. |
| If your subdivision has an HOA | Then get association approval lined up alongside the city permit, since the city's submittal requirements list it. |
Services in Greenwood Village
Remodeling larger homes in Greenwood Village
In a village of large, individually built houses, these three services come up most.
Kitchen remodeling
Kitchens in Greenwood Village's larger homes are often big enough already, so kitchen remodeling here tends to focus on layout, storage, lighting and appliances. Professional-style ranges and big hoods raise questions about gas capacity, electrical service and makeup air, so confirm those requirements with the city early in design. High-altitude adjustment for gas appliances is worth checking too.
Bathroom remodeling
Owners often remodel a primary bath into a larger suite, sometimes borrowing space from a closet or adjoining bedroom. In houses with long plumbing runs, hot water can take a while to arrive, so a recirculation line or a relocated water heater may be part of the plan. On older acreage homes, confirm septic or sewer capacity before adding fixtures.
Whole-home refresh
Big houses make piecemeal updates obvious, since one new room shows how dated the rest looks. A whole-home refresh replaces flooring, paint, trim, interior doors and lighting across the house in one plan, which keeps materials consistent from room to room and avoids the patchwork look of several small projects done years apart by different crews.
Planning checklist
Before you remodel in Greenwood Village
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Questions
Remodeling questions from Greenwood Village homeowners
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The village generally requires permits for new buildings, additions, alterations and repairs, plus site work like landscaping and larger concrete pours. Painting, floor coverings and kitchen cabinet installation usually don't need one, though plumbing may. Most remodeling that touches structure, electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems needs a permit and inspections. Call Community Development if you're unsure whether a specific item on your list is covered.
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If your property is in an HOA-governed area, the city's residential submittal requirements list HOA approval among the additional approvals. Interior-only projects may be treated differently by your association, so read your covenants and ask the HOA directly. Starting both processes together keeps the schedule moving and avoids redesign later.
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For a single-family home, the relevant license is Level B, which covers detached single-family residential buildings and alterations, along with the work allowed under Levels C and D. Level D covers individual trades, one license per activity. For a remodel with structural changes and several trades, confirm your contractor's license covers the full scope.
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Residents incorporated in 1950 mainly to control zoning. The early rules set densities from one home per three acres on the west side to one per ten on the east, and later subdivisions like Greenwood Hills sold one-acre sites. That history is why so many homes sit on big parcels today.
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Often, yes. Orchard Hills was planned as custom homes, and architect Eugene Sternberg's firm designed several of them. If your house has original design character, a remodel that updates kitchens, baths and systems inside that design usually serves it better than one that erases it. Check covenants before exterior changes.
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The bottom line
The bottom line
Greenwood Village homes are large, varied and often shaped by decades of additions, so the right remodel starts with understanding the house and the approvals around it. Confirm your contractor's license level, line up HOA approval and check how utilities reach the house. Then choose a refresh, a reconfiguration or a full remodel. Call [Phone] to talk through your Greenwood Village home.
Talk through your Greenwood Village project
Start with the room and what isn't working. The scope follows from there.
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