Two things define a Fairway bathroom. The first is the house: built between 1940 and 1959 in nearly three quarters of cases, which means cast iron waste, ungrounded two-wire branch circuits at the vanity and plaster on lath behind the tile. The second is the permit structure. Fairway does not roll the trades into a single building permit the way most of its neighbours do; electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing, siding, decks, driveways, flatwork and interior demolition each carry their own application and their own flat fee. A bathroom therefore generates several permit records rather than one. Electrical is checked against the 2011 National Electrical Code, which is the oldest edition enforced anywhere in this market.
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 Fairway homes
- Cast iron waste on a drain layout designed around the single bathroom a 1951 house was built with.
- Ungrounded two-wire branch circuits at the vanity, original to the house and never updated.
- Plaster on lath behind the tile, which is a different demolition from drywall in both dust and repair.
- A room sized for 1951 where the homeowner's fixture plan assumes clearances the walls do not allow.
Working in Fairway, KS
Fairway is a single build-out. Of roughly 1,817 housing units, about 1,278 went up between 1940 and 1959, close to 70 percent of the entire city, and not one unit was built during the 1980s. The median year built is 1951. The practical consequence is that a Fairway remodel starts from original post-war construction: cast iron drain stacks, early sixty or hundred amp service, ungrounded two-wire branch circuits and plaster on lath rather than drywall. The city runs its own Building and Planning Department with a CitizenServe permit portal, and it enforces the oldest code cycle in this market. Fairway is on the 2012 International Residential Code with appendices A, B, C, G and J, adopted by Ordinance 1610 effective December 14, 2015, alongside the 2012 energy code and the 2011 National Electrical Code. MrImproveIt carries the Johnson County contractor licence that Fairway's code requires be shown to the Building Inspector before any work requiring a building permit.
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 Fairway
Fairway's permit structure shows up on the estimate in a way most cities' do not. Because electrical, plumbing, mechanical and interior demolition are separate applications with separate flat fees, a bathroom here carries several permit lines instead of one, and they are listed separately rather than buried. The larger swings are physical. Cast iron waste on a single-bathroom drain layout decides whether the work stays local or runs back toward the stack, and ungrounded two-wire circuits at the vanity decide how far the electrical has to reach. Both are quoted as their own decision points rather than folded into a lump sum.
Permits and inspections for this work in Fairway
Bathroom work is permitted by the City of Fairway Building and Planning Department through the city's CitizenServe portal, and Fairway breaks the work into separate permits rather than rolling the trades into one. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and interior demolition each carry their own application and their own flat fee. Review runs against the 2012 IRC adopted by Ordinance 1610, effective December 14, 2015, with the 2011 National Electrical Code. City code requires a contractor to show the Building Inspector a current and valid Johnson County contractor licence before performing work requiring a building permit. 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 Fairway 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 Fairway homeowners
Why does my Fairway bathroom need several permits?
Because the city breaks work into separate permits rather than rolling trades into one building permit. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and interior demolition each carry their own application and their own flat fee. It is more paperwork than a neighbouring city, and the fees are listed separately on the estimate rather than buried.
Is Fairway's electrical code really that old?
Yes. Fairway enforces the 2011 National Electrical Code, the oldest edition in force anywhere in this market. Overland Park, a short drive south, is on the 2023 edition. That is a genuine difference in what a vanity circuit is checked against.
What is behind the wall in a 1951 Fairway bathroom?
Usually cast iron waste on a layout designed around the one bathroom the house was built with, ungrounded two-wire branch circuits, and plaster on lath rather than drywall. About 70 percent of this city was built between 1940 and 1959, so that combination is the norm rather than the exception.
Call (913) 395-8571 or request a written estimate before any work starts.