25 Years Remodeling Kansas City Homes: What Kris Kohrs Has Learned

Kris Kohrs shares practical planning lessons for Kansas City homeowners, from defining a clear scope to checking the right local process. This first-person guide focuses on informed decisions, responsible communication, and safer renovation planning.

Published 2027-09-21 · Updated 2027-09-21 · 6 min read · By Kris Kohrs, Owner, Precision Home Concepts

Precision Home Concepts LLC has served the Greater Kansas City metro since I founded the company in 2001. I am also clear about what that history does and does not mean. It does not make every house predictable. It does make the basics worth repeating: define the problem, make decisions in the right order, and keep the people doing the work accountable. Precision Home Concepts is fully insured. [1]

Start with the problem, not the room name

A kitchen, bath, basement, addition, or deck is a category. It is not yet a scope of work.

Before you call a remodeler, write down what is not working today. Is the kitchen short on prep space, storage, lighting, or circulation? Is the bathroom hard to use, poorly laid out, or simply worn out? Is the basement unfinished space you want to use more deliberately? The useful answer is specific enough to guide a decision.

Then separate needs from preferences. Needs affect how the space has to function. Preferences affect how you want it to feel. Both matter, but they should not be mixed together. A written list makes a kitchen remodeling or bathroom remodeling conversation more productive because we can start with the priorities instead of guessing.

I also recommend deciding who needs to be in the room when choices are made. A remodel can touch routines, storage, privacy, access, and maintenance. If the decision-makers are clear from the beginning, fewer questions have to be reopened later.

Put the whole scope on the table

The visible finish is only one part of a project. Cabinets, tile, paint, or a new door are easier to picture than the conditions behind them. A sound plan asks about layout, structural changes, plumbing, electrical work, heating and cooling, surfaces, storage, exterior details, and how the new work meets the existing home.

That does not mean every project needs the same level of investigation. It means a homeowner deserves to know which decisions are being made now and which questions remain open. An addition, for example, should begin with its relationship to the home and lot, not just a photo of a finished room. A finished basement needs a similar conversation about its intended use and the work that supports it.

The practical lesson is simple: do not approve a picture when what you need is a plan. A clear scope gives everyone something concrete to discuss before construction begins. It also creates a better place to handle options. If a choice changes the plan, write down what changes with it, rather than relying on memory or a quick conversation in a doorway.

Check the right local gate before work starts

Greater Kansas City is not one permitting jurisdiction. The address matters.

Kansas City, Missouri's Permits Division processes construction-permit applications and directs applicants to its CompassKC system. [2] In unincorporated Johnson County, the county tells homeowners to confirm that an address is in the unincorporated area before using its residential-remodel process. If the search returns a city name, the county directs the homeowner to that city's planning department. Its remodel page identifies interior remodels, additions, basement finishes, porches, attached garages, and sunrooms among the project types it covers. [3]

That distinction is important. Overland Park and Leawood are incorporated Johnson County cities, so do not assume the unincorporated Johnson County process applies to either address. Start with the city that governs the property. Leawood's Neighborhood Services page identifies construction projects without permits as a code-enforcement concern. [6] Lee's Summit has its own Development Services process and says permits are required for commercial buildings and remodels and for many residential repairs and additions, with inspections required at various construction phases. [4]

An HOA is another early check. If your home is in an association, review its governing documents and ask its board or architectural-review contact what it needs before you order exterior materials or schedule work. Keep that conversation separate from the city or county permit question. Both deserve a direct answer for your property.

I do not treat a permit as paperwork to address at the end. It belongs in the plan. The local authority, the property address, the scope, and any required documents should be identified before a homeowner is making final choices around assumptions.

Give older painted surfaces the attention they deserve

Age alone does not tell you everything about a house. But if a home was built before 1978, painted surfaces require a deliberate conversation before renovation work disturbs them. The federal government banned the sale of lead-based paint for homes in 1978, and EPA says renovation, repair, or painting in a pre-1978 building with lead-based paint can create hazardous lead dust. [5]

EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule generally requires paid firms disturbing painted surfaces in pre-1978 homes to be certified and to use trained workers and lead-safe work practices. [5] That is a safety and compliance question, not a detail to handle casually after demolition is underway.

Ask direct questions early: What painted surfaces could be disturbed? What is the plan for evaluating and controlling the risk? Who will explain the work area and cleanup? If you are planning a remodel in a pre-1978 home, EPA recommends hiring a contractor certified and trained in lead-safe work practices. [5]

Make decisions visible and changes understandable

Homeowners do not need construction jargon. They need a reliable way to see what has been decided and what still needs an answer.

For any project, I would keep one current record of the scope, selections, approved changes, open questions, and who owns the next response. That can be straightforward. The point is that the same information is not scattered across memory, text messages, and separate conversations.

When a question comes up, ask four things: What is the condition or choice? What are the options? What does each option change in the plan? What decision is needed now? This keeps a surprise from turning into vague pressure. It gives the homeowner room to understand the choice and gives the project team a record of the direction.

Clear communication is not a promise that an existing home will reveal no questions. It is the discipline of bringing questions forward, explaining them plainly, and documenting the decision. That is how a homeowner stays involved without having to manage every trade detail.

Choose an accountable path from idea to work

A homeowner should be able to tell who is responsible for the next step. If design, permits, engineering, inspections, and construction are part of the project, the handoffs should be understood before work begins. That is the value of a design-build approach: one coordinated path can make responsibilities easier to see.

My advice is to ask for the sequence in plain language. What happens before construction? What information is still needed? Who communicates decisions? How will changes be handled? How will the project be reviewed at completion? You can see the approach Precision Home Concepts uses on our process page.

I founded Precision Home Concepts to serve homeowners in the Greater Kansas City metro, and the standard I want to bring to a project is still direct: understand the home, define the work, respect the right local process, and communicate clearly. That is not a slogan. It is a practical way to make better decisions before work begins. [1]

References

[1] About Precision Home Concepts

[2] Permits | CITY OF KANSAS CITY | OFFICIAL WEBSITE

[3] Residential Remodel Permit

[4] Construction

[5] Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program

[6] Neighborhood Services

Ready to talk through your project? Call (816) 721-1124 or request a free estimate.