Residential Remodeling in Fort Lauderdale, FL

The cost of a residential remodel in Fort Lauderdale depends on four things: what you are remodeling, how large the space is, what materials you choose, and what the existing condition of the home looks like. A cosmetic bathroom refresh in a mid-range finish level typically starts in the low five figures. A full kitchen gut with new layout, custom cabinetry, and quartz countertops sits comfortably in the $50,000 to $90,000 range depending on size and selections. A whole-home renovation in Fort Lauderdale for a 1,800 to 2,500 sq ft home generally runs between $120,000 and $300,000 or more depending on scope depth. Older Fort Lauderdale homes built before 1990 often carry additional costs from outdated wiring, cast-iron drain lines, or original plumbing that needs to be brought up to current Florida building code. The only honest answer is one that comes after someone walks your home. At Renew Painting & Remodeling, we provide a real budget range at the free on-site estimate and a fixed written price after design and material selections are finalized.

The 30% rule is a general guideline in the remodeling industry that suggests you should not spend more than 30% of your home’s current market value on a single renovation project. The reasoning is that spending beyond that threshold rarely returns its full cost at resale. For example, if your Fort Lauderdale home is worth $500,000, the guideline suggests keeping any single remodel under $150,000 if your main goal is resale value. That said, the rule is a starting point, not a hard limit. Fort Lauderdale and Broward County have seen consistent home value appreciation, which means a well-executed kitchen or bathroom remodel often holds its value better here than in slower markets. If you are remodeling a home you plan to live in for 10 or more years, personal value and livability matter more than the 30% ceiling. If you are renovating to sell within two years, staying closer to that threshold makes more financial sense. We walk through this math with every client during the estimate conversation.

It depends on the size of the home and how deep the renovation goes. For a focused two-room remodel covering a kitchen and a primary bathroom in a mid-range finish, $100,000 is a workable budget in Fort Lauderdale. For a full cosmetic refresh of a 1,400 to 1,600 sq ft home covering flooring, paint, trim, and fixture updates throughout, $100,000 can cover it. For a full gut renovation of a 2,500 sq ft home with structural changes, new plumbing, electrical upgrades, and custom finishes throughout, $100,000 is not enough. Fort Lauderdale labor and material costs reflect a South Florida market, which runs higher than national averages. Permit costs, hurricane impact compliance, and flood zone requirements in Broward County also add to project budgets that homeowners in other states would not encounter. At Renew, we are straightforward about what a given budget can realistically accomplish and we tell you clearly during the estimate if your number and your vision are not aligned.

In Fort Lauderdale, $30,000 is enough for a mid-range kitchen refresh. That typically covers cabinet refinishing or semi-custom cabinet replacement, new countertops in quartz or granite, updated fixtures, a tile or backsplash refresh, paint, and new lighting. What it usually does not cover is a full layout change that involves moving plumbing or relocating the island, high-end custom cabinetry, luxury appliance packages, or a full electrical panel upgrade if your kitchen is running on an older circuit. If you want a complete gut renovation with custom everything, plan for a budget starting closer to $60,000 to $80,000 in this market. We design to your budget when the numbers work and is direct with you when they do not. There is no benefit to starting a project that is underfunded from day one.

Most residential remodeling work in Fort Lauderdale that goes beyond cosmetic updates requires a permit through the City of Fort Lauderdale Building Services Division or the applicable Broward County municipality. Work that almost always requires a permit includes anything touching electrical wiring or the panel, any plumbing rough-in or relocation, structural changes like removing or moving walls, adding square footage, converting a garage, installing a new HVAC system, and exterior work that affects the building envelope. Work that typically does not require a permit includes painting, flooring replacement over existing subfloor, cabinet refinishing, and fixture swaps that do not involve moving supply or drain lines. Fort Lauderdale also has specific requirements tied to FEMA flood zones and wind mitigation that affect certain remodel scopes. Pulling permits without proper documentation can create serious problems at resale when a title search surfaces unpermitted work. Our Team pulls every required permit under our Florida contractor’s license and manages all inspections from start to final sign-off.

Timeline varies by scope and permit processing time. A bathroom remodel in Fort Lauderdale typically runs three to five weeks from demo to final tile and fixture installation. A kitchen remodel runs six to ten weeks depending on cabinet lead times and whether layout changes require rough-in inspections. A whole-home renovation generally runs three to six months for a standard Broward County single-family home. Permit review timelines with the City of Fort Lauderdale or local municipalities can add two to six weeks at the front of the project before physical construction begins. Material lead times for custom cabinetry, specialty tile, or specific appliances also affect the schedule. We provide a written project schedule with every contract, broken down by phase, so you know what is happening each week and where the natural hold points are. We do not give optimistic timelines to win the job and then miss them by three months.

Florida requires all contractors performing residential remodeling beyond basic cosmetic work to hold a state-issued license through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, commonly called the DBPR. You can verify any contractor’s license status at myfloridalicense.com by searching their name or license number. A licensed general contractor in Florida is authorized to pull permits, manage subcontractors, and take legal responsibility for the work performed on your home. An unlicensed contractor cannot legally pull permits, which means unpermitted work may not pass inspection and can create liability issues for you as the homeowner. When evaluating Fort Lauderdale remodeling contractors, ask for their Florida license number, verify it on the DBPR site, and confirm they carry general liability insurance and workers compensation coverage. Renew Painting & Remodeling is fully licensed and insured in Florida, and we are happy to provide our license number before any contract conversation.

Start with license and insurance verification, which are non-negotiable in Florida. Beyond that, look for a contractor who provides a written scope before any work begins, a fixed price rather than a rough estimate that gets revised mid-project, and a single point of contact who manages the project from start to finish. In Fort Lauderdale specifically, look for experience with local permitting requirements, familiarity with Broward County building code, and knowledge of South Florida-specific conditions like humidity, salt air, hurricane impact requirements, and FEMA flood zone compliance. Read reviews specifically for project management quality, not just finished results. A beautiful kitchen that took 14 months and three project managers is not a success. Ask for references from completed projects in your neighborhood and ask those homeowners how the contractor handled unexpected problems mid-project, because every remodel has at least one.

Most homeowners can and do stay in the home during a remodel, even during larger projects. Renew Painting & Remodeling phases all projects to maintain at least one functional bathroom and a usable cooking or food prep space throughout construction. We also establish clean containment zones each day and do full job-site cleanup at the end of every working day, which makes living through a remodel significantly more manageable than most homeowners expect. For whole-home gut renovations where every bathroom is offline simultaneously, or for projects involving roof work, HVAC replacement, or major structural changes that affect multiple rooms at once, we sometimes recommend a short-term rental for one to four weeks during the heaviest phase of construction. We discuss this realistically during the estimate walk-through based on your specific project scope and personal situation.

These terms are often used interchangeably but technically describe different scopes of work. A renovation generally refers to restoring or updating what already exists, replacing worn finishes, updating fixtures, repainting, or refinishing cabinets without changing the underlying layout or structure. A remodel involves changing the function, layout, or structure of a space, moving walls, relocating plumbing, expanding square footage, or reconfiguring a floor plan. In practice, most Fort Lauderdale homeowners use both approaches in the same project: they renovate some areas with updated finishes and remodel others with layout or structural changes. Both types of work may require permits in Fort Lauderdale depending on what trades are involved. When you speak with Renew, we ask about your goals rather than the label so we can scope the right combination of work for your home and your budget.

A bathroom remodel in Fort Lauderdale typically ranges from $12,000 to $35,000 for a standard guest or secondary bathroom depending on finish level and whether any plumbing is being relocated. A primary suite bathroom with a walk-in shower, freestanding tub, double vanity, and full retile generally runs between $30,000 and $65,000 or more depending on material selections and the size of the space. South Florida bathrooms carry additional cost considerations that homeowners in other states do not face: waterproofing requirements are more stringent given the humidity, ventilation and exhaust upgrades are often needed to meet current Florida building code, and salt-air corrosion means material choices matter more here than in a dry climate. An accessible or aging-in-place bathroom remodel with zero-threshold showers, grab bars, and wider doorways sits in a similar range but may involve structural modifications that affect the final number. Renew Painting & Remodeling provides a fixed written price after the design and selection phase so you know the full cost before any work begins.

Home addition costs in Fort Lauderdale vary significantly based on the type of addition, the square footage being added, and the complexity of tying the new structure into the existing home. A single-room addition such as a bedroom or sunroom typically starts around $80,000 to $150,000 in this market. A second-story addition on a Fort Lauderdale single-family home generally runs between $150,000 and $350,000 depending on the footprint and whether the existing structure requires reinforcement. Garage conversions to living space are usually the most affordable square footage addition, often running $40,000 to $80,000 depending on finish level and HVAC requirements. Fort Lauderdale additions carry specific cost factors beyond standard construction: FEMA flood zone compliance, hurricane impact requirements for windows and doors, setback rules enforced by the City of Fort Lauderdale or Broward County, and structural engineering coordination all add to the permit and construction cost. Renew Painting & Remodeling manages the full addition scope including design, structural engineering coordination, permitting, and construction under one contract.

A whole home renovation in Fort Lauderdale for a standard single-family home typically ranges from $100,000 on the low end for a cosmetic-only refresh to $400,000 or more for a full gut renovation with structural changes, new mechanical systems, and high-end finishes throughout. For a 1,400 to 1,800 sq ft Fort Lauderdale home, a mid-range full renovation covering new flooring throughout, full kitchen remodel, two bathroom remodels, interior and exterior paint, and updated trim and fixtures generally runs between $120,000 and $200,000. For a 2,500 sq ft home with layout changes, a primary suite expansion, custom kitchen, and premium finishes, budgets of $250,000 to $350,000 are common in this market. Fort Lauderdale whole home renovations are also affected by the age of the home. Properties built before 1985 often require electrical panel upgrades, cast-iron drain line replacement, and window replacements to meet current hurricane impact code, all of which add cost that a newer home would not carry. Renew Painting & Remodeling scopes every whole home renovation line by line after the on-site walk-through so the number you receive is based on your actual home, not a square footage formula.

Some residential remodeling contractors in Fort Lauderdale offer in-house financing or work with third-party lending partners to help homeowners fund larger projects. Common financing options include home improvement loans, home equity lines of credit, and contractor-arranged financing through companies like GreenSky or similar platforms. A home equity line of credit, or HELOC, is often the most cost-effective option for Fort Lauderdale homeowners who have built equity, since current South Florida home values have increased significantly over the past several years and rates on secured credit tend to be lower than unsecured personal loans. It is worth noting that financing terms, rates, and eligibility vary based on your credit profile and the lender, so comparing options before committing to a specific program makes sense. At Renew, we provide fixed written pricing so you have a clear number to take to any lender or financing conversation before the project begins.