SERVICE AREA
Built by Design helps Shawnee homeowners remodel kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and connected living spaces, with layout, selections, and construction planned together.
Shawnee / Start with the house you have
Shawnee's 2025-2029 housing analysis describes homes east of Quivira Road as generally smaller and older, with most built before 1985. When rooms feel tight, first compare a better arrangement within the existing walls with the structural work needed to open them.
Reconsider the kitchen layoutThe same city report describes substantial western growth since 2000 as sewer service expanded. If your home already has an unfinished basement, compare putting that space to work with building outward. Its actual condition matters more than the neighborhood's age.
Consider the lower levelA completed Shawnee basement
This project began with an unfinished lower level. BBD created a theater lounge, wet bar, bathroom, game room, and office. The useful lesson is how to let different activities share one floor without putting them all in one room.
The case study records 14 weeks for this project. That's a historical example, not a promised duration or a complete accounting of design, permitting, and procurement.
The Shawnee record / One project, fully documented
BBD has one published Shawnee project, so this page doesn't pad the count. It shows the whole record instead: the rooms, the materials, the trade partners, and the week-by-week order of work. That's more useful for planning your own lower level than a longer list of thinner examples.
Project type. Full basement remodel from unfinished space.
Main spaces. Theater lounge, fireplace wall, wet bar, bathroom, game room, office, stair connection, and open gathering space.
Design goal. Create a finished basement with separate places for movies, drinks, games, work, and color.
Trade partners on this project. SVB Wood Floors, ASMI Surfaces, RockTops.
Weeks 1-2
Site protection, demolition and prep, layout confirmation, and planning for the theater lounge, wet bar, bathroom, game room, office, stair connection, and sliding barn doors.
Weeks 3-5
Framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC coordination, wet bar rough-ins, bathroom rough-ins, fireplace planning, and office and game room layout work.
Weeks 6-8
Drywall, ceiling work, recessed lighting, theater wall preparation, fireplace installation, bathroom waterproofing, flooring prep, and barn door opening details.
Weeks 9-11
Wet bar cabinetry, counters, appliances, geometric backsplash tile, bathroom vanity, blue shower tile, glass shower planning, flooring, and trim work.
Weeks 12-14
Sliding barn doors, office accent wall, fixture trims, final lighting, appliance hookups, shower glass, hardware, paint touchups, cleaning, punch-list work, and turnover.
Shawnee basement planning
Shawnee's basement permit handout asks for plans showing both remodeled and unchanged areas, the use of each room, and existing features such as stairs, windows, and mechanical equipment. That's a good reason to plan the whole lower level before concentrating on the bar or media wall.
Shawnee basement permit submittal guide (PDF)
How BBD works in Shawnee
Official source. Shawnee's Community Development and Building Permits page.
The question to settle for your address. Which basement-finish or roofed-addition guidelines and inspections apply?
Checked. September 28, 2026. Requirements change, so confirm before scheduling work that depends on a permit.
Shawnee Community Development and Building PermitsThe city's basement handout asks for remodeled and unchanged areas, the use of each room, and existing features such as stairs, windows, and mechanical equipment. BBD's drawings are prepared to answer that, which is why the plan above shows the mechanical room too.
One record / Four decisions worth borrowing
One documented project can't show patterns across a city. It can show decisions that worked in one Shawnee house, with the reasoning the case study records. These four are the ones most likely to apply to another lower level.
Black sliding barn doors let the game room shut when noise needs containing and stay open the rest of the time. Sliding saves swing clearance at the opening, and the doors read as a design feature from the theater side instead of a wall.
The wet bar has its own sink, dishwasher, refrigeration, and a TV above the backsplash, and it sits beside the theater lounge. Movie night and game day happen at the same time without anyone climbing the stairs for a drink.
Dark vertical slats on the theater wall and again in the office. Gray cabinetry, white counters, and brass pulls at the bar. Glossy blue tile in the shower. Each room gets one standout and shares everything else, so the level feels finished, not busy.
A slat accent wall, recessed lighting, a window, and enough separation to work during the day. The office reads as a room with a purpose rather than leftover square footage, which is what makes the basement useful on a Tuesday, not just a Saturday.
Beyond the finished basement
If the changes reach the backyard or several interior rooms, include those connections in one brief. Mike and Kristen visit the home to understand the scope and discuss the planning steps it needs. The nearby projects below are regional comparisons from Johnson County, not Shawnee projects.
Bathroom use / Nearby example
The Shawnee basement includes a new shower and vanity. For a primary or hall bath, start with its own users, bathing needs, and storage rather than borrowing a lower-level layout. This Overland Park project planned a primary bath and a second bathroom together.
Kitchen circulation / Nearby example
This Lenexa kitchen shows how an island, pantry, and beverage area can work with an open living space without turning the room into a hallway.
Backyard and covered living
If the plan reaches the backyard, a covered patio, fireplace wall, or grill station gets planned from the house outward, in the same brief as the interior work.
One team, one plan
Design, selections, permitting, and construction stay with the same team that visited your home. That's how connected scopes stay on one schedule.
Mike and Kristen did an incredible job on our basement, and they made the behind-the-scenes so easy.
We weren't expecting such clear communication during the process, but we certainly got it! ... It honestly feels like we added another level to our house, not just a basement. Couldn't be happier with the outcome.
Customer excerpt; ellipses mark omissions.
Shawnee FAQAnswers, by design
Straight answers drawn from BBD's Shawnee project records and the city's own resources. Your project team confirms what applies to your home after a walkthrough.
Yes. One documented Shawnee project is published as case studies on this site: a finished basement with a theater lounge, a game room behind barn doors, a wet bar, a bathroom, and an office. Each record lists the rooms, the materials, and, where it was recorded, the construction timeline. Browse Shawnee projects
Shawnee's basement submittal handout asks for a plan showing both remodeled and unchanged areas, the use of each room, and existing features such as stairs, windows, and mechanical equipment. That's why BBD draws the whole lower level, including the furnace, water heater, posts, and egress, before concentrating on the bar or media wall. Shawnee basement finish handout (PDF)
Shawnee's 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan describes generally older, smaller homes east of Quivira and substantial growth to the west since 2000 as sewer service expanded. That's context, not a diagnosis of your house: age, foundation, and condition get confirmed on site. In an older home, compare reconfiguring the interior with expanding. Where a basement exists, compare finishing it with building outward.
Often, yes, but the city decides based on the scope and the address, so confirm before scheduling work. Shawnee's Community Development and Building Permits page is the official source. The question to ask is: Which basement-finish or roofed-addition guidelines and inspections apply? Your BBD project team reviews the permit path as part of planning rather than after construction is scheduled. Shawnee Community Development and Building Permits
The Shawnee case study that records a construction timeline lists 14 weeks. That's a historical record of one scope in one house, not a promise for yours. Design, permitting, and product lead times come before construction and vary from project to project. Why remodeling timelines change
BBD's office is at 9393 W 110th St Suite 500, Overland Park, KS 66210. It isn't open for client visits. Mike and Kristen meet homeowners at their homes by arrangement, including in Shawnee. The company is family-owned and was established in 2004. Request a consultation
Both. Built by Design is a design-build remodeler: the same team handles the design, selections, scope, permitting path, and construction, so decisions made in planning carry through to the job site instead of being handed off. How BBD's design-build process works
Beyond Shawnee
Built by Design works from Overland Park across Johnson County and into the Missouri side of the metro. Each city page is built from documented local projects and that city's own permit resources, so if your home sits near a boundary, compare the neighboring page too.
READY TO TALK?
Tell us what you're planning, where the home is, and what needs to change. We'll respond within 24 hours to discuss project fit and the next step, including whether to arrange a home visit.
