Home addition, ADU, and detached garage wiring in Denver
Adding square footage or a detached building usually means a new feeder and a subpanel, not just more circuits squeezed into the existing panel.
Power for an addition or a detached structure starts with a load calculation on the existing service. If the service has headroom, the work is a feeder from the main panel to a subpanel in the new space, sized for the loads it will actually carry. If it does not have headroom, the service comes up for upgrade first, because everything downstream depends on it.
A detached garage, shop, or ADU carries requirements a room addition does not. The feeder gets buried at code depth in conduit or direct-burial cable, and the new structure needs both its own disconnecting means and a grounding electrode system driven at the building. Neutrals and equipment grounds stay separated inside that subpanel, which is the detail most often missed in owner-built garage wiring.
do I need a subpanel for a detached garage?
Usually, once you want more than a single circuit out there. One feeder and a subpanel lets you run lighting, receptacles, and equipment loads from the new building instead of pulling separate circuits across the yard, and it satisfies the requirement for a disconnecting means at a second structure.
how deep does the wire to a detached garage have to be buried?
Burial depth depends on the wiring method and on whether the trench crosses a driveway. Direct-burial cable, PVC conduit, and rigid metal conduit each have their own minimum cover, so the trench gets dug to match the method chosen for that run.
does an ADU need its own electrical meter?
Not always. Some ADUs are fed from the main house through a subpanel and others get a separate meter. The rules on metering and permits change from city to city across the Denver metro, and utility requirements differ too. We know the requirements and handle the permitting for you, so the question is settled before the trench is dug.
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