Finishing your own basement in Kansas City

As a Remodeling contractor in Kansas City, KCHC has put together a detailed  directory that may assist with homeowners and contractors looking to remodel their home. In many cases we find that homeowners choose to take on certain projects without the help of a general contractor. One common project is finishing your basement. If you choose to take on this projects by yourself it is important to get licensed subs to help with some of the more important phases of the project.

One of the most important areas to get help is from a plumbing contractor. I simple mistake such as forgetting a stud guard can cost you thousands of dollars, months down the road. A licensed plumber may not be needed for some of the finish items such as installing your fixtures but they can really help out during the rough in portion of any plumbing project.

Another area in which professional help can really pay off is on all of your electrical work. In most cases an electrician will be willing to come in a work for an hourly rate. In my experience, most electrical contractors are surprisingly reasonable with their pricing.

The drywall is another area that it really pays to have an expert. If you have not done drywall professionally, you will not be able to achieve the same type of results that a drywall contractor will produce. This will be the first thing that stands out to your wife, friends, and anybody else you show your basement off to.

Proper Drainage is Key to a healthy basement

Deciding to finish a basement should be carefully considered before making a major investment. One of the things we steer clear from is older homes. Waterproofing techniques have been improved over the last 25 years. A proper seal on the outside of your foundation wall is essential in keeping your basement dry. Another reason we like to work in newer homes, is because most homes with full basements have sump pumps installed. You can add a sump pump to an older home, but it's much more involved than cutting in a well and hooking up a pump. You need a drain tile that runs around the entire inside perimeter of the foundation wall. Another important factor than cannot be overlooked when finishing your basement is the exterior drainage. If you do not have a noticeable slope away from your house, you may need to consider some type of drainage system. It is not uncommon for gutters to feed into 4" drain pipe until it is a safe distance from the house. If the grade is really bad, a french drain or some other type of drainage system may need to be installed.

Even if you are not planning to finish you basement, proper drainage will keep your foundation in tack. Water that cannot get away from the house will cause hydrostatic pressure and eventually lead to foundation failure. .

Planning for a Home Theater

This is a basement finishing project that we completed in Overland Park, Ks. The basement remodel features a home theater that boast a 100" projector screen. Not all basements can handle such a large screen. Low ceiling height and odd shape rooms make some basements a bad fit for such a large screen. This screen need every inch of ceiling height to make room for the cabinets that sit below the projector screen. Check out our method to gain ceiling height when framing a basement.

A built in surround sound system is a great way to enhance your newly finished basement. This basement features a 7.1 Surround sound system. The mid and rear speakers are flush mounted in ceiling speakers that were painted the same color as the ceiling and look nice against knock down texture ceiling. This specific room of the basement has four different lighting zones. All zones are controlled by dimmer switches. The fireplace that we used on this Overland Park basement remodeling project is a ventless unit that makes for an easy installation.

Basement Finishing Shawnee Ks

With all the new homes in western shawnee there are many unfinished basements. We have finished several basements in this area. Lots of these basements include egress windows our walk out basements. This is required in a basement that includes a bedroom for any project for basement finishing in shawnee ks.


Basement Finishing 66218

This is a picture of some custom trim work in Shawnee Ks.