Loveland home remodeling covers a city with an unusual mix: a historic downtown on East Fourth Street, older blocks around Lake Loveland, newer neighborhoods east toward Boyd Lake and I-25, and a public art collection that shapes how some homeowners want to live. Loveland sits in Larimer County along the Big Thompson River, south of Fort Collins. This page covers who reviews remodels inside city limits, what the city's historic survey can trigger, how its neighborhoods differ, and what Loveland Water and Power means for an electrical upgrade.
Permits and Historic Review in the City of Loveland
The City of Loveland's Building Division issues permits for additions and alterations inside city limits. Residential applications are submitted electronically, and the division reviews them on its own schedule, separate from Fort Collins or the county.
Historic review is the Loveland-specific wrinkle. The city keeps a Historic Preservation Survey, and a property identified in it gets extra attention when work is proposed through the Building Division. Partial demolition, full demolition and relocation permits go to the Historic Preservation Commission. For a designated landmark, exterior alterations need an Alteration Certificate from the Commission. "Partial demolition" can sound like it means nothing in a remodel. Removing a rear wall to add a kitchen bump-out may qualify, so ask before the plan is set.
Remodeling Homes Across Loveland's Neighborhoods
Loveland's housing gets newer as you move away from Fourth Street, and the remodeling problems change with it.
Downtown and the Original Blocks
The Downtown Loveland Historic District, listed on the National Register in 2015, centers on East Fourth Street and covers nine blocks of the original commercial district, including the Rialto Theater. The residential streets around it hold cottages, bungalows and early two-story homes, many with later additions. Expect lead paint in anything built before 1978 and framing that has been altered more than once.
Around Lake Loveland
The neighborhoods around Lake Loveland, in the middle of the city, are largely mid-to-late twentieth-century housing. Benson Sculpture Garden sits beside the lake. Here, remodels tend to focus on opening closed floor plans and replacing original kitchens and baths.
Boyd Lake, Centerra and the East Side
East Loveland, toward Boyd Lake State Park and the I-25 interchange at Highway 34, holds most of the city's newer construction, including the master-planned Centerra area and The Lakes at Centerra. These houses are structurally current. The work is usually builder-grade upgrades, HOA review for anything exterior, and basement finishing in Loveland homes whose lower levels were left unfinished.
Mariana Butte
On the west side, Mariana Butte is an established golf-course neighborhood along the Big Thompson River with foothill views. Some lots near the river may fall in a mapped floodplain, which is worth checking before planning an addition.
| Area | Housing character | First question |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown blocks | Early twentieth-century and older | Is it in the Historic Preservation Survey? |
| Lake Loveland | Mid-to-late twentieth century | Which walls are load-bearing? |
| Boyd Lake and Centerra | Newer, often master-planned | What does the HOA review? |
| Mariana Butte | Established golf-course homes | Is the lot in a floodplain? |
Designing Around Art in Sculpture City
Loveland's art scene is real infrastructure. Benson Sculpture Garden has displayed outdoor sculpture since 1985 and hosts the annual Sculpture in the Park show, and the city has a long history of bronze casting. Homeowners who collect tend to bring requirements most remodels ignore.
- Floor capacity for a heavy bronze or stone piece set on a wood-framed floor, which may need blocking, a beam or an engineer's review
- Solid blocking behind drywall wherever large framed work or wall-mounted sculpture will hang
- Adjustable accent lighting with high color rendering, planned before ceilings close
- Window placement and UV-filtering glass that keep direct sun off sensitive pieces
We'd rather plan a display wall in framing than patch one after paint. For a kitchen or living space built around a collection, see our approach to custom interior remodeling in Loveland.
Electrical Upgrades With Loveland Water and Power
Loveland Water and Power is the city's municipal utility for electric, water and wastewater service. An older Loveland home adding induction cooking, a heat pump or an EV charger may need a larger electrical service, and that involves the utility as well as the electrician. Call early, ask what the upgrade requires on the utility side, and ask about any current efficiency programs.
If your home is near downtown and the plan removes an exterior wall
Then confirm whether partial demolition review applies before finalizing the design.
If you're adding electric appliances to a mid-century house
Then run a load calculation and contact Loveland Water and Power during design.
If you live near the Big Thompson River
Then check the floodplain map before planning an addition.
For the regional view, see our guide to remodeling in Northern Colorado. Neighbors to the north work under different rules in Fort Collins, and the small historic downtown to the south is covered on our Berthoud page.
Planning a Loveland remodel around an older house, a new subdivision or a collection that needs the right wall? Start a conversation about your Loveland home