Firestone home remodeling happens in a town that has grown more than eightfold in two decades: Firestone, in southwestern Weld County's Carbon Valley, grew from fewer than 2,000 residents in 2000 to more than 16,000 in 2020. This page covers how permits and inspections work in Firestone, why oil and gas infrastructure belongs in the planning for any project that involves digging, and what homeowners in Barefoot Lakes, Booth Farms, Saddleback and Oak Meadows tend to remodel.
A 1908 Mining Town Rebuilt by Subdivisions
Firestone incorporated on October 8, 1908, and takes its name from Jacob Firestone, the Ohio landowner behind the Firestone Coal and Land Company, who never lived in the town. For most of the twentieth century it stayed small. Then the subdivisions arrived, and between 2000 and 2010 the population grew by more than 400 percent, followed by another 61 percent by 2020. The result is a town where nearly every house is young and the remodel questions are about finish, function and the space the builder left unfinished.
How Permits and Inspections Work in Firestone
Firestone splits the work between town staff and a contractor. The Town of Firestone Building Division, part of Planning and Development, reviews plans and issues permits with its own staff, while building inspections are performed by SAFEbuilt Colorado under contract to the town. Applications go through the town's online portal. A permit is required to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, which covers most remodels beyond cosmetic work.
Oil, Gas and Digging Safely in Firestone
Firestone sits in an active oil and gas area, and the town carries a hard lesson. On April 17, 2017, a house in the Oak Meadows subdivision exploded after gas leaked from a severed, abandoned flowline connected to a nearby well. Two men died. The tragedy prompted statewide flowline inspections and later legislation tightening flowline rules.
Remodeling Homes Across Firestone's Neighborhoods
- Oak Meadows, one of the established subdivisions of the town's growth years
- Saddleback, a group of planned subdivisions including Saddleback Heights
- Booth Farms, a family neighborhood with parks and a community pool
- Barefoot Lakes, a master-planned community under construction since 2016 with multiple builders and lakes at its center
| Factor | Homes from the 2000s growth years | Homes built since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Common first project | Kitchen and primary bath updates | Basement finishing, custom storage |
| Equipment age | The builder-installed water heater and furnace may be near replacement | Usually original and serviceable |
| Exterior review | HOA covenants where they apply | Active HOA or metro district design review |
In homes from the town's first growth wave, kitchen remodeling in Firestone usually means replacing builder-grade cabinets and counters and correcting islands sized for a show home, not a family. The primary bath is often next, and bathroom remodeling in Firestone is the moment to replace a builder tub with the larger walk-in shower many owners prefer. In Barefoot Lakes, where homes are newer, owners more often wait and finish the lower level first.
Firestone's Carbon Valley neighbor is covered on our Frederick home remodeling page, including the area's coal-mine subsidence history, and to the west is remodeling in Longmont. For radon and the regional permit picture, see our Boulder County and North Metro overview.
Living in one of Firestone's newer neighborhoods and ready to make the house fit? Talk with us about your Firestone remodel