Building Mountain Dream Homes: A Labor of Love

Posted On Friday, 10 January 2025 16:44
Building Mountain Dream Homes: A Labor of Love Image source: unisonbuilds.com

The Rocky Mountains are home for many of us, including my family. Breathtaking views, low-oxygen air, access to nature and privacy. For flatlanders wanting to move into the hills, how hard is it to build a mountain dream home? How expensive?  The answer is it can be hard and expensive. Let’s review the challenges and understand their impact on construction costs.

The first challenge is slope. Nearly all homes in America are built on relatively flat parcels. Nearly all mountain homes are built on steep terrain. This usually requires significant earth moving. Next is geology. Some land in the Rockies is rocky. Imagine that! Dynamite is required on about one in ten of our projects.  Some properties have the opposite problem: silty and muddy soil. About one in three projects require highly technical concrete foundation designs. These keep your home forever anchored on its hillside.

Most mountain projects require costly foundation walls, retaining walls, and drainage systems. About one in four projects will need to import or export significant amounts of material.  The next challenge in the mountains is the shorter building season. In more populated Colorado towns we build all year. In the mountains, December through April can be brutal. Snowy weather and colder temperatures slow – and often stop – work during these months. This window requires us to be efficient in project management and planning, as every gorgeous day counts.

The next item is snow and wind loads. Some of our jobs are on or near mountaintops, where winter storm winds can exceed 100 miles per hour. Snow loads can be extreme. Your home must be designed to achieve its fundamental purpose: safe shelter. Achieving this requires the best possible insulation, high quality windows and doors, and structural support to carry the weight and withstand the wind. We usually build exterior walls thicker above 7,000 feet, to obtain a higher R-value. It saves money in the long run, but costs slightly more to construct.

Utilities are also an issue for most mountain homes projects, especially if your home is on acreage. You will have access to electricity, but probably nothing else. We therefore need to drill for water, install septic system (“OWTS”) for sewage, and install a propane system for cooking and heating.  I prefer propane because I like to cook and grill. Propane contains 244% more energy compared to natural gas. It is like cooking at a restaurant. Unfortunately, it is about 50% more expensive and requires delivery of fuel once or twice a year.

Forest fires are Colorado’s only serious natural disaster risk. A mountain home must be built with non-combustible exterior products like stone, stucco, metal panels, porcelain tile, and fiber-cement siding.  Roof designs are also more complicated. More steeply pitched roofs are often recommended to facilitate snow and ice shedding.

All told, these items make mountain construction more costly. Construction costs per foot in 2024 ranged from $325 per foot to $490 per foot depending upon the level of finishes and luxury. This number is higher in resort towns and in areas more than one hour driving distance from a metro area like Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, or Ft. Collins. Those numbers, while high, are still good news. With gorgeous, new mountain homes usually selling for more than that, your investment often pays off even before you move into your dream home if you design and build a great house.

A  Mountain Home Builder's musing on the challenges with mountain building and living.

 

Unison Builds

25188 Genesee Trail Road, Suite 140

Golden, CO 80401

 

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