FULL REMODELING & CUSTOM DESIGN

Kitchen Remodeling in South Florida

The room that carries the most detail.

What a kitchen remodel with LIVARK involves

LIVARK remodels kitchens across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, from a new layout down to the cabinets, counters, lighting and finishes. We design the kitchen in house, including the cabinetry, handle the permits, and run the build through to final inspection. It starts with a 30-minute call about your kitchen and how you use it.

What’s included in a LIVARK kitchen remodel

Layout planning

Work triangle, storage and clearances planned around the way you cook.

Cabinetry and finishes

Cabinetry designed in house to fit your room, with finishes chosen to hold up in South Florida humidity.

Full installation

Plumbing, electrical, tile and cabinetry coordinated on one schedule.

Countertops and backsplash

Stone or quartz counters, measured once the cabinets are in so they fit exactly, and a backsplash to finish the wall.

Lighting and electrical

Ceiling, task and under-cabinet lighting, with outlets and circuits where the new layout needs them.

Appliance planning

Sizes, power, gas and ventilation worked out before the cabinets are ordered, so everything fits.

What drives the cost of a kitchen remodel in South Florida

The price of a kitchen remodel comes from its scope, and three things move it more than anything else.

Moving things. Keeping the sink, range and walls where they are costs less than moving them. Relocating plumbing, a gas line or a wall brings in more trades, more inspections and more time.

Cabinetry and finishes. The gap between a standard cabinet build and a custom one is wide, and counters, tile and fixtures work the same way.

What’s behind the walls. Many South Florida homes built before the mid-1970s still have their original cast-iron drain lines. Plenty are in working order. Some are cracked or scaled inside and need replacing once they are exposed, which is why the condition of an older home can change the final number.

Before any work starts, you get a written scope and a price, so you know the number before anything is torn out.

Cabinets and materials that hold up in South Florida humidity

In a humid, salty climate, what a cabinet is built from, how it is finished and what hardware it uses matter more than the door style.

The climate. In Miami, relative humidity averages 84% in the morning and 61% in the afternoon. Air conditioning keeps a kitchen dry while it runs. The risk is a home closed up for the summer, which is why FPL tells seasonal residents to keep indoor humidity below 60%.

The cabinet box. Plywood stands up to moisture and holds screws better than particleboard. Particleboard that gets wet swells and stays swollen, and the sink base and the cabinets beside the dishwasher show it first.

Doors and finishes. Painted MDF doors should be sealed on all six sides, not only the front, so steam can’t get into the edges. Thermofoil can peel near an oven or dishwasher. Factory-applied finishes resist moisture better than finishes applied on site.

Near the water. Salt air corrodes ordinary hardware. 316 stainless steel, the marine grade, contains molybdenum and resists salt air better than the more common 304.

Counters. Quartz does well indoors. It can fade where strong sun hits it directly for long stretches, and it shouldn’t take a hot pan straight from the stove. A counter that sits in full afternoon sun is worth planning around.

Permits and timelines in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach

Most kitchen remodels need a permit, because most of them touch plumbing, electrical, gas or walls. We handle the permit and the inspections.

What needs one. Replacing cabinets in the same layout can be exempt in some places. Unincorporated Miami-Dade is one of them. Once plumbing, wiring, gas or a wall moves, you need a permit.

Who reviews it. The permit comes from the city your home is in, or from the county if you’re in an unincorporated area. Miami-Dade alone has 34 municipalities, each with its own building department and its own review times. That’s one reason a timeline can’t be set before the address is known.

Paperwork you’ll see. On contracts over $5,000, Florida law requires a Notice of Commencement. The owner has to sign it, it is recorded with the county clerk, and a copy is posted at the job site before the first inspection.

Flood zones. If your home is in a FEMA flood zone, the cost of the remodel counts toward the 50% rule, which compares improvement costs with the building’s value. Some cities add up permits over time. Miami Beach, for example, counts the past twelve months.

How long it takes. That depends on the scope, the city’s review and material lead times, especially cabinets and stone. The city sets the pace of its review. What we handle is everything around it: the drawings, the paperwork and the material orders. With years of experience on permits, scopes and materials, we have those ready, so the job doesn’t wait on our side.

Custom requirements: kosher kitchens, accessibility and more

We design around how your household cooks, eats and lives, not around a standard layout.

Kosher kitchens. Keeping kosher shapes the whole plan: separate meat and dairy zones, often two sinks, and room for separate dishwashers, ovens and storage.

Accessibility and aging in place. Wider walkways, counters at more than one height, and storage you can reach without a step stool. The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), which LIVARK is a member of, publishes planning guidelines that include recommendations for people who use a wheelchair or other mobility aid.

Other ways of cooking. Multi-generational homes, families who cook for a crowd, serious home cooks who want a second prep area, households that manage food allergies and need separate prep and storage, and other dietary or religious practices. Tell us how your kitchen needs to work, and we design to that.

How a kitchen remodel runs, step by step

Four steps, with the same team from the first call to the final walkthrough.

1. Planning

We walk through the space with you, take measurements and talk through how you use the kitchen, what you want to change and your budget. You decide the scope.

2. Design

We draw the layout and the cabinetry, and you choose counters, finishes, fixtures and appliances. You approve the design and the written price.

3. Permitting

The plans go to your city’s building department for review. On contracts over $5,000, you sign the Notice of Commencement. Our team helps you with it, so you know what you’re signing and when.

4. Build

Demolition, rough-in and inspections, then cabinets, counters and finishes, then the final inspection and a walkthrough with you.

Before and after

Drag the handle to compare.

Wood kitchen with floating shelves, wall ovens and a quartz peninsula

Before

After

COMMON QUESTIONS

Kitchen remodeling questions

Do I need a permit to remodel my kitchen?

In most cases, yes. Any work that touches plumbing, electrical, gas or walls needs one. Replacing cabinets in the same layout can be exempt, depending on where you live. We handle the permit and the inspections.

Can you keep my layout and replace only the cabinets and counters?

Yes. Keeping the sink, range and walls where they are is usually the fastest and least expensive way to remodel a kitchen. We’ll tell you if the current layout works, or if one change would make a real difference.

Can we live at home during a kitchen remodel?

Usually, yes. The hard part is going without a working kitchen for part of the build, so it helps to plan for that before work starts: which stages take the kitchen out of use, and roughly how long each lasts once the schedule is set.

How do you handle budget and change orders?

You get a detailed scope and price before we start. Any change is priced and approved in writing before the work happens, so the number you agreed to is the number you pay.

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes. LIVARK is a Florida Certified General Contractor, license CGC1538621, and is insured. You can verify the license at MyFloridaLicense.com. We’re also a member of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA).

Which areas do you serve?

South Florida: Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.

Tell us about your project.

Book a call, call us, or send a message. Whichever is easiest for you.

Service area
South Florida: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach

What happens next
Someone from our team will get back to you to talk through the project and the next step.

Pick a time that works for you. We’ll call you.