Local factors at a glance
- County
- Arapahoe County
- Typical housing
- Mid-century ranches on large lots alongside newer large custom homes, many built as replacements
- Landscape
- Mature trees, extensive lawns and irrigation, with some properties near the Highline Canal or Little Dry Creek
- Common features
- Finished basements, wine rooms, multiple HVAC systems, guest houses and sometimes barns
- Permits
- Ask the City of Cherry Hills Village whether rebuild work after remediation needs a permit
Two kinds of houses, two kinds of problems
Older homes here tend to be ranches and split designs from the decades after the city's early growth, often with partial basements, crawlspaces under additions and original windows or plumbing that may have been updated piecemeal. Mold in these houses commonly traces to aging supply lines, foundation seepage on a wall facing a lawn, or a crawlspace with a deteriorated ground liner.
Newer custom homes bring a different set of risks. They are larger and more complex, with expansive finished lower levels, wine rooms, steam showers, wet bars and several mechanical systems. Their roofs have more valleys and transitions, and their exteriors often use stucco or stone veneer. Problems are less often old pipes and more often a detail that was not built right or a system that stopped being maintained.
Both types share the landscape. Large irrigated lawns and beds put a lot of water near foundations through the summer, and mature trees drop leaves and needles that clog gutters and window wells each fall. Properties near the Highline Canal or along drainage ways may see wetter soil in spots, so pay attention to the low side of the lot.
Where to look first, by house type
- House type
- Mid-century ranch
- First places to check
- Crawlspace, basement walls facing the lawn, original bathrooms
- Typical source
- Seepage, aging plumbing, torn vapor barrier
- House type
- Large newer custom home
- First places to check
- Wine room, wet bar, steam shower, attic above complex roof sections
- Typical source
- Condensate lines, failed waterproofing, air leaks to the attic
- House type
- Any home with outbuildings
- First places to check
- Guest house bath, pool house, tack room
- Typical source
- Leaks that go unnoticed in rarely used buildings
- House type
- Remodeled older home
- First places to check
- Joints between the original house and additions
- Typical source
- Flashing and grading where old meets new
Questions specific to Cherry Hills Village properties
- Does the contractor regularly work in Cherry Hills Village and understand access arrangements on gated or long-drive properties?
- Can the contractor coordinate with house staff or a property manager if the owners are away?
- Will the inspection include outbuildings on the property, not just the main house?
- How will containment account for multiple HVAC systems?
- Does any rebuild need a permit from the City of Cherry Hills Village, and who will pull it?
General information for Cherry Hills Village, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.