Wichita Home Remodel With an Attached Garage Addition

A whole-home transformation of this scale—encompassing a complete interior renovation, exterior upgrades, a significant addition, and a finished basement—would likely fall in the range of $850,000 to $1,000,000 in the 2026–2027 construction market. Upon completion, this home encompassed approximately 3,953 square feet, including nearly 1,192 square feet of newly added living space. The project featured several substantial enhancements, including the dramatic vaulted ceiling in the great room, which significantly transformed the home's character and openness. Custom cabinetry was a major investment throughout the project, extending beyond the kitchen to include a fully customized pantry and primary closet. Combined, the cabinetry package exceeded $100,000. The expansive rear deck also represented a significant portion of the overall investment, creating a seamless connection between the indoor and outdoor living spaces.

Projects of this caliber are more than remodels; they are comprehensive reinventions of a home, requiring extensive planning, skilled craftsmanship, and coordination across every phase of construction. Of course, construction costs are a moving target. Labor rates, material availability, inflation, and market conditions can all influence final pricing. Material selections also play a significant role, with costs varying dramatically between standard and premium finishes, as well as between domestically sourced products and imported materials that may be subject to changing tariffs, duties, and transportation costs. As a result, similar projects completed several years apart can carry substantially different price tags despite having nearly identical scopes of work.

Projects of this scope are typically completed within 6 to 8 months, with residential permitting in Kansas generally being a straightforward process unless factors such as floodplain requirements or zoning variances are involved. The design phase can vary considerably, taking as little as six weeks with a highly motivated client or extending to six months or longer when scheduling challenges arise or major decisions take additional time. In this case, the project could have been completed within the typical 6-to-8-month timeframe if all selections and decisions had been finalized early; however, several significant changes and additions were made during the process, resulting in an extended schedule.

After the roof and siding were completed, the homeowners asked whether it would be possible to increase the ceiling height in the great room. Although the room was already quite large at approximately 750 square feet, it still had the original 8-foot ceiling height, which no longer felt proportional to the scale of the space. The idea had been discussed during the design phase but was ultimately deferred at that time.

Fortunately, we were still early enough in construction to evaluate the change. While plumbing and HVAC rough-ins were underway, we paused the electrical work until a decision could be made. After preparing preliminary concepts and a cost estimate, the homeowners decided the enhancement was worth pursuing. We developed the revised plans, presented the new design, and received approval to move forward.

The resulting change order was approximately $100,000 and required significant modifications to completed work. Specialized windows had to be reordered to accommodate the new ceiling design, and their custom shapes resulted in longer lead times. Once the windows arrived, we coordinated the return of multiple trade partners—including the framing, roofing, siding, electrical, and HVAC teams—to complete the revised scope of work and install the fireplace within the updated space.

While the change added an estimated three months to the project schedule and disrupted the construction momentum we had established, the final result was well worth the additional investment and time. The vaulted ceiling dramatically enhanced the character, scale, and overall feel of the great room, and in hindsight, it is difficult to imagine the space any other way.

One of the more interesting challenges involved tying the existing garage into the remodeled home. As construction progressed, we discovered the garage was not perfectly parallel to the house, requiring some creative carpentry and framing adjustments when modifying the roofline. While not uncommon in remodeling projects, these existing conditions required careful planning and craftsmanship to create a seamless finished appearance. Because the project involved extensive renovations throughout the home, we essentially started fresh with most of the major systems, which simplified many aspects of the construction process. In addition, nearly every window and door opening was either relocated, resized, or completely reframed to support the new floor plan, improve functionality, and maximize natural light throughout the home.