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LOUISVILLE SERVICES
Second-Story Addition in Louisville
Licensed second-story addition services for Louisville and Boulder County. Double your living space without moving.
What Louisville requires
Code/municipal code sections: Louisville Municipal Code Chapter 15 (Buildings and Construction), which incorporates the 2024 ICC codes (IBC, IRC, IECC, IEBC, etc., effective December 6, 2025) with local amendments via Ordinance 2025-1907 (No. 1907-2025). Ord. 2025-1907
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Local Service
Second-Story Addition Services in Louisville, Colorado
Autotelic provides professional second-story addition services throughout Louisville and the surrounding Boulder County area. Full second-story additions across the Denver metro with structural engineering, framing, roofing, and complete interior build-out. Commercially licensed and insured. Whether you're in Louisville (between Denver and Boulder) or nearby communities, our team delivers quality workmanship backed by Colorado licensing and full insurance coverage.
Permit Thresholds
Louisville permit thresholds
- Code/municipal code sections
- Louisville Municipal Code Chapter 15 (Buildings and Construction), which incorporates the 2024 ICC codes (IBC, IRC, IECC, IEBC, etc., effective December 6, 2025) with local amendments via Ordinance 2025-1907 (No. 1907-2025).Ord. 2025-1907
- Building permit fee follows a progressive table (e.g., $0–$500
- $28; higher brackets up to $1M+ with per-$1,000 increments; exact amounts per the published schedule).
- Plan review (in-house)
- 65% of the building fee.
- Boulder County Use Tax
- 1.185% of 50% of Total Valuation.
- City of Louisville Use Tax
- 3.775% of 50% of Total Valuation.
- Code reference
- Impact fees may apply for additions or remodels increasing finished floor area over 500 sq ft (per category tables; first 500 sq ft often exempt).
Codes are amended regularly — verify current requirements with **The City of Louisville, Colorado’s Building Safety Division (part of the city government) issues residential building permits.
Zoning & ADU
Louisville zoning & ADU quick facts
- R-L — Minimum Lot Area
- 7000 sfR-L
- R-L — Minimum Lot Width
- 70'R-L
- R-L — Front Setback (min)
- 25'R-L
- R-L — Side Interior Setback (min)
- 7'R-L
- R-L — Side Setback Abutting Street (min)
- 25'R-L
- R-L — Rear Setback (min)
- 25'R-L
- R-L — Lot Coverage (max)
- 30%R-L
- R-L — Building Height (max)
- 35'R-L
Codes are amended regularly — verify current requirements with **The City of Louisville, Colorado’s Building Safety Division (part of the city government) issues residential building permits.
The build sequence for a Second-Story Addition project
This service is a component of How a Home remodel project works in Louisville.
Energy Code
Louisville energy code quick facts
- Code reference
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), effective December 6, 2025 (adopted via the City of Louisville’s 2024 ICC Code Adoption ordinance), along with the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code (also effective 12/6/25).
- Code reference
- Louisville is in Climate Zone 5B.
- Code reference
- The 2024 IECC (with the model ready codes) applies to new construction and, via Chapter 5 [RE], to additions, alterations, and remodels involving the building thermal envelope.
- Code reference
- Key prescriptive requirements relevant to remodels/additions (drawn from 2024 IECC Table R402.1.2 and related sections for CZ 5 / 5B; additions must meet these for new envelope areas or the whole-building UA alternative):
- Ceiling/attic insulation
- Maximum assembly U-factor 0.026 (2024 IECC Table R402.1.2).
- Wood-frame wall insulation
- Maximum assembly U-factor 0.045 (or equivalent prescriptive R-value combinations such as R-20 + R-5ci or R-13 + R-10ci; note R408 tradeoffs may allow reduced wall performance with additional measures) (2024 IECC Table R402.1.2 and R408).
- Vertical fenestration (windows/doors)
- Maximum U-factor 0.28 (2024 IECC Table R402.1.2).
- Skylights
- Maximum U-factor 0.50 (2024 IECC Table R402.1.2).
Codes are amended regularly — verify current requirements with **The City of Louisville, Colorado’s Building Safety Division (part of the city government) issues residential building permits.
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What a second-story addition covers
A second-story addition in the Denver metro adds habitable floor over an existing house: new floor structure, stairs, roof, windows, and usually electrical, mechanical, and plumbing. The existing foundation and walls have to carry the extra load. A municipally licensed Denver general contractor coordinates the project, design professionals, and licensed specialty trades. Cost is project-specific and depends on structure, roof, and how much of the first floor is opened.
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Structure and zoning height
City and County of Denver Community Planning and Development treats second-story additions as structural review items that exceed IRC prescriptive limits. The residential permitting guide asks for a letter of structural integrity sealed by a design professional who personally inspected the existing foundation and building (DBCA 133.3). Zoning height is measured in feet and stories from the front and rear base planes (Denver Zoning Code Sec. 13.1.2). Plans should show allowed versus proposed height.
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Permits and who coordinates the work
Additions typically need zoning, building, and Sewer Use and Drainage (SUDP) reviews, plus electrical, mechanical, and plumbing when those systems change. Denver Energy Code Chapter 5 [RE] applies to additions. Cities and counties license general contractors. Colorado has no statewide general contractor license. Autotelic acts as a municipally licensed Denver general contractor and coordinates licensed specialty trades plus the design professionals required for the project.
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What buyers should prepare
Target rooms, existing drawings if any, roof and attic photos, and known foundation concerns.
FAQ
Common questions
Do second-story additions need a Denver permit?
Yes. CPD requires building, zoning, and typically SUDP, with structural review because the work exceeds IRC prescriptive limits.
Who handles second-story permits and licensing?
A municipally licensed Denver general contractor coordinates the project, design professionals, and specialty trades. Colorado has no statewide general contractor license.
Can the existing foundation take a second story?
Only after a design professional inspects it. CPD asks for a sealed structural-integrity letter for second-story additions.
How is height measured?
In feet and stories from the zoning front and rear base planes, not just from the sidewalk.
What information helps define scope?
Desired rooms, existing drawings, foundation notes, landmark status, and city or county.
Service Area
Serving Louisville and Boulder County
We serve Louisville, CO and all surrounding Denver metro communities. Our team is based in Denver and operates throughout the Front Range, from Castle Rock to Longmont and everywhere in between. Contact us for a free estimate on your Louisville project.
How It Runs
01
Survey
02
Design
03
Build
04
Verify
DESIGN SERVICES
Discovery & Site Analysis
Needs + preference programming, site survey, as-built documentation, feasibility.
We walk, measure, and photograph your property — existing conditions, utilities, structure, and constraints. You get the as-built documentation and feasibility read that every later decision rests on.
Learn more →Concept Design & Space Planning
Schematic design, floor plan studies, layout options.
Your scope becomes schematic floor plans you can compare side by side — circulation, daylight, adjacencies, and what each option does to the budget. Layout decisions happen on paper, where changes are cheap.
Learn more →Architectural Design & 3D Renderings
Design development, materials + finishes, photorealistic visualization.
The chosen concept resolves into materials, finishes, fixtures, and lighting — with the automation layer drawn in. Photorealistic renderings let you walk the space and adjust before anything is priced.
Learn more →Construction Documents & Permitting
Full CD sets, structural + MEP engineering coordination, permit-ready drawings.
Approved designs become coordinated architectural, structural, and MEP sheets — the set your jurisdiction permits from and trades build from. We submit, track, and answer review comments.
Learn more →CONSTRUCTION
New Construction & Custom Homes
Ground-up homes and light commercial, dirt to keys.
Ground-up residential and light commercial builds — foundations through finishes, including modular and steel construction. One accountable builder from dirt to keys.
Learn more →Remodels & Additions
Kitchens, baths, basements, pop-tops, whole-home.
Kitchens, baths, basements, pop-tops, and whole-home renovations that respect the house you already have. We handle structure, permits, and the dust.
Learn more →Commercial Tenant Finish & Build-Outs
Shells to working spaces — retail, office, restaurant, school.
Raw shells become working spaces — showrooms, offices, restaurants, schools. Dealer-spec finishes, code compliance, and opening dates held.
Learn more →ADUs & Modular Construction
Backyard cottages, garage conversions, factory-built homes.
Backyard cottages, garage conversions, and factory-built homes — zoning, design, permits, and set. Denver’s ADU rules are a specialty, not a surprise.
Learn more →Outdoor Living & Patio Structures
Decks, pergolas, and dining patios built for Colorado weather.
Decks, pergolas, and dining patios engineered for Colorado sun, snow, and hail — structure, shade, and drainage done right the first time.
Learn more →TECHNOLOGY
Smart Home Automation
Lighting, shades, climate, audio, security — one interface.
Whole-home control of lighting, shades, climate, audio, and security from a single interface — Crestron, Lutron, Savant, and Control4 designed in, not bolted on.
Learn more →A/V Systems
Theaters, distributed audio, video walls, commercial sound.
Theaters, distributed audio, video walls, and commercial sound — designed, installed, and tuned by the same team for over 20 years.
Learn more →Control Systems
Custom programming — scenes and schedules that fit the space.
Every subsystem brought into one elegant interface — custom programming for homes and venues, with scenes and schedules that match how the space is actually used.
Learn more →Networking & Edge Compute
Enterprise Wi-Fi, structured cabling, racks, on-prem compute.
Enterprise-grade Wi-Fi, structured cabling, racks, and on-premise compute — the backbone that makes everything else reliable, including our own Barbot platform.
Learn more →Solar & Energy Storage
Solar arrays, Tesla Powerwall, EV charging — certified install.
Solar arrays, Tesla Powerwall, and EV charging designed and installed by a Tesla Energy Certified team — roof, electrical, and app in one scope.
Learn more →Let's design your perfect Second-Story Addition together
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