Finishing a basement with cast iron drain lines

If you have cast iron drain lines throughout your home you need to be careful if you have any plans to finish your basement. Most of the cast iron drain lines that we see that are under a basement slab are in pretty bad shape. If you want to add a bathroom to your basement, you will need to be able to connect your pvc drain lines to the old cast iron plumbing. If the cast iron is in bad enough shape, your plumber may not be able to tie onto the lines. This means that they will have to keep exposing more of the drain until they find good cast iron. For some houses, this could mean that they need to replace the drain lines lines all the way to the street or until decent sewer has been reached. In past jobs replacing the drain line out to the sewer can cost anywhere from $4,000-$12,000 for most projects. Here in Kansas City, many of the drain lines are several feet below the ground and trenchless sewer installation is the best option. This route allows the sewer to be replaced with minimal damage to the lawn. It's really pretty amazing how this technology works.

Adding a Bathroom to a Basement

If you are planning on finishing or remodeling your basement, chances are you are probably considering the addition of a bathroom. The unique challenge of adding a bathroom to a basement is the  concrete which can be labor intensive to remove. For this reason you must remove a section of concrete with either a jackhammer or a concrete saw. Typically a jackhammer is used to break up the concrete to access the plumbing drains.
 The first step is to complete your floor plan, not only for your bathroom but the entire basement. This can be made easier if you reference some of the other bathrooms in the house or perhaps a friends bathroom. Taking measurements and laying everything out on the new bathroom floor will help you get a better feel for how much space you will need. Once you have achieved your layout it is time to start on the plumbing. If you need help from a licensed plumber we would be happy to provide you with a free estimate to complete the basement rough in plumbing. The work can usually be completed in 2-3 days and usually involves hauling off around 20-25 buckets of gravel and rock. If you don't have a place to take the rock, it may be best to hire this portion out. Since we are discussing the plumbing, you should also consider future replacement of your furnace and water heater. You need to make sure that these units can be easily replaced as they will surely fail down the road. We offer water heater installations and usually recommend bradford white water heaters to our clients. For more information regarding Plumbing in your new Bathroom check out our blog.

Contact KC Plumber Pro is you would like an estimate.

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.

Smart Design for your Basements Floorplan

The most important piece of advice I could give to anybody planning to design a basement, is to forget about any plumbing that has been previously stubbed out. I referrer to these stacks as suggested locations. 9 times out of 10 we will decide to move the lines by breaking up the floor with the jackhammer. Sure, this is a lot of work and can be quite costly. One tip is to hire a general contractor instead of a plumber. No sense in paying a plumber $110 per hour to move concrete. Many residential building contractors hold master plumbing licenses and would be able to help with the entire project.


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Overland Park Basement Finishing