New construction
Exterior and structure
Upkeep
Custom homes, remodels and additions
Master Builders of Colorado builds custom homes and takes on the rest of a house's life: remodels, additions, outdoor living, roofing and siding, and repairs. Considered design and exacting craftsmanship, wherever the work is.
Move to shift the light. Scroll to open the joint.Scroll to open the joint.
Background: illustrative, not our project. Nate Johnston / Unsplash
The idea behind the mark
From the curb, most houses look finished. Roof pitch, cladding and window count can all be right on paper. The quality of a home shows up where two things meet: stone against glass, a roof edge against a wall, timber against masonry. That is where water finds its way in, and where care becomes visible.
See six joints up close
Joints, transitions and material decisions should hold up to close inspection.
Plain language and evidence. No superlatives the work cannot back up.
Colorado belongs in the setting, the light and natural materials.
Sheet A-200 / Services
Custom homes, remodels, additions, outdoor rooms, the exterior shell and the repairs in between, with the same care at every joint. The work runs along the Front Range from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, across the Denver metro and every city between.
A new house designed around its site, from soils report to final walkthrough.
View custom homesLayout, ventilation, power and storage worked out before a cabinet is ordered.
View kitchen remodelsWaterproofing, drainage and ventilation done right behind the tile you choose.
View bathroom remodelsDry, safe, permitted lower levels, with moisture and radon handled first.
View basement finishingReworking an existing house end to end, including what the walls reveal.
View whole-home renovationNew space tied into the old structure so it looks and performs like one house.
View home additionsDecks, covered patios and outdoor rooms built for sun, snow and freeze-thaw.
View decks and outdoor livingThe weather-facing shell of the house, flashed and lapped to shed water and hail.
View roofing, siding and windowsSmaller fixes and updates, starting with finding the cause, not just the symptom.
View repairs and renovationsIllustrative footage, not Master Builders of Colorado projects.
Sheet A-201
Most custom homes begin with a picture someone has been saving. Pick the direction closest to yours and bring it to the first conversation.
D-01Modern
Flat roof planes, clean volumes and big glass. With less trim to hide behind, every joint shows.Start with this direction
D-02Stone and timber contemporary
Stacked stone, warm timber and deep overhangs, with roofs and eaves sized for Colorado snow and sun.Start with this direction
D-03Modern farmhouse
Simple gables, board-and-batten and a deep porch. Its plainness depends on careful proportions.Start with this direction
D-04Modern ranch
One level, long and low, with wide eaves that manage strong high-altitude sun.Start with this direction
D-05Modern craftsman
Tapered porch columns, exposed brackets and a stone base. Where timber meets masonry is the detail to watch.Start with this direction
D-06Transitional
Familiar roof forms with restrained modern detailing, at home in established neighborhoods.Start with this direction
0 styles saved:
Bring them to the first conversationIllustrative images, not Master Builders of Colorado projects.
Background: illustrative image of a house being framed, not a Master Builders of Colorado project.
A photo, a sketch or a short list of must-haves is enough to start, whether the project is a new house, a kitchen, an addition or a repair that keeps coming back.
Illustrative image, not a Master Builders of Colorado project.
Sheet A-501 / Details
Most failures in a house, new or decades old, start at a transition, not in the middle of a wall. Hover or tap a joint below to see what meets there, how it tends to fail, and what to ask any builder about it.
Detail 01 / A-501
Ask your builderHow is the window head flashed, and where does water behind the stone leave the wall?
Detail 02 / A-501
Ask your builderWhat clearance does the stone keep above finished grade and paving?
Detail 03 / A-501
Ask your builderWhere are the kickout flashings, and what happens to the water after them?
Detail 04 / A-501
Ask your builderHow is the ledger flashed and fastened to the house structure?
Detail 05 / A-501
Ask your builderWhat happens at the line where one cladding changes to another?
Detail 06 / A-501
Ask your builderIs there a cricket behind the chimney, and how is the counterflashing set into the masonry?
Window head Stone at grade Roof into wall Deck ledger Timber to stone Chimney
A-501 / Typical exterior joints
Photos are illustrative images of each joint type, not Master Builders of Colorado projects.
Read the full guide to construction detailsOn a build: Stone veneer. Illustrative image.
Sheet A-301
A stone-clad wall is six layers doing six different jobs. Scroll and the assembly comes apart one layer at a time.
The face of the wall. Stone sheds most rain, but not all of it, so it is never treated as the waterproof layer.
A narrow space or drainage mat behind the stone gives water that gets through a clear path down and out at the base.
The real rain line. Sheets are lapped like shingles, upper over lower, so water always runs over a seam and never behind it.
Panels fastened to the frame. They stiffen the wall against wind and give the barrier a continuous surface to sit on.
Studs carry the floors and roof. The cavities hold insulation, and the energy code adopted by the local building department sets the minimum.
Drywall or plaster. The only layer anyone touches, and the one that shows movement in the frame as cracks when joints are not planned for it.
Sheet A-101
Most of a home's quality is decided before anyone sees a finish, on a new build or a remodel. Drag through the build to see what ends up behind the walls.
Illustrative images of one house at three stages, not a Master Builders of Colorado project.
Sheet A-102
Much of the work is on houses that already stand. Drag across the photo to see a dated room become the same room remodeled.
A closed-in 1990s kitchen becomes a layout built around an island, with new cabinetry, stone counters and black-framed windows.
Kitchen remodelsA tub with a fiberglass surround becomes a curbless stone shower, with the waterproofing that matters most hidden behind the tile.
Bathroom remodelsBare concrete and open joists become a finished family room, starting with a dry foundation and a proper egress window.
Basement finishingA wall comes out, a steel beam takes the load, and a closed-in living and dining room becomes one open space.
Whole-home renovationA small weathered deck becomes a covered outdoor room with a fireplace, framed and flashed into the house.
Decks and outdoor livingIllustrative images of the same room before and after, not Master Builders of Colorado projects.
Sheet G-003
Three short guides that cover the decisions most people only learn about halfway through a build.
Guide 01 / G-003Guide 01
Most leaks start at a transition. What meets at six common joints, how each one fails, and what to ask about it.
Inside this guide
Guide 02 / G-003Guide 02
Six layers, six jobs. Why the stone is never the waterproof layer, and what is.
Inside this guide
Guide 03 / G-003Guide 03
You do not need drawings to begin. Seven things that make a first meeting about a build or remodel go further.
Inside this guide
Photos are illustrative, not Master Builders of Colorado projects.
Sheet G-002
10 of 10 questions
No. Many people start the conversation before they buy, and it can save money. A builder can point out slope, soil, access and utility questions that change what a lot will cost to build on.
A soils report, also called a geotechnical report, is an engineer's study of what sits under the lot. Parts of Colorado have expansive clay that swells when wet, and the report's findings drive the foundation design. Many building departments require one before they issue a permit.
A fixed-price contract sets one sum before construction starts, and the builder absorbs most overruns. A cost-plus contract bills actual costs plus a fee, so the owner sees every invoice and carries the risk of costs rising. A guaranteed maximum price adds a ceiling to cost-plus.
An allowance is a placeholder budget for something chosen later, such as tile, lighting or appliances. If the final selection costs more, the owner pays the difference. Comparing allowances line by line is one of the most useful things you can do with competing bids.
A change order is a written amendment that adjusts the scope, price or schedule after the contract is signed. It is how a change of mind during the build gets priced and agreed before the work happens.
Most work that changes structure, plumbing, electrical or mechanical systems needs a permit from the local building department, while purely cosmetic work such as paint usually does not. Requirements vary by city and county, so it is worth confirming before work starts.
Yes, and it often makes sense. Combining them means the new structure, the openings into the existing house and the finishes on both sides are planned once, with one permit process and one sequence of trades.
A house is dried in once the roof, windows, exterior doors and weather barrier are installed. From that point, interior work can carry on whatever the weather is doing.
It is the document a building department issues after the final inspection, confirming the house can be lived in. You cannot legally move in without one.
Flashing is a thin, formed piece of metal or membrane that directs water away from a joint, such as a window head, a roof-to-wall intersection or a deck ledger. Many leaks, in new and older houses alike, trace back to a flashing that was missing, reversed or cut short.
No questions match that search. Try a broader word, or ask us directly.
Background: illustrative image of a remodel in progress, not a Master Builders of Colorado project.
A new home, a remodel, an addition, an outdoor space or a repair. Two quick answers help the first conversation start in the right place. Nothing is sent until you continue.
