Summit County Builders Association

5 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 High demand and sustainable mandates are hot-button topics Summit County is home to four major ski areas (Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Keystone), portions of the White River National Forest, some Bureau of Land Management lands, and two Congressionally- designated wilderness areas (Eagles Nest and Ptarmigan Peak). Approximately 80 percent of the land in the county is federal public land. All the ski areas are within a 30-mile radius. The demand for homes in Summit County is significant but so is the demand for renovations. Hogan explains that many second homeowners in the area elected to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms over the past two years as they spent more time in Summit County away from the “bustle” of their full-time home while working remotely. More recently a group homeowners have rebuilt homes in the region following a devastating string of wildfires near Boulder in December 2021. Besides the natural inflation that increased the cost of rebuilds because of more expensive supplies, recent statewide or local laws aimed at improving sustainability created building codes that required even more expensive builds. For example, the costs associated with certain types of window and insulation requirements have increased. Other mandates necessitate the use of photovoltaic solar panels and sustainable building materials. “We advocate for fair regulations even while supporting sustainability,” Hogan says. “Some of these mandates are issues we are looking at with our members. “ In some communities in Colorado builders and homeowners who add outdoor heated services around single-family and multi-family homes are charged fees. Hot tubs and such features as outdoor fireplaces, driveways and more make the building process more expensive. Hogan notes, “We advocate for simpler, streamlined approvals and permits and collaborate for cost effective