Northglenn home remodeling mostly means working on houses from one of the Front Range's earliest master-planned suburbs: Northglenn, in Adams County with a small portion in Weld County, was laid out by Perl-Mack starting in 1959, and much of its housing still dates from that first wave. This page covers how Northglenn's planned origins shaped its ranches and split-levels, who reviews remodels in the city, and the neighborhoods from the original filings to the newer homes at Karl's Farm.
A 1959 Plan That Still Defines the Houses
In the spring of 1959, the Perl-Mack company, led by builder Jordon Perlmutter, finalized plans for a pre-planned community in unincorporated Adams County, complete with parks, schools, churches and a shopping center at its core. The first five show homes opened on June 30, 1959, near what is now Interstate 25 and 104th Avenue, and more than 15,000 people came to see them. By October 1962 the community counted about 10,000 residents in 3,000 homes, and in the early 1960s Life magazine called it "the most perfectly planned community in America."
Incorporation took longer. Residents voted to incorporate in 1964, but a challenge from Thornton sent the question to the courts, and the City of Northglenn didn't officially incorporate until April 19, 1969. The houses were already there. Perl-Mack's Northglenn homes are largely single-story ranches and split-levels, many with brick exteriors, built through the 1960s.
Remodeling Homes Across Northglenn's Neighborhoods
The Original Perl-Mack Filings
Most of Northglenn is organized by the numbered filings Perl-Mack platted as it built. Their homes share a set of problems: kitchens closed off from living space, one or two small baths, original electrical service, and finishes old enough to require lead-safe work practices. A whole-home renovation of a Northglenn split-level often makes more sense than piecemeal projects, because the kitchen, the stair and the bathrooms in these plans sit within a few feet of each other.
Around Webster Lake and E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park
Some homes near Northglenn's central park look onto Webster Lake, an 11-acre manmade irrigation pond that predates the suburb by decades. The park was originally called Webster Park and was renamed in 1985. Houses here are part of the same 1960s fabric, so the work is similar, but owners with a view of the water often push for larger rear windows and a better connection to the yard.
Karl's Farm
One of Northglenn's newest neighborhoods occupies the former Karl's Farm Dairy, which operated from 1947 until 2012. The 66-acre site now holds townhomes, apartments and single-family homes from national builders, close to the Northglenn/112th commuter rail station. These are new houses. Remodeling here, when it comes, will be about finishing lower levels and replacing builder-grade surfaces.
Who Reviews a Northglenn Remodel
Northglenn's Building Division is run under contract by SAFEbuilt, which has provided the city's building services since 2009, from the Building Division office at 11701 Community Center Drive. Permits, plan review and inspections all go through that office. The city also treats its own drinking water: snowmelt carried by Clear Creek and stored in Standley Lake is treated at Northglenn's water treatment facility, so service-line and meter questions go to the city.
Ranch or Split-Level: Matching the Scope to the House
If you own a Perl-Mack ranch with a full basement
Then treat the basement as the expansion space and plan egress, ceiling height and duct routing first.
If you own a 1960s split-level
Then design the main level, stair and airflow together, since all three meet at the same walls.
If you're in a newer Karl's Farm home
Then check your community's design rules before any exterior change.
For nearby cities, see our pages on Thornton home remodeling, home of the 1950s planned town that once fought Northglenn's incorporation, and remodeling in Westminster. Our Boulder County and North Metro overview covers soils, radon and the regional permit picture.
Own one of Northglenn's original Perl-Mack homes and wondering what it could become? Talk with us about your Northglenn remodel