A Roeland Park bathroom usually sits in a house built before 1950, which is true of 51.2 percent of this city outright, and the amendment that most often surprises homeowners is Section 4-717. It requires carbon monoxide alarms in existing homes with an attached garage or fuel-fired appliances whenever permitted work occurs, and it exempts exterior-only work such as roofs, siding and decks. A bathroom remodel is not exterior-only, so on a house with a gas furnace or water heater a permitted bathroom pulls the alarm requirement into the job. It is not an expensive item and it is a genuinely good one, but it belongs on the estimate from the start rather than appearing at inspection. Neighbouring cities handle this differently; at least one has repealed the equivalent trigger entirely.
What the work covers
- Demolition to the studs and subfloor wherever the existing waterproofing is suspect
- Supply and drain rework, including moving the toilet flange or shower drain if the layout changes
- Shower pan and wall waterproofing as one bonded system, not a patchwork of products
- Backing and blocking for grab bars, benches, glass and wall-hung fixtures
- Exhaust ventilation ducted to the exterior, never into an attic or soffit
What we find in Roeland Park homes
- A gas furnace or water heater in the house, which is what brings Section 4-717's alarm requirement into a permitted bathroom.
- Cast iron waste on a pre-1950 drain layout built around a single bathroom.
- Plaster on lath behind the tile rather than the drywall a newer house would have.
- Supply lines patched at several different dates in several different materials behind one wall.
Working in Roeland Park, KS
Roeland Park has 3,478 housing units, 3,014 of them one-unit detached, and a median year built of 1950. The distribution is unusually concentrated at the old end: 1,291 units were built between 1940 and 1949 and another 491 in 1939 or earlier, so 1,782 units, 51.2 percent of the city, predate 1950 outright. Adding the 907 units from the 1950s puts 77.3 percent of the stock before 1960, and only 218 units in the entire city were built in 1990 or later. Permits are issued in house by the Neighborhood Services Department and filed through the city's CitizenServe portal. The code package is split: residential work runs under the 2018 IRC adopted by Ordinance No. 1023 in January 2022, while electrical is the 2023 NEC and the other building and trade codes are the 2024 editions, both from Ordinance No. 1088 in April 2026. MrImproveIt carries the Johnson County Class C residential contractor licence that Section 4-102 requires. Roeland Park also requires contractors to be registered with the City.
How this job goes wrong
- Waterproofing treated as a product instead of a system, so the pan, curb and wall planes are never actually tied together
- An exhaust fan venting into the attic, which relocates the moisture problem rather than solving it
- Tile set on a floor that was never flattened, which telegraphs lippage across large-format tile
Planning range
$14,000 to $45,000. A tub-in-place refresh sits near the bottom. A gut to the studs with moved plumbing, custom glass and large-format tile sits at the top or past it. Plan on two to five weeks of active work once materials are on site.
What moves the price on a bathroom remodel in Roeland Park
On a Roeland Park bathroom the drain is the biggest swing and the alarms are the most commonly missed line. More than half this city predates 1950, so the waste is usually cast iron on a layout built around one bathroom, and whether the work stays local or runs back toward the stack is the number that moves most. Separately, Section 4-717 brings carbon monoxide alarms into any permitted work on a house with an attached garage or fuel-fired appliances, and a bathroom is not exterior-only work, so it applies. It is a modest line, but it is on the estimate from the start rather than appearing at inspection.
Permits and inspections for this work in Roeland Park
Bathroom work is permitted in house by the Neighborhood Services Department, with the Building Official defined by City Code Section 4-101 as the City Administrator or a designee, and filed through the city's CitizenServe portal. Inspections are scheduled with 24 hours' notice. Review runs against the 2018 IRC adopted by Ordinance No. 1023. The amendment that most often adds scope on this job is Section 4-717, which triggers carbon monoxide alarms in existing homes with an attached garage or fuel-fired appliances whenever permitted work occurs and exempts only exterior-only work. Section 4-102 requires proof of a current Johnson County licence before any permit work. We confirm current requirements with the department on every job rather than working from the last one.
Common questions about this work
Does a bathroom remodel in Roeland Park need a permit?
Usually yes, as soon as plumbing, electrical or framing changes. Permit requirements are confirmed with the local building department before work starts.
Can the bathroom stay usable during the work?
Not that bathroom. If it is the only full bath in the house, that changes the schedule, and it is worth saying so before the estimate is written.
How long is the bathroom out of service?
Plan on two to five weeks of active work once materials are on site. Tile and glass are the long poles, because glass is measured only after tile is set.
Bathroom Remodeling questions from Roeland Park homeowners
Why is a carbon monoxide alarm on my bathroom estimate?
Because Section 4-717 requires carbon monoxide alarms in existing homes with an attached garage or fuel-fired appliances whenever permitted work occurs. The section exempts exterior-only work such as roofs, siding and decks, and a bathroom remodel is not exterior work, so it applies. It is a modest line and it is on the estimate from the start rather than appearing at inspection.
How old are Roeland Park houses, really?
Older than most of the county. 1,291 units were built between 1940 and 1949 and 491 in 1939 or earlier, so 51.2 percent of the city predates 1950, and 77.3 percent predates 1960. Only 218 units in the whole city were built in 1990 or later.
Who inspects the work?
Neighborhood Services, in house. The Building Official is defined by City Code Section 4-101 as the City Administrator or a designee. Inspections are scheduled with 24 hours' notice through the city's CitizenServe portal.
Call (913) 395-8571 or request a written estimate before any work starts.