Boulder windows within a larger remodel

Questions covered in this guide

Local considerations

Boulder’s alteration levels connect changes in openings and systems to the project’s energy documentation. A combined remodel-and-window matrix gives the designer a complete scope before the homeowner finalizes a window package.

The matrix connects window changes to Boulder’s whole-project alteration classification and documentation. It prevents the window purchase from being evaluated outside a remodel whose scope may drive different requirements.

Explore the national planning guide

Start with the whole renovation

Boulder’s residential guide distinguishes alteration levels and their energy documentation; its Level 2 description includes adding or eliminating windows and reconfiguring systems. A window order inside a broader remodel should therefore be coordinated with the project’s overall classification.

Describe related work together

Confirm City of Boulder jurisdiction rather than assuming a Boulder mailing address means the same permitting authority. Give the designer a list of window changes alongside room reconfiguration, equipment work, and other planned alterations. Ask them to identify which scope belongs in one project and which documents the city requires. Avoid deciding the alteration level yourself from one isolated window detail or an informal percentage estimate.

Prepare a scope-to-document matrix

Use rows for each window group and each related renovation area. Record retained or changed openings, affected rooms, planned systems, designer responsibility, and the drawing or energy document that addresses the work. Add a column for changes still under consideration. Ask the project team to explain whether changing the window scope would require revisiting the classification or submission. This keeps a late product or opening decision connected to the broader design.

Compare window proposals within that baseline

Have bidders use the same approved or clearly identified design baseline when quoting the window package. Keep design and compliance services separate from the window-unit price so missing work is visible. The national window calculator cannot classify a Boulder alteration or price the required energy documentation. Use it for preliminary quantities and budgeting only. The next useful step is a designer-confirmed project scope with the window schedule and supporting documents aligned before the order is released.

Sources and supported claims

Boulder’s guide includes adding or eliminating windows and system reconfiguration in its Level 2 alteration description.
Source ↗ · place · Checked 2026-10-12

Boulder’s guide associates different alteration levels with different energy-compliance documentation.
Source ↗ · place · Checked 2026-10-12