A square mile beside Sloan's Lake
Edgewater is one square mile of city on the west shore of Sloan's Lake, at about 5,380 feet, with roughly 5,100 residents. The housing is mostly 1900s–1950s bungalows and small brick ranches on narrow lots, and the blocks around the 25th Avenue business district, the Harlan Street corridor, and Edgewater Public Market are changing fast through scrape-and-rebuild and duplex infill.
The city publishes its numbers
Edgewater does something most metro cities do not: it posts its design criteria. Snow load is 40 psf, wind is 130 mph Ultimate at Exposure B, and frost depth is 36 inches, with a minimum footing depth of 36 inches below finished grade, all under the 2021 International codes and the 2020 NEC. We size every beam, post, and footing to those figures. The wind number matters most on a covered deck or patio cover, where uplift on the roof governs the connections, and the 36-inch footing is deeper than the 30-inch floor some neighboring jurisdictions accept. Having the criteria in writing makes plan review cleaner.
SAFEbuilt handles the counter
Permits go through the City of Edgewater's Building & Planning office, with building services contracted to SAFEbuilt since 2013 and plans also reviewed by West Metro Fire Rescue District. Zoning and setback questions go to the city's Planning & Development Manager. This is a city counter, not Jefferson County's. We confirm the setbacks, prepare drawings to the city's criteria, file, and run inspections through sign-off. Our permit guide covers the general process.
Narrow lots, close neighbors
A 1920s bungalow lot leaves little room, and the deck often has to thread between the house and the fence. We design from the actual setbacks and think about what the neighbors see: on a tight block the railing is most of the view, and slim aluminum or cable keeps a small deck from feeling boxed in. On new duplex builds the second-story deck is usually a structural project first — taller posts, engineered footings, code railing at height — and an outdoor room second.
Composite, because the weather is the same here
Hail, high-altitude UV, and freeze-thaw hit an Edgewater deck like anywhere on the Front Range, so we lead with capped composite — it holds color with a rinse instead of a stain, and we install it as a certified Trex, Deckorators, and TimberTech dealer. Where a homeowner wants real wood on a 1920s house, we say honestly what that costs in upkeep.
Repair or replace
Decks on Edgewater's older homes were often added long after the house, to whatever standard the builder knew. We inspect first. Sound framing earns a re-deck at $20–$35 per square foot; shallow footings, rot at the posts, or a nailed ledger get a replacement recommendation, in writing. The inspection is free.
Thirty-five minutes from Centennial
Edgewater is about thirty-five minutes from our Centennial shop, the same run we make to Lakewood and Wheat Ridge next door and to Denver's Sloan's Lake side. The drive shapes scheduling, not price or the warranty behind the work. Run the cost calculator for a planning range, then tell us what you are planning and we will come measure the lot.