Housing in Superior (Broomfield, Louisville, Eldora: houses, landscaping, neighborhood)

[da1506]

Hi,

I have been checking out houses in Superior for some time. It seems to me that the area north of Coalton road appears to be more established with larger trees and more mature landscaping while the area south of Coalton is filled with newer houses (>1999). But strangely, houses in the area north seem to sell at a premium (~$50K) than ones in the south. I don't see too much distinction in house characteristics between the two areas. The neighborhood schools both have excellent ratings. But why such a big price difference in comparable homes? Am I missing something? Has any current or ex-resident of Superior an opinion on this?

Thanks.
da

[Spincycle]

There are many issues with the foundations and expansive/unstable earth below these homes in Superior. One of the reasons I didn't buy there and went with Louisville for the short period of time I was in the state. Trust me many of those Superior homes have stability/structural issues and damaged foundations. Hope this helps.

[BrianPhill]

I live in Superior, and would chalk up the price difference to three things:

1) The areas south of Coalton have a reputation for a greater incidence of structural issues. Houses anywhere in Superior could have the issue so it's always important to get a good inspector, and there are many houses south of Coalton that are just fine, but the incidence seems to be significantly less north of Coalton.

2) Even though Superior and Eldorado elementary have similar test scores, the general impression is that Superior is the "better" school. I don't know what that's based on - or if it's even true - but that is the going assumption, and I believe it contributes to higher prices north of Coalton, which is in the Superior Elementary school area.

3) The lot sizes seem to be bigger and houses spaced further apart in the "older" areas north of Coalton. When we were looking at houses, it just seemed very cramped in many of the south of Coalton areas. Combine that with the larger, more mature trees north of Coalton, and the north part just seems to have a much nicer and more private feel to it.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by BrianPhill

I live in Superior, and would chalk up the price difference to three things:

1) The areas south of Coalton have a reputation for a greater incidence of structural issues. Houses anywhere in Superior could have the issue so it's always important to get a good inspector, and there are many houses south of Coalton that are just fine, but the incidence seems to be significantly less north of Coalton.

2) Even though Superior and Eldorado elementary have similar test scores, the general impression is that Superior is the "better" school. I don't know what that's based on - or if it's even true - but that is the going assumption, and I believe it contributes to higher prices north of Coalton, which is in the Superior Elementary school area.

3) The lot sizes seem to be bigger and houses spaced further apart in the "older" areas north of Coalton. When we were looking at houses, it just seemed very cramped in many of the south of Coalton areas. Combine that with the larger, more mature trees north of Coalton, and the north part just seems to have a much nicer and more private feel to it.

It's funny you should say that about the lots. Here in Louisville, many of us think that the lots all over Superior are very small in comparison. This is especially true of homes in Louisville that are 25+ years old.

[BrianPhill]

Originally Posted by Katiana

It's funny you should say that about the lots. Here in Louisville, many of us think that the lots all over Superior are very small in comparison. This is especially true of homes in Louisville that are 25+ years old.

Oh, and I would agree with that. I guess you could say the lots in northern Superior are small, and the lots in southern Superior are extra-small.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by brianphill

oh, and i would agree with that. I guess you could say the lots in northern superior are small, and the lots in southern superior are extra-small.

lol!

[lmolinare]

Originally Posted by da1506

Hi,

I have been checking out houses in Superior for some time. It seems to me that the area north of Coalton road appears to be more established with larger trees and more mature landscaping while the area south of Coalton is filled with newer houses (>1999). But strangely, houses in the area north seem to sell at a premium (~$50K) than ones in the south. I don't see too much distinction in house characteristics between the two areas. The neighborhood schools both have excellent ratings. But why such a big price difference in comparable homes? Am I missing something? Has any current or ex-resident of Superior an opinion on this?

Thanks.
da

You do not want to go south of coalton. Land shifting is very bad over there. You are better off North of Coalton which is older and housing has settled more.

[Mo11]

It is misleading to make it look like land shifting is worse south of Coalton Road when in fact most areas on the Front Range including houses north of Coalton Road are susceptible to moveable soils. In fact, there were lawsuits against Richmond Homes for foundation and other issues in the homes north of Coalton Road which were later improved when building the newer houses south of Coalton.

Part of the Village area at Flatiron Crossing Mall in nearby Broomfield is north of Coalton and they have actually torn out some of the buildings on that side due to damage caused by expansive soils. There was a Daily Camera article well before that describing how they lost many businesses such as Antoine du Chez and Chipotle due to foundation issues caused by shifting soils.

When selecting a lot on which to build, soil reports were available and they varied all over town. I would imagine that one could still obtain soil reports for any of the homes. Proper landscaping can also help mitigate the issue.

In short, Coalton Road is not a magical dividing line between whether a home has incurred or will incur damage from moveable soils or not.