Home projects in Denver's Park Hill

Park Hill sits east of City Park, and it is one of the places where Denver's older housing is most intact. The Denver Public Library's neighborhood history traces it back to 1887, when Baron von Winckler platted the original development. Most of what you see today went up over the following half-century: red and buff brick bungalows, Denver Squares, Tudor Revival cottages with steep front gables, and, farther north and east, postwar brick ranches. Mature elms, ash and maples line the parkways.

That combination, solid masonry walls, small original kitchens and baths, basements and big old trees, drives most of the projects owners take on here.

Is Park Hill a historic district?

Not as a Denver landmark district. The city's official list of local landmark districts doesn't include a Park Hill district by name. That matters because local designation is what triggers Denver's design review: inside a local district, or on an individually designated landmark property, any exterior change that needs a permit, re-roofing included, requires Landmark Preservation review and a Certificate of Appropriateness first.

Don't confuse a neighborhood's historic reputation, or a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, with local designation. They don't by themselves add a design review step to your Denver permit. Individual landmarks exist all over the city, though, so look up your address on the city's development services map, which shows landmark status, before you assume either way.

Brick houses, old systems

Park Hill's brick bungalows and squares are durable, but the parts behind the brick are usually a century old or close to it:

• Wiring. Knob-and-tube or early cloth-insulated circuits still turn up in walls and attics. Kitchen and bath remodels almost always mean new circuits, so budget for an electrical permit and, often, a service upgrade if you're also adding a heat pump, induction range or EV charger.
• Plumbing. Galvanized supply lines and cast-iron drains are common. If you're remodeling a bath, replacing the supply lines while walls are open is cheaper than doing it later.
• Masonry. Tuckpointing failed mortar joints, rebuilding chimneys above the roofline, and fixing settled front porches are routine. Ask any mason whether they match the original mortar's hardness. Modern high-strength mortar can damage soft historic brick.

The sewer line is yours

The City and County of Denver says the sewer service line, or lateral, is the property owner's responsibility up to and including the tap into the city main. In a neighborhood with big street trees and clay or cast-iron laterals, root intrusion is a real risk. A sewer camera inspection before you finish a basement or add a bathroom is inexpensive, and it tells you whether a new drain will be tying into a line that's already failing.

On the water side, Denver Water replaces customer-owned lead service lines with copper at no direct charge through its Lead Reduction Program. If your house is old enough to have one, check before you pay to replace it yourself.

Trees, roots and rooflines

Park Hill's canopy is part of its value, but it complicates exterior projects. Big limbs over a roof increase hail and wind damage risk and keep shingles damp. Roots lift sidewalks and find their way into sewer laterals. Street trees in the public right-of-way are managed under the Office of the City Forester's rules, and the city issues street tree permits for work on them, so don't let a roofer or landscaper cut back a parkway tree without checking first.

Projects that fit Park Hill homes

Basement finishing. Many Park Hill houses have full or partial basements with low ceilings, small windows and a furnace in the middle. Finishing one means checking ceiling height, planning an egress window for any bedroom, testing for radon and deciding whether the old ductwork and water heater move.

Kitchen and bath remodels. Original kitchens in 1920s bungalows are small and often closed off. Opening to the dining room may require a beam. In postwar ranches, a second bathroom, often in the basement, is the common upgrade.

Window work. Original wood windows in brick openings can often be restored with new sash cords, weatherstripping and storm windows. Full replacement inserts are the alternative. On a designated landmark, window changes go through landmark review.

Heating and cooling. Older homes here frequently have a gas furnace or boiler and no central air, or a swamp cooler. Ductless or ducted cold-climate heat pumps are a practical way to add cooling without tearing up plaster.

Roofing after hail. Most homes have asphalt shingles. Tudor-style roofs are steep and cut up, which raises labor cost. Ask for a written scope that covers flashing at chimneys and dormers.

Planning the permit

All of Park Hill is inside the City and County of Denver, so permits come from Community Planning and Development through e-permits. Homeowners can pull their own permits on a single-family house they live in, subject to Denver's rules and, for trade work, homeowner exams. A licensed Denver contractor pulls permits for hired work. Read the citywide notes on our Denver page for the details.