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A stone-clad outdoor kitchen island and bar on a stamped concrete patio.

Service Area · Security-Widefield, CO

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Security-Widefield is unincorporated El Paso County, so the county's zoning code applies here, not Colorado Springs' or Fountain's, and the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department handles permits and floodplain review. Three local things shape a patio plan: a lot-coverage cap in the area's small-lot zones, FEMA-mapped floodplain along Security Creek, Widefield Creek and Windmill Gulch, and ground that changes between sand and expansive clay.

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Small lots, and a cap on covered space

Much of the residential land in Security-Widefield is zoned RS-5000 or RS-6000 under El Paso County's Land Development Code, with minimum lots of 5,000 or 6,000 square feet. Those zones cap lot coverage at 40 percent, or 45 percent for a single-story ranch home. An open, unenclosed patio no more than 18 inches above grade does not count toward that cap. Put a roof or other overhead cover over it, or walls around it, and the county counts it. Freestanding accessory structures also have to sit at least 5 feet from the rear and side lot lines. If a covered patio might come later, we plan it with the slab, not after.

Security Creek, Widefield Creek and Windmill Gulch

FEMA's flood maps show 1-percent-annual-chance floodplain along parts of Security Creek and Widefield Creek, with regulatory floodways on both, and along Windmill Gulch overflow paths the flood study names after Aspen Drive, Grand Boulevard, Dix Circle and Libby Court. On a lot inside a mapped floodplain, the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department's floodplain office reviews the work first, and its list of work that usually needs a permit includes excavation, fill and extensive landscaping. In a floodway, fill and other encroachments need a Colorado-licensed engineer to certify they will not raise the 100-year flood. We check your address against the map before we design.

Sand on one block, clay on the next

NRCS soil maps for Security-Widefield are mostly sandy, led by Blakeland loamy sand and Truckton sandy loam, which NRCS rates low for shrink-swell. The same maps also show Limon clay, Manzanst clay loam and Nunn clay loam in places, rated high for shrink-swell, and on Limon and Manzanst that clay starts at or within a few inches of the surface. Along drainages, NRCS maps poorly drained soil with a water table as shallow as about a foot. So we look at the soil on site before recommending a tier. Solid is a 4-inch, 4,000 PSI slab over 3 inches of compacted base and geotextile. Stronghold is 5 inches of fiber-reinforced 4,500 PSI over 6 inches of base. Both start with a #4 rebar grid at 12 inches on center.

Service Area · Security-Widefield, CO

Common Questions

How do I know if my lot is in a floodplain?

Check your address on FEMA's flood maps or with the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department's floodplain office. In Security-Widefield the mapped areas follow parts of Security Creek, Widefield Creek and the Windmill Gulch overflow paths. If your lot is inside one, the floodplain office reviews the work before it starts, and a floodway adds an engineer's certification. Apex looks at the map with you at the free on-site estimate, before the written price.

Does a covered patio count against my lot coverage?

Under El Paso County's current code, yes. An open patio no more than 18 inches above grade is left out of lot coverage, but a patio with a roof, other overhead cover or walls is counted. RS-5000 and RS-6000 lots are capped at 40 percent, or 45 percent for a single-story ranch home. The county is rewriting its Land Development Code, so we confirm the current numbers for your lot before pricing a cover.

Can you replace the old slab behind my house?

Yes. Security-Widefield's housing is older than its neighbors': Census estimates put about 47 percent of its homes in the 1950 to 1979 range, against about 33 percent in Colorado Springs and 21 percent in Fountain. Apex does the demolition and tear-out of the old patio, then builds the new one on a fresh compacted base with a #4 rebar grid at 12 inches on center. You get a free on-site estimate with a full written price the same day, financing options and a structural warranty on every tier.

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