Best area to build a cabin within 45 mins to Denver (Colorado Springs: ski resort, apartment)

[MGS4EVER]

Hello. I've been searching the Colorado threads for my information but have come up empty. My husband and I are considering Colorado as a place to retire. We would really like to be within 30-45 mins. from a Costco. We chose Denver because it's close to a major airport for travel and all the major shopping, hospitals etc. Currently we're about 30-45 mins. from Phoenix, AZ.

Are there cabin subdivisions? We'd like to build in a community where there are other cabins as well, along with paved roads since we have classic cars. If there's a city/town other than Denver that you'd recommend please share. We like hiking/mountain biking/swimming, crusing on nice drives.

If not Denver, is there another town with a Costco that would fit our needs?

We are NOT interested in Golf, so no retirement communities centered around that please. We also are not interested in skiing, so no ski resort areas.

The reason behind a cabin is because of yard work. Right now we have desert landscape and while pretty, it's A LOT of maintenance. I'm either raking the rocks, pruning, trimming trees, fixing irrigation etc. I don't want to do this when I retire.

We would like to move out of AZ because of the heat. We are interested in living somewhere new. We like Flagstaff, but there's really nothing there and no Costco, no major airport.

TIA

[Augie Daugie]

For a cabin, somewhere along the Highway 285 corridor around Conifer. It puts you around 30 minutes away from the Costco in Littleton. There are condo subdivisions, some have HOAs that cover snow plows.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Augie Daugie

For a cabin, somewhere along the Highway 285 corridor around Conifer. It puts you around 30 minutes away from the Costco in Littleton. There are condo subdivisions, some have HOAs that cover snow plows.

I agree with this. Was going to recommend the same area.

[alliern]

Are you definitely looking to build new? The foothills area of Conifer, Pine, and Bailey might fit your needs, but land is not cheap nor is the infrastructure of a well, septic system, fire mitigation, utilities, driveway, etc.

It might be easier and more economical for you to purchase an existing home and renovating it to what you want or maybe you'll get lucky and find a resale that fits your wants and needs.

It all depends on what your budget is...the locations mentioned otherwise fit your desire to be 30-45 min from a Costco, hiking, mountain biking, and cruising on a scenic drive.

I live along the 285 corridor in the foothills if you have any questions.

[brown_dog_us]

There are a lot of mountain homes West of Boulder too. Basically, up every road except Canyon.

Also, check out Coal Creek Canyon. It's between Boulder and Golden.

Both areas would have access to the Costco in Superior, CO.


What is your price range and what size of cabin do you want?

[MGS4EVER]

Originally Posted by alliern

Are you definitely looking to build new? The foothills area of Conifer, Pine, and Bailey might fit your needs, but land is not cheap nor is the infrastructure of a well, septic system, fire mitigation, utilities, driveway, etc.

It might be easier and more economical for you to purchase an existing home and renovating it to what you want or maybe you'll get lucky and find a resale that fits your wants and needs.

It all depends on what your budget is...the locations mentioned otherwise fit your desire to be 30-45 min from a Costco, hiking, mountain biking, and cruising on a scenic drive.

I live along the 285 corridor in the foothills if you have any questions.

The main reason for new build is to customize it for our needs. When I look at pre-existing cabins they are usually 2 story with a loft, super tiny kitchen. My brother built new (in Oregon/way too much snow for months on end) and the cabin builder built it to their specs. They also were able to help with the build and that kept the costs down.

Our plan is to buy the land first and pay cash for that. Then each year do something such as power, then well/septic, etc. until we're ready to retire. By that time the cabin will be built and everything paid for.

[MGS4EVER]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

There are a lot of mountain homes West of Boulder too. Basically, up every road except Canyon.

Also, check out Coal Creek Canyon. It's between Boulder and Golden.

Both areas would have access to the Costco in Superior, CO.


What is your price range and what size of cabin do you want?

Thank you for all these areas to check out. It really helps narrow things down.

Price range would be 400-500,000 max. We'd really like to build new to keep the costs down and get exactly what we want. Ideally, we'd like to spend a max of 300-350,000, but I don't know if that's realistic for the area. Cabin size: one story around 2000 sf. or less. It will just be the 2 of us so we don't need a huge house anymore. We will need a large garage though for all the cars, but that can be a separate shop.

[StealthRabbit]

Consider Black Forest / CoS direction

Gives you access to both cities for metros, might be some fire damaged areas FS.

I have built several rural places.... buy existing trashed home / mobile home, add a shop with apartment. Go from there .... much quicker, cheaper, fewer surprises.

[MountainEarth]

The 285 corridor is a good bet. I also highly recommend you check out Woodland Park, 18 miles northwest of downtown Colorado Springs. It's a beautiful mountain community with many beautiful true cabins on paved roads within city limits. (If you are classic car lovers, you may also like to know that WP is also home to the annual car show "Cruise Above the Clouds.")

Now for the cabin "no yardwork" myth ... Not true. You at least have to keep up on your fire mitigation. This includes raking needles within a minimum 30 feet of the home, keep tall grasses trimmed, and if the home is near trees, cleaning the gutters annually to remove needle and leaf debris. Failure to do these things can cost you your homeowner's insurance. But overall, yes, it is easier maintenance than a fully manicured yard may require.

[StealthRabbit]

I agree with Woodland Park, but it is a long way from DEN airport (if that is a need)

CoS works fine for much flight needs. And I think it is a great community for retirees.