Mid-century houses on big lots
Much of Wheat Ridge was built in the years after the Second World War, when farmland and orchards between Denver and Golden became neighborhoods. The typical house is a brick or frame ranch from the 1950s or 1960s, often on a larger lot than you would find closer to Denver, and often with a detached garage or shop out back. Next door, unincorporated Applewood has a similar mix.
The electrical story is consistent. Original panels are reaching the end of their life, many outlets are still two-prong, kitchens were wired for far fewer appliances, and the garage or shop is frequently fed by an undersized or improvised circuit. These are exactly the homes where careful troubleshooting pays off.
Who to call for what
Wheat Ridge has its own building division for permits and inspections inside the city. Applewood and other unincorporated pockets go through Jefferson County. Xcel Energy provides the power, so outages and anything at the meter or the service drop are theirs.
Wheat Ridge questions
Asked in Wheat Ridge.
Straight answers for Wheat Ridge homeowners. More in our full electrical Q&A.
My Wheat Ridge house still has two-prong outlets. What are my options?
Two-prong outlets have no ground. The usual fixes are running a new grounded circuit or protecting the outlets with a GFCI, which the electrical code accepts for ungrounded outlets when they are labeled correctly. Which is right depends on the room and what you plug in there.
Never just swap in a three-prong outlet without a ground; it looks grounded and isn’t.
Can you run power to a detached garage or shop?
Yes. That usually means a properly sized feeder from the house, buried at the correct depth or run in conduit, and either a circuit or a small subpanel in the outbuilding. The size depends on what you plan to run out there, so tell us about the tools, heaters or chargers you have in mind.
I’m in Applewood, not Wheat Ridge. Do you come there?
Yes. Applewood is on our service list, and it sits between Wheat Ridge, Lakewood and Golden. Because it is unincorporated, permits go through Jefferson County rather than a city.