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Chester Residence — high-performance custom home, Old Town Lafayette, Colorado
Chester Residence · Old Town Lafayette, CO
LL
Lafayette · Louisville · Superior · Colorado

Architecture for the communities
where we live and work.

Our studio is on East Simpson Street in Old Town Lafayette. We bring the same understanding-first approach to every project in Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior that we bring to any project we take on — with the added benefit of knowing these communities the way you only can when you live and work in them.

Home base
Old Town Lafayette Louisville Superior Marshall Fire Rebuilds Boulder County Front Range
Where We Work

This is where we
live and work.

There is a difference between serving a market and being part of one. We are based in Lafayette — our studio sits in Old Town, our projects are in the communities we drive through every week, and our work is shaped by the contractors, building departments, neighborhoods, and site conditions we know firsthand. That local familiarity matters early: it helps us ask better questions, anticipate common review issues, recommend the right collaborators, and design homes that feel like they belong here.

Lafayette — Old Town character and thoughtful infill.

Lafayette's Old Town is one of the most genuine small-town streetscapes along the Front Range — walkable, eclectic, built incrementally over more than a century. Designing here means understanding context: how a new home or renovation relates to neighbors at the street, how additions respect the scale and rhythm of existing structures, and how the Historic Preservation Commission's design criteria shape what is appropriate.

The Chester Residence is one of our Lafayette projects — a high-performance custom home in Old Town that integrates Passive House-informed construction with the character of its neighborhood. Lafayette's permitting process has its own specific requirements for setbacks, lot coverage, ADUs, and energy compliance. Permit review currently runs approximately 8–12 weeks depending on project type. We start most Lafayette projects with an early pre-application conversation before drawings begin.

Louisville — established neighborhoods, hillside sites, and resilience.

Louisville is one of the Front Range's most desirable places to live — and one of its most active residential construction markets. The city's established neighborhoods range from mid-century ranches to newer hillside development with Colorado mountain views and strong indoor-outdoor potential.

The Hillside House is our Louisville project — a 4,675 sf custom home designed for a Landscape Architect who wanted the land to be a participant, not a backdrop. It has become one of our most referenced projects for the kind of site-responsive, materially grounded custom home design we bring to this community.

Louisville's recent building context is also inseparable from the Marshall Fire. The December 2021 fire destroyed more than 550 homes in the city and changed the way many homeowners, builders, and officials think about resilience, material choices, and long-term safety. Louisville now requires fire-resistant roofs, vents, and siding for all new residential construction — requirements that align directly with the high-performance, wildfire-resilient design approach we bring to every project here.

Superior — recovery, resilience, and homes designed to last.

The Marshall Fire reshaped Superior in ways that are still visible and deeply felt. Of the more than 1,000 homes destroyed across Louisville, Superior, and unincorporated Boulder County, rebuilding is still ongoing as of late 2025. For the families who chose to rebuild in Superior, the process has required navigating a new landscape of codes, insurance requirements, contractor availability, and deeply personal decisions about what kind of home to build next.

The Sundial House is our Superior project — a Net Zero Ready Marshall Fire rebuild designed to Energy Star Next Gen standards for a family that wanted their new home to be more resilient, more efficient, and more deeply connected to the site than what they lost. It remains one of our most meaningful projects because it required both technical care and deep respect for what the family was rebuilding toward.

Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior are all reviewing or have already adopted wildfire resilience and fire hardening codes for new construction. For homeowners building or rebuilding in any of these communities today, material choices, ventilation systems, defensible space, and site planning are active design considerations — not optional add-ons. We design toward those standards from the first sketch and beyond them where the project calls for it.

Local knowledge that shapes the work.

  • Lafayette Old Town: Historic Preservation Commission awareness and design criteria knowledge for infill, additions, and new construction
  • Lafayette permit review: approximately 8–12 weeks depending on project type — we coordinate early to keep things moving
  • Louisville: wildfire-resilient construction meeting city requirements for fire-resistant roofs, vents, siding, and assemblies
  • Superior: Marshall Fire rebuild experience, fire hardening codes, Net Zero Ready and high-performance design
  • All three jurisdictions: current awareness of wildfire resilience and fire hardening code status
  • ADU design across Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior — each municipality with its own zoning and review requirements
  • Relationships with local contractors who build carefully and communicate well in this market
  • Site conditions, neighborhood character, and view potential specific to each community

Being local means site visits, contractor conversations, and field questions are part of the rhythm of the work, not a logistical burden.

Our Approach Here

Local knowledge
that shapes the work.

Jesse's background in both architecture and construction means our drawings are prepared for the specific conditions of each site — anticipating the historic review process for Old Town Lafayette, meeting and exceeding fire hardening requirements for Louisville and Superior, and staying current as regulations in all three communities continue to evolve.

  • Lafayette Old Town: Historic Preservation Commission awareness — we help you understand review criteria before design begins
  • Marshall Fire rebuild experience: insurance coordination, code compliance, and genuine care for the families involved
  • Wildfire-resilient design meeting Louisville and Superior fire hardening requirements — and going further where the project calls for it
  • ADU design across all three jurisdictions — each with its own zoning, size limits, and review requirements
  • Contractor relationships built through years of active work in this market
Free Resource

Not ready to reach out yet?
Start with the guide.

Our Home Design Guide walks through how the design process works, what it costs, what to look for in an architect, and how to make good decisions before the first sketch. 26 pages. No commitment.

Download the Home Design Guide →

"This guide is for anyone thinking seriously about a custom home, renovation, or addition — but not quite ready to begin a conversation."

How the design process actually works
What to realistically expect on cost and timeline
Questions to ask before hiring an architect
26 pages · free · from Jesse Ledin
Services Here

Services across Lafayette,
Louisville, and Superior.

Custom Home Architecture

Whether it's a new home on a Louisville hillside, an infill custom home in Old Town Lafayette, or a resilient rebuild in Superior, we guide the full arc of the project — from early site conversations through construction administration.

High-Performance & Wildfire-Resilient Design

In Louisville and Superior especially, high-performance design is the right response to the climate and the code. We integrate Passive House principles, non-combustible materials, fire hardening assemblies, and Net Zero Ready energy strategies from the earliest design stages.

Additions & Renovations

Lafayette's Old Town housing stock, Louisville's established neighborhoods, and Superior's recovering community all include homes that deserve thoughtful additions and renovations. We bring design intelligence and construction knowledge to work that respects what exists while building something genuinely better.

ADU Design

Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior all allow ADUs, but each municipality handles zoning, size limits, parking, utilities, and review differently. We help homeowners understand what's feasible before design begins, then create ADUs that support rental income, multigenerational living, or long-term flexibility.

Site Planning & Feasibility

Before committing to drawings, a feasibility study clarifies what's actually achievable — lot coverage, setbacks, ADU potential, energy code requirements, and wildfire exposure. We do this work early because it changes what gets designed.

All services available across Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior.

Our studio is here. These are our home communities. Every project — at any scale — gets the same care and direct involvement.

Talk to us about your project →
Common Questions

Common questions about building in Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior.

The most specific answers come from a conversation about your actual site, project type, and goals.

Schedule a discovery call →
Why hire a local architect rather than a firm based elsewhere?+
Local knowledge shapes every phase of a project. A firm based in Lafayette knows how the Historic Preservation Commission reviews additions in Old Town Lafayette. It knows Louisville's wildfire resilience requirements without having to research them. It knows which contractors build carefully in Superior, what Superior's rebuild permitting process looks like, and what the site conditions in each neighborhood actually feel like. That knowledge shows up in faster permitting, fewer surprises, better consultant recommendations, and design that responds to where you actually live — not a generic version of Colorado.
What is it like to build in Old Town Lafayette?+
Old Town Lafayette has its own character and its own considerations. The city has a Historic Preservation Commission that reviews projects in designated historic districts, and Old Town has design criteria governing how additions and new construction relate to the existing neighborhood context. Permit review currently runs approximately 8–12 weeks depending on project type. We start most Old Town projects with an early pre-application conversation before drawings begin.
How does the Marshall Fire affect building in Louisville and Superior today?+
The Marshall Fire's effects on building in these communities are still active. Louisville now requires fire-resistant roofs, vents, and siding for all new residential construction and additions. Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior are all reviewing or have already adopted wildfire resilience and fire hardening codes. For homeowners building or rebuilding in these communities, wildfire-resilient design is a code requirement, not just a preference. We design toward and beyond those standards from the first sketch.
Can you help with a Marshall Fire rebuild in Superior?+
Yes — and this is work we have done. The Sundial House is a Net Zero Ready Marshall Fire rebuild designed to Energy Star Next Gen standards for a Superior family. Rebuilding after the Marshall Fire involves navigating insurance documentation, updated code requirements, site conditions that may have changed, and deeply personal decisions about what kind of home to build next. We bring both technical knowledge and genuine care to that process.
How long does permitting take in Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior?+
Each municipality operates on its own timeline. Lafayette permit review currently runs approximately 8–12 weeks depending on project type. Louisville runs a similar timeline for standard residential work, with additional review required for wildfire resilience compliance on new construction. Superior has specific processes for Marshall Fire rebuild permitting. We provide a realistic, site-specific timeline during the discovery call.
Can you design an ADU in Lafayette, Louisville, or Superior?+
Yes. Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior all allow ADUs, but each municipality handles zoning, size limits, parking, utilities, setbacks, and review differently. We help homeowners understand what is feasible before design begins, then create ADUs that support rental income, multigenerational living, guest space, or long-term flexibility — without feeling like an afterthought on the property.
Work in This Community

Work in
this community.

These are not distant projects or adjacent-market references. These are homes designed and built in Lafayette, Louisville, and Superior — the communities where we are based and where we do our best work.

View all selected work →
Home
Lafayette · Louisville · Superior

Let's talk about what's
possible for your property.

A 30-minute discovery call. No commitment — just a conversation about your site, your goals, and what's genuinely achievable.