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Buyers of new construction homes in the Denver metro ask for five things before anything else: a roof and exterior built for hail and high-altitude sun, a basement that is radon-ready and expansion-proof, an HVAC and smart-home package sized for 5,280 feet, a floor plan with a real work-from-home room, and a clear number for the metro-district tax bill. This guide explains each one in Colorado terms, with prices, so you know what to ask the builder and what to walk away from.
What does a new construction home cost in the Denver metro?
Attached new construction (townhomes and paired homes) in Aurora, Thornton, Commerce City and Parker sells from $400,000 to $550,000. Detached new homes in the same cities start in the mid $500,000s and run to $850,000 for a 3,000 square foot two-story with a three-car garage. Castle Rock, Castle Pines and Lone Tree new homes run $700,000 to $1.5 million. Northern Colorado new construction in Windsor, Johnstown and Frederick starts $80,000 to $120,000 below the equivalent Denver-metro home.
Builders quote a base price, then add a lot premium ($5,000 to $60,000 for walkouts and views), design-center upgrades and the metro-district mill levy. Ask for the total, not the base. The new construction homes by area page lists active communities city by city with current base prices.
Feature 1: A roof and exterior built for hail and altitude
The Front Range sits in the part of the country insurers call Hail Alley. Hail season runs May to September, and a single storm in Arapahoe or Douglas County damages thousands of roofs. Colorado buyers ask three questions about a new roof:
- Is it a Class 4 impact-resistant shingle? Class 4 is the highest UL 2218 impact rating. Colorado insurers give a premium discount of 5% to 30% for it. The upgrade from a standard architectural shingle costs $1,500 to $4,000 on a 2,500 square foot home and pays for itself in premiums within four to six years.
- What is the warranty on the roof? One to two years on workmanship from the builder; hail is excluded. Insurance, not the warranty, covers hail.
- What is on the south and west walls? UV at 5,280 feet is 25% stronger than at sea level. Vinyl siding fades and cracks; fiber cement (James Hardie) and stucco hold up. Buyers now ask for fiber cement or stone on the sun-facing walls and factory-finished paint with a 15-year fade warranty.
Ask the builder for the shingle brand and class in writing. Read the full roof section in Roof Replacement in Colorado: Costs, Lifespan, and Best Materials before you sign the purchase agreement.
Feature 2: A basement that is radon-ready and built for clay
Most of the Colorado Front Range is in EPA Radon Zone 1, the highest-potential zone. Roughly half of Colorado homes test above the EPA action level of 4.0 picocuries per liter. Colorado buyers now expect a passive radon rough-in (a sealed pipe from under the slab through the roof) in every new home. Converting a passive system to an active one with a fan costs $400 to $900. Retrofitting a home with no rough-in costs $1,200 to $2,500.
Test the home after closing even if the builder says it is mitigated: $15 to $30 for a kit, $150 to $250 for a professional test.
The second basement question is soil. Expansive bentonite clay under Denver, Aurora, Parker, Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and it moves foundations. Builders in these counties pull a soils report for every lot and build to it. Ask which of these the home uses:
- Post-tension slab. Steel cables inside the slab keep it in one piece as the soil moves. Standard in Douglas and Arapahoe counties.
- Structural wood floor over a crawl space. The floor hangs from the foundation walls with a void underneath so the clay swells into air, not into your floor. Common in Castle Rock and Parker.
- Drilled piers (caissons). Concrete columns down to bedrock or stable soil. Used on the worst lots.
Keep the soil sloped away from the foundation, sprinklers 5 feet from the walls and downspouts extended 5 feet. Most foundation claims in the first five years trace back to a flower bed watered against the house.
Feature 3: HVAC and smart-home systems sized for 5,280 feet
Gas furnaces lose about 4% of their rated output for every 1,000 feet of elevation, so a furnace sized for Kansas City is 20% short in Denver. Ask for the Manual J load calculation and confirm the furnace and air conditioner were sized from it.
Denver now sees 30 to 50 days above 90 degrees each summer. Central air conditioning is standard in new construction across the metro; a heat pump that heats and cools is the growing choice because Xcel Energy rebates cover part of the cost and Colorado's 2021-based model energy code requires new homes to be electric-ready and solar-ready. Buyers ask for:
- A two-stage or variable-speed furnace of 95% AFUE or better. Xcel gas rates rise every winter; efficiency is a monthly bill, not a slogan.
- A 16 SEER2 or better air conditioner, or a cold-climate heat pump. Heat pumps rated for minus 5 degrees handle a Front Range winter with a gas or electric backup for the ten coldest nights.
- A smart thermostat, smart garage door, video doorbell and a wired-in security panel. Most Denver-area builders include a base package; the design center adds cameras, lighting scenes and smart locks for $1,500 to $6,000.
- A 240-volt outlet in the garage and a solar-ready conduit to the roof. Both are required in most Front Range jurisdictions on permits issued after 2023. Confirm they are in your plan, not just the code.
Read the Denver utility providers and costs guide for what an Xcel bill looks like in a 2,500 square foot new home.
Feature 4: A floor plan with a real office and a flex room
The Denver metro has one of the highest shares of remote and hybrid workers in the country, and buyers ask for a room with a door on the main level, not a loft alcove. Nearly every Front Range plan built since 2021 offers a main-floor study and a flex room upstairs.
What Colorado buyers ask for in the plan itself:
- Main-floor primary suite or a ranch plan. Ranch plans sell fastest to the downsizing buyer and cost $30,000 to $80,000 more than a two-story of the same square footage because the foundation and roof are larger. See New Construction Ranch Homes Colorado: Builders and Communities.
- A covered outdoor room. With 300 days of sun and UV that burns in 15 minutes at altitude, a covered patio is used more than an open deck. Builders price a covered patio at $8,000 to $20,000.
- A three-car or tandem garage. Skis, bikes, a trailer and a second car do not fit in two bays. Three-car garages add $12,000 to $25,000 and hold their value at resale.
Feature 5: An unfinished basement, and clear metro-district math
A full unfinished basement is standard in Front Range detached new construction and adds 800 to 1,500 square feet. Builders quote $60,000 to $120,000 to finish it before closing and roll it into the loan; a contractor after closing charges $40 to $80 per square foot. See what buyers want in that space in What Colorado Homebuyers Want in a Finished Basement.
The feature buyers ask about most, once they have bought one new home, is the metro district. Nearly every new community in Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas and Weld counties sits inside a Title 32 metropolitan district, a taxing entity the developer created to pay for streets, water lines and parks. The district adds 30 to 70 mills to your property tax bill on top of county, city and fire district mills.
| Home price | Property tax without a metro district | Property tax with a 50-mill metro district |
|---|---|---|
| $550,000 | $2,700 to $3,300 per year | $4,500 to $5,300 per year |
| $750,000 | $3,700 to $4,500 per year | $6,100 to $7,200 per year |
| $1,000,000 | $4,900 to $6,000 per year | $8,200 to $9,600 per year |
These are ranges based on 2025 residential assessment rates and typical Front Range mill levies; the exact bill depends on the county and the district's debt. Ask the builder for the district's service plan and current total mill levy in writing, and read the Denver special district and metro district tax guide before you write an offer.
What warranty comes with a Colorado new construction home?
The standard Colorado builder warranty is 1-2-10: one year on workmanship and materials, two years on plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems, and ten years on major structural components. Read the structural definition; it covers load-bearing failure, not drywall cracks or nail pops. Most builders schedule a walk-through at 30 days and 11 months. Put every item in writing at the 11-month walk, because the one-year warranty ends the next month.
Keep your soils report, grading certificate and every warranty email in one folder.
Do you need your own agent for new construction in Colorado?
Yes. The sales counselor in the model home works for the builder. The builder pays your agent from its marketing budget, and the base price does not drop when you walk in alone. Register your agent on your first visit; most builders will not add one later. The details are in Do You Need a Buyer's Agent for New Construction in Colorado? and Best Agent for New Construction Home Buyers in Colorado.
How do you finance a new construction home in Colorado?
Builders offer closing-cost credits of $10,000 to $30,000 when you use their in-house lender. Take the credit only after a second lender prices the same loan. Mike Oswald, VP of Mortgage Lending at Rate, prices new construction loans for Kenna Real Estate Group buyers and issues a pre-approval that builders accept. Start with the Colorado home financing guide and the Colorado mortgage pre-approval guide.
Many of our buyers use Mike Oswald at Rate and trust him. You are free to use any lender you choose, and the Kenna Real Estate Group receives nothing for the introduction. Mike Oswald, NMLS 261003 · Rate, Inc., NMLS 2611 · Equal Housing Lender.
Which Front Range cities have the most new construction?
The largest active new-home pipelines in 2026 are in Aurora (Southshore, Painted Prairie, Harmony), Parker and unincorporated Douglas County (Sierra Ridge, Trails at Crowfoot), Castle Rock (The Meadows, Crystal Valley), Thornton and Brighton (north of 120th Avenue), Commerce City (Reunion), Erie and Frederick, and the northern Colorado corridor from Johnstown to Windsor. Explore each city here: Aurora, Parker, Castle Rock, Thornton, Erie and Windsor.
Aurora and Castle Rock restrict new front-yard turf, so builders there install xeriscape front yards and leave the back yard to you; budget $8,000 to $20,000 for it.
Where to go next
- New construction homes in Colorado by area
- Benefits of buying a new construction home in Colorado
- The Colorado home buyer's guide
- Denver new construction homes: modern designs and smart features
- How HOAs, metro districts and taxes affect Denver suburb buyers
- Meet the Kenna Real Estate Group agents
Talk to the Kenna Real Estate Group
The Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams DTC represents new construction buyers across the Front Range: we register with the builder, read the soils report and metro-district service plan, negotiate lot premiums and design-center credits, and walk the home with you at the 30-day and 11-month warranty visits. Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. You can also search every home for sale in Colorado, including new construction, right now.
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Questions about any home in Colorado? Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers.
