Built by Design

10/15/2026

Last week we talked about keeping this Overland Park addition from looking like an addition. Here’s how the sixteen weeks actually ran.

Weeks 1 to 3: prep, demo, planning how the old kitchen would open into the new space. Weeks 4 to 6: framing, structural work, tying the new roof into the existing one. Weeks 7 to 9: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, drywall. Weeks 10 to 12: ceiling and beams, flooring, cabinets, island. Weeks 13 to 16: counters, tile, appliances, lighting, paint, punch list, done.

Nothing surprising on that list, and that’s the point.

We’ll come to you. Message us or head to The link below to set up an in-home visit.

10/12/2026

The hard part of this Overland Park addition wasn’t the square footage.

The house already had a log-home feel. Warm wood, vaulted ceilings, a stone fireplace anchoring the room. Adding about 1,000 square feet next to that is exactly how a house ends up looking patched together, a bright new box hanging off a warm old one.

So the new space got the same language. Tongue-and-groove wood ceiling, exposed stained beams and trusses, and an island whose stained base ties straight to them. White cabinets and new appliances keep the kitchen current. The ceiling keeps it the same house.

Sixteen weeks, start to finish. Wednesday we’ll break down what happened in each one.

We’ll come to you. Message us or head to the Link below to set up an in-home visit.👇🔗

10/09/2026

Three photos, one pantry, start to finish.

First is raw shelving, MDF cut and set before any paint. That’s the stage nobody photographs, and it’s where the spacing actually gets decided. Second is the same shelves painted white, counter in, outlet above it, barn door hung. Third is the family using it.

A pantry doesn’t get a big reveal. It’s still the same process we run on a whole basement, just smaller, and you can see the whole thing in three frames.

We’ll come to you. Message us or head to the link below to set up an in-home visit.👇🔗

10/06/2026

Start with the bars. The Overland Park one has an island, so people can sit down and stay. The Olathe one skips it. The pool table sits in the middle of that room instead, close enough to the bar that nobody leaves the game to get a drink.

Olathe took twelve weeks and started builder-grade. Overland Park took fourteen and started as an unfinished shell, with a Murphy bed in the gym wall so the room handles workouts Tuesday and guests at Thanksgiving.

We'll come to you. Message us or head to the link in our bio to set up an in-home visit! 👇🔗

10/02/2026

People ask what design-build actually means. Here's the short version.

It starts at your kitchen table, not a showroom. We come to you, walk the space, and listen to what isn't working.

Kristen takes it from there on design. Mike takes it from there on construction. Same company, so nothing gets lost between the drawing and the build.

We've worked this way since 2004, through hundreds of remodels around Overland Park.

No handoff, no middleman, same people start to finish.

Ready to talk about yours? Message us here or request an in-home visit at the link below! 🔗👇🏼

09/30/2026

Most people look at a basement plan and see walls. We look at the ceiling first.

See the spots marked soffit? Those are lowered sections of ceiling that hide ductwork, pipes, and beams. There's a whole run of them down the middle of this one, and where they land can move a doorway or decide whether a room feels open or boxed in.

A few other things we're reading on this 1,158 square foot plan in:

The utility room stays reachable. At roughly 10 by 8, there's room to service the furnace and water heater and eventually replace them.

The proposed bedroom needs an egress window. The plan swaps the old metal frame window for a 4 by 4 emergency egress. A basement bedroom is an escape route before it's anything else.

The bathroom goes where the plumbing already is. The builder roughed it in under the slab, so working with it saves concrete demo.

What would you put in yours? Message us here or request an in-home visit. Link below! 🔗👇🏼

09/28/2026

The hard part of this Leawood kitchen was that the wish list worked against itself. They wanted the room to feel more open, and they wanted more storage. Those two usually fight each other.

So we gave every wall one job. Tall storage and the appliances on one. Sink and display cabinets on the next. The range as the focal point on the third. That left the middle of the room clear, so people can move through during a party without cutting anybody off from the counter.

Nine weeks, demo to final walkthrough.

If your kitchen's fighting you, message us here or request an in-home visit! Link in bio! 🔗👇🏼

09/25/2026

This Overland Park family wanted somewhere to entertain outside. Sixteen weeks later they had it, plus a room addition and an enclosed deck off the back of the house.

The patio sits below the deck with a gas fire pit in the middle and gliders pulled around it. Limestone block holds back the slope behind it.

What they talk about now isn't the construction. It's the kids and the grandkids and friends coming over, and having room for all of them either outside by the fire or up on the deck.

If your house is short on places to put people, we'll come to you. Message us or head to builtbydesignkc.com to set up an in-home visit.

09/18/2026

It's not blue. It's Adriatic Sea, and there's a difference. 🌀

That's real stone on the vanity, and it's the kind of blue that starts a debate. Blue walls to go with it. Blue in the shower niche, because why commit halfway. The white cabinets, black hardware, and marble tile hang back and let the counter do the talking, which is the only reason a room this blue still feels calm.

If someone's told you to play it safe with your countertop, consider this your permission slip.

We'll come to you. Message us or head to builtbydesignkc.com to set up an in-home visit.

09/16/2026