Aspen Wildfire Code Hikes Renovation Costs for Homeowners

Aspen’s new wildfire resilience code is already hitting wallets, and it’s not just the big developers feeling the pinch.

Bonnie Muhigirwa, the city’s chief building official, tried to sell the new rules as a non-event. She argued that because Aspen’s building code already mandates Class A roofs — highly fire-resistant shingles — the jump in cost for new builds would be negligible. The real change, she said, is just "hardening" the siding.

"From what we’ve seen, it’s been very doable for our (building permit) applicants to find materials that work for them," Muhigirwa said.

Make no mistake. That’s the city’s view. It’s not necessarily the view of the contractors and architects who have to build the things.

Bryan Hanlen, director of constructability at the firm POSS, sees a different story. He points to a specific trap for homeowners: the addition. If you’re adding square footage to an existing house, you don’t just upgrade the new wing. If you cross a certain threshold, the entire existing structure must be brought up to code.

"If you’re doing what you thought was a small addition to your house and all of a sudden you have to tear all the siding off of your house and … you’re forced to upgrade the insulation and fire rating of the entire exterior of your house, that could be seen as being significantly punitive," Hanlen said.

That’s the kicker. You want a sunroom. You end up with a full exterior overhaul.

Chris Madigan, owner of Madigan + Company, says the materials themselves aren’t the crisis. For new developments, the cost difference is minor. The exception is a special liner added to exterior walls. It stops fire from igniting the whole house. Right now, that liner isn’t readily available. Demand is outstripping supply.

Hanlen hopes the delay fixes it. Permitting in Aspen takes over a year. Construction doesn’t start until that year is up. That lag gives manufacturers time to ramp up production of fireproof materials. If the industry had to build immediately, Hanlen called it a "painful start."

"Everybody in the state, in theory, is going to be doing this," Hanlen said. "So, if everybody’s doing it, then I would expect the wood companies to step up to the plate, stock products where there’s not some insane wait time because you’re not ordering this super unique one-off product. It should be fairly stocked."

It’s a gamble. You’re betting that the market can absorb the shock before the permits clear.

The city is betting that the existing code structure makes this easy. The builders are betting that "punitive" is the right word for a surprise retrofit requirement. Hanlen admits it will take time to know the exact cost increase. We won’t know the true price tag until the first wave of renovations hits the market and homeowners realize what "hardening" actually costs in labor and materials.

The short version: New builds are manageable. Renovations are where the money disappears. And until that liner is in every warehouse in town, prices will stay unpredictable.