Furnace Replacement in Arvada

The oldest housing stock of the suburbs we serve

Arvada is the aging-housing story in this metro, and it changes what a furnace replacement actually involves.

The median Arvada home was built in 1979 — Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates. 25.6% of the city's 52,169 housing units went up in the 1970s, the largest single decade, with another 16% in the 1960s and 8.9% in the 1950s. Roughly half of Arvada predates 1980.

Compare that to Parker, where the median home is from 2004, or Broomfield at 2002. An Arvada house is on average 25 years older than a Parker house, and that gap shows up in every part of a heating system.

What it means practically: if you own a typical Arvada home, you are almost certainly not replacing the original furnace. You're replacing its replacement. The equipment might be from the 1990s or 2000s, sitting in a house built in 1975, connected to ductwork designed for a furnace that was hauled out decades ago.

Olde Town versus west Arvada

Arvada isn't one housing stock, and the difference is worth naming.

The older core around Olde Town carries the pre-1960 homes — about 11% of the city's stock was built before 1960, and 2% before 1940. Those houses tend to have tighter basements, smaller mechanical spaces, and heating systems that were retrofitted rather than designed in. Ductwork in a home like that has often been extended, rerouted, or patched across several owners.

Newer west Arvada is a different job entirely. 13.9% of the city's housing was built in the 2010s, mostly on the western edge, and those homes have modern layouts, purpose-built mechanical rooms, and ducts sized for contemporary equipment.

Same city, two very different estimates. A contractor who has worked both knows to look before quoting.

The ductwork question in a 1970s house

This is the issue that catches Arvada homeowners more than any other.

Return air ducts sized for a 1970s furnace are frequently undersized for what a modern high-efficiency unit expects to move. The furnace can be perfect and the installation flawless, and the system still underperforms because the ducts can't carry the airflow.

Symptoms of it are easy to mistake for a furnace problem: rooms that never match, a blower that runs constantly, or a new furnace that doesn't feel better than the old one. It's worth asking directly whether the returns were measured, because duct modification is $1,600 to $5,550 and up and you want that in the conversation before you sign, not after.

Not every older home needs it. But in this housing stock it's a real question, and "we'll just swap the unit" isn't always the honest answer.

Sizing, altitude, and what changed since 1979

Arvada sits near 5,350 feet, and gas furnaces lose roughly 4% of rated capacity per 1,000 feet of elevation. A furnace sized off sea-level tables arrives undersized before it's uncrated. Ask how the contractor accounted for it.

Then there's what's changed about the house itself. A 1975 Arvada home has likely had insulation added, windows replaced, or a basement finished since the original furnace was specced. Those changes move the heating load in both directions — better envelope means less furnace needed, finished basement means more conditioned space.

Matching the old nameplate is the easy mistake. An oversized furnace short-cycles, which gives you uneven temperatures and premature wear on the ignitor and blower. Ask for a load calculation on the house as it stands now.

What the job looks like

A straightforward swap is one full day: old unit disconnected and hauled out, new one set and tied into ductwork, gas, and electrical, venting reconnected or rebuilt, then a City of Arvada inspection within a few days.

Two days is normal when the venting converts to PVC for a high-efficiency unit, when ducts need rework, or when the furnace lives somewhere awkward — which in older Arvada homes it sometimes does.

The cost breakdown has the size and efficiency tables. If you're not sure replacement is warranted yet, repair or replace walks the decision. Xcel's rebates covers the $225 a 95% AFUE unit earns.

Get an estimate for your house

Call (303) 226-1486 or send the form. One insured local heating professional will look at the furnace, the ductwork, and the venting, and put a written estimate in your hands. If the honest answer is that yours has a few winters left, that's what you'll hear.

We also serve Broomfield, Thornton, Littleton, and the rest of the Denver metro.