A tub-to-shower conversion is the one scope in Mission Hills that touches none of the city's review layers. It is interior, so the Architectural Review Board is not in the path. It adds no footprint, so the Professional Review Panel that handles substantial construction is not either. What remains is the plumbing in a house whose median year built is 1953 and the city's own inspection practice: inspections are scheduled by calling City Hall at least 24 hours ahead and are $75 each, a per-visit fee rather than a bundled one, so the number of inspection trips a scope generates is a real line rather than an abstraction. The conversion runs under the 2018 IRC with the 2017 NEC for any circuit that moves.
What the work covers
- Removing the tub and the surround, which usually means opening the wet wall
- Re-piping the drain, including relocating and resizing the trap for a shower
- Building the pan, either a pre-formed base or a sloped mortar bed with a bonded membrane
- Waterproofing the curb, the corners and the wall planes as one continuous system
- Blocking for a bench, a niche, grab bars and the glass
What we find in Mission Hills homes
- A scope small enough that the inspection count drives more of the cost than the fixture does.
- Waste and vent laid out for the bathroom count a 1953 house was designed with, not the one it has now.
- Trades that have to be ready together, because every visit is a separate phone call 24 hours out and a separate charge.
- A house that has only ever been owner-occupied, so the original work and every alteration since were done for someone living in it.
Working in Mission Hills, KS
Mission Hills is roughly 1,365 housing units and every one of them is a single-family detached house that is owner-occupied. There are no apartments, no duplexes and no rentals in the count. About 73 percent of the stock predates 1960, with 315 units built in 1939 or earlier and 442 in the 1950s, and only 35 houses have been built here since 2010. The median year built is 1953. The city runs its permitting in house rather than contracting it out: a Codes Inspector reviews interior work and the City Planner grants final approval, and permits are filed through the OpenGov Permitting and Licensing portal. Residential work is reviewed against the 2018 International Residential Code, in force since January 1, 2020, and the 2017 National Electrical Code. MrImproveIt carries the Johnson County Class C residential contractor licence Mission Hills requires by trade before a permit issues. The city also requires a separate City Occupational License from contractors, with a certificate of liability insurance naming the City of Mission Hills as certificate holder.
How this job goes wrong
- A shower run on the old tub drain and trap, which drains slowly and is not compliant
- A pan sloped the wrong way, or a membrane that stops short of the curb
- A curbless entry attempted without lowering the framing, so the slope has nowhere to go
Planning range
$9,000 to $26,000. A solid-surface base in the existing footprint with a standard framed door sits near the bottom. A tiled curbless pan with frameless glass and an accessibility package sits at the top. Plan on one to three weeks of active work.
What moves the price on a tub to shower conversion in Mission Hills
On a scope this size in Mission Hills the inspection count is a visible part of the number, because inspections here are $75 each rather than bundled into a single permit fee and each one has to be requested by phone at least 24 hours ahead. That rewards sequencing the work so trades are ready together rather than calling for a visit each time something finishes. The two real unknowns are the cast iron drain, because transitioning to modern material is a different job from re-routing modern material, and the subfloor at the outside corner. Both are quoted as their own lines.
Permits and inspections for this work in Mission Hills
The conversion is filed through the OpenGov portal and reviewed in house under the 2018 IRC, with the 2017 NEC governing any circuit that moves. The practical difference from neighbouring cities is the inspection process: visits are requested by calling City Hall at least 24 hours in advance and are charged at $75 each rather than bundled into the permit fee. Nothing in this scope reaches the Architectural Review Board or the Professional Review Panel, since neither the exterior nor the footprint changes. We confirm current requirements with the city on every job.
Common questions about this work
Is a tub to shower conversion a permit job in Mission Hills?
It changes the drain and usually the valve, so it generally is. Permit requirements are confirmed with the local building department before work starts.
Should I keep one tub in the house?
Worth considering at resale, particularly if this is the only one. If another full bath has a tub, the concern mostly goes away.
Can the shower be curbless?
Sometimes, and the answer depends on the floor framing below. It has to be decided before demolition, because it is a framing change rather than a finish change.
Tub to Shower Conversion questions from Mission Hills homeowners
How do inspections work in Mission Hills?
They are requested by calling City Hall at least 24 hours ahead and are charged at $75 each rather than bundled into the permit fee. On a small scope that makes the number of inspection trips a real line item, which is an argument for sequencing the work so trades are ready together.
Does a conversion need Architectural Review Board approval?
No. The Board reviews exterior alterations, and a tub-to-shower conversion changes nothing visible from the street. Neither does it reach the Professional Review Panel, which is triggered by footprint and square footage.
What is different about a 1950s conversion?
Cast iron. Transitioning cast iron waste to modern material is a different job from re-routing modern material, and it sits under a subfloor that has carried a filled tub for seventy years. Both are quoted as their own lines rather than folded into the lump sum.
Call (913) 395-8571 or request a written estimate before any work starts.