A full kitchen remodel in Fort Pierce means the room is rebuilt from the floor line up: we tear out the old cabinets and tops, set new cabinets, fabricate and install stone countertops, fit the backsplash and mount the sink, all under one written scope. It is the largest job we take on under our kitchen remodeling in Fort Pierce North service, run from our shop on Metzger Rd.
Most of the hard thinking happens before anything is pulled off the wall. A kitchen design consultation settles the layout, slab and sink, and the kitchen backsplash is chosen alongside the countertop so both can come from the same stone if you want that look.
Not every dated kitchen needs a gut job. If your cabinet boxes are solid and you mainly want new surfaces, a countertop replacement may cost far less, and Victor will tell you so at the estimate.
Part of our kitchen remodeling in Fort Pierce North services.
What's Included
A full remodel with us is one contract for the parts of the kitchen you touch every day. Victor first measures the room and checks the floor and walls, since an older slab is often out of level and new cabinets must be shimmed true before stone goes on them. The old cabinets, tops, backsplash and sink then come out, with floors and doorways covered. New boxes are set, leveled and fastened before we template, so the stone is cut to the cabinets that will carry it. Install day sets and seams the tops, seals natural stone, mounts the sink and adds the backsplash. Licensed work is never buried in the scope: if your plan moves the sink, adds an island circuit or opens a wall, the estimate gives that item its own line and says how it is handled.
- A free in-home visit where Victor measures the room, checks the floor and walls for level and asks how you cook, store and entertain
- Removal of the old cabinets, countertops and backsplash, with the debris hauled away rather than left at the curb
- New base and wall cabinets set, shimmed and fastened so they can carry stone without flexing
- Granite, quartz, marble or quartzite countertops templated on the new cabinets, then cut, edged and installed
- A matching slab or tile backsplash, the sink mounted in the stone and the cooktop opening cut to the appliance
- A written scope and schedule that flags any plumbing, electrical or wall change and explains how that part is handled
Do You Need a Full Remodel or Just New Tops?
New tops fix a tired surface, not failing boxes or a layout that works against you. Rain in ZIP 34945 averages about 54.7 inches a year, against 38 inches nationally (Bestplaces), so humidity and slow drips reach Fort Pierce cabinets first. Signs that point past a top swap to a full remodel:
- The sink base floor is spongy or stained from years of slow drips
- Wall cabinets hang from a soffit that wastes the top foot of storage
- There is no landing space beside the refrigerator or the range
- The kitchen is walled off from the family room and the sliders to the lanai
- Particleboard boxes sag under the old tops, so new stone would rock or crack on them
- Hinges and drawer slides have rusted, common in homes near the lagoon or the beach
Two or three of these together usually justify the full job, since cabinets, plumbing and layout get paid for once instead of in stages.
What Does a Complete Kitchen Remodel in Fort Pierce Cover?
A complete remodel touches every surface you work on, but it does not have to touch every pipe and wire. The table shows the stages we plan for, and where the rules change once a stage moves something rather than replacing it in place.
| Stage | What happens | Permit picture |
|---|---|---|
| Tear-out | Old cabinets, tops and backsplash removed; floors protected | Not a permit trigger on its own |
| Cabinets | New boxes set level, fastened and trimmed | The county's no-permit list covers cabinet replacement with no electrical or plumbing change (St. Lucie County Government) |
| Countertops and backsplash | Templated, fabricated and installed in stone or tile | Florida DBPR does not require state licensure for countertops, cabinets or tile |
| Sink | Mounted in the new top; faucet and drain reconnected | Exempt only when the sink stays in the same spot (St. Lucie County Government) |
| Moved plumbing, new circuits, opened walls | Layout changes beyond a like-for-like swap | Licensed, permitted work; within Fort Pierce city limits, separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits apply (City of Fort Pierce) |
We tell you at the estimate which rows your plan falls into. If a stage needs a licensed trade, the written scope says so in plain words before you sign.
Same Footprint or Kitchen Gut Remodel?
Keeping the sink, range and refrigerator where they are is the single biggest lever on cost and calendar. The drain, supply lines, gas or range circuit and hood duct already exist, so the remodel becomes cabinets, stone and finishes rather than construction. A gut remodel that moves the sink to an island or takes out a wall adds licensed work, permits and inspection time.
Fort Pierce has a lot of kitchens from the era when gut remodels pay off: the median home in the city was built in 1982, with 24% of housing units going up in the 1980s and 18.8% in the 1970s (Point2 Homes). Those kitchens often have a closed-off layout, a soft sink base and soffits over the wall cabinets, the same signs listed above that make a deeper remodel worth it.
If none of those apply, a same-footprint kitchen remodel with new cabinets and countertops usually gives you most of the result for a smaller share of the disruption.
How Long Does a Kitchen Renovation Take, Start to Finish?
Plan for three phases. Deciding takes as long as you need, and it is the phase that saves the most money when it is done well. Waiting comes next: cabinet lead times depend on the line you choose, and any permit adds its review time; simple trade permits typically approve in 1 to 5 business days (FL Permit Help). The working phase, when the kitchen is actually out of service, is the shortest of the three.
That last phase can move fast once materials are here. A Google reviewer describes calling on a Monday with the full kitchen in by Wednesday. That is an example, not a promise; your written schedule shows the real dates for your job, including the gap between cabinets going in and the stone being templated on them.
A temporary kitchen in the laundry room or on a covered lanai, with a microwave, a kettle and a folding table, makes the out-of-service days easy to live with.
Whole Kitchen Remodel Cost: What St. Lucie County Owners Spend
Published figures give a useful range. Manta's 2025 data puts St. Lucie County kitchen remodels between $6,551 and $32,759, with a Fort Pierce-area average of $19,655 (Manta, 2025). Across Florida, cosmetic remodels run $8,000 to $15,000, mid-range $20,000 to $45,000 and high-end $50,000 to $85,000 (Kitchen Depot, Florida, 2026). Those are other people's numbers; ours come in writing after we measure.
Homeowners in Port St. Lucie asking about a full kitchen renovation often land in the cosmetic-to-mid range, because newer builder-grade layouts work well and only the cabinets and tops need replacing.
Talk to the shop before you buy a slab.
Free in-home estimates · Mon–Fri 7:00–4:30 · weekend estimates by appointment
How the Job Runs, Step by Step
- Call us, then walk the room together. Describe the house, the kitchen and what has to change, and we book a free in-home visit on a weekday, or on a Saturday if you ask. Victor measures, checks level and talks through which appliances stay, where the sink goes and how much storage you need.
- Written estimate and schedule. You get the scope line by line, with the cabinet order, any licensed work and the install dates spelled out.
- Tear-out. Floors and doorways are protected, old cabinets and tops come out and the debris leaves with us.
- Cabinets, then template. New cabinets are set and leveled, then we template the stone on them with your sink and faucet on hand.
- Fabricate and install. The slabs are cut and edged at our shop, set on the cabinets, seamed, sealed if natural stone, and the backsplash goes on.
- Final walk-through. We go over the kitchen with you, fix anything on the list and explain how to care for the stone.
Questions about full kitchen remodel? Call the shop.
Free in-home estimates · Mon–Fri 7:00–4:30 · weekend estimates by appointment
What Affects the Price
Every full remodel is quoted in writing after the measuring visit. We do not publish package prices because two kitchens of the same size can differ by thousands depending on these choices:
- Cabinet line and construction: stock, semi-custom or custom, plus the number of drawers and pull-outs
- Countertop material and slab level, from entry granite to veined quartz, marble or quartzite
- Layout changes that move the sink, range or walls and bring in licensed plumbing or electrical work
- Backsplash choice: a 4-inch strip, tile or a full-height slab
- Tear-out difficulty, such as tile tops set in mortar or soffits that come down
- Permits and inspections where the plan requires them
- Repairs found once the old cabinets are out, such as a soaked subfloor or polybutylene supply lines, written in as allowances
- Appliance changes, because a wider range, a new hood size or a panel-ready dishwasher alters the cabinet widths around it
Permits and Licensing for a Full Kitchen Remodel in St. Lucie County
A full remodel mixes exempt and licensed work. Florida DBPR requires no state license for cabinets, countertops, tile or paint; plumbing, electrical and structural work each call for a contractor licensed in that trade. St. Lucie County's no-permit list covers cabinet replacement with no plumbing or electrical change, and a sink replaced in place (St. Lucie County Government).
Your address decides who reviews the rest. Unincorporated parcels go to the county's Building & Code Regulation Division, while within Fort Pierce city limits the city building department adds its trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) on top of a building permit, a requirement the City of Fort Pierce states plainly. Condos add association approval before demolition.
Why VD Quality Design for Full Kitchen Remodel
- One family-run shop handles cabinets and stone together, so there is no gap between the cabinet installer and the countertop fabricator
- Victor, the owner, measures the room and advises on the plan, so the person quoting the job knows your kitchen firsthand
- 4.9 stars across 31 Google reviews, and one reviewer has had Victor do three or four kitchens
- Free in-home estimates in writing, weekday hours from 7:00 a.m. and weekend appointments on request
- Rated A+ by the BBB, paid by cash, check, Zelle or card, and staffed by a crew reviewers say cleaned up after themselves
Reviews From Full Kitchen Customers
V.D Quality Design Granite & Marble holds a 4.9-star average from 31 Google reviews (checked November 2026).
“Excellent service and quick, called on a Monday and he installed a full kitchen by Wednesday prices are fair and quick response 100% recommended”
“Nice people. Did a great job. This is third or fourth kitchen Victor did for us. Very professional and always on time. Very happy with his work.”
“Helped with my kitchen remodeling. Quick an ez”
Where We Install Full Kitchen Remodel
Full remodels come from across the county: older block homes in Fort Pierce and Fort Pierce South, builder-grade kitchens in Port St. Lucie, and 1970s to 1990s houses in Indian River Estates.
- Fort Pierce North: Our own community off Metzger Rd, where remodel permits go to the county.
- Fort Pierce: Older block and frame homes near downtown; city limits mean separate trade permits.
- Fort Pierce South: Single-story block homes, many with original kitchens, under county review.
- Lakewood Park: Near 55+ communities, where deep drawers replace hard-to-reach base shelves.
- White City: Older ranch homes on larger lots, where a closed kitchen can open to the patio.
- Indian River Estates: 1970s–90s homes where original laminate and particleboard boxes come out together.
- River Park: 1960s–70s canal homes whose supply lines deserve a look with the cabinets out.
- Port St. Lucie: Builder-grade kitchens, often remodeled on the same footprint to keep costs down.
- St. Lucie Village: Older custom homes on lagoon-view lots, where salt air has reached the hardware.
Full Kitchen Remodel FAQs
What does a full kitchen remodel include?
Ours covers tear-out and haul-away, new cabinets set level, stone countertops templated on those cabinets, a backsplash, and the sink mounted in the new top. Appliance hookups, moved plumbing or new circuits count as licensed work, and the written estimate states how each one is handled for your kitchen so nothing falls between trades.
How long are we without a kitchen during a full remodel?
Usually days rather than weeks, because we keep the room usable until the cabinets and stone are ready. The kitchen goes out of service at tear-out and comes back when the tops and sink are in. Permits, cabinet delivery and any moved plumbing stretch that window, and your written schedule shows the expected dates.
Do you remove and haul away the old cabinets and tops?
Yes. Removal and disposal are listed on the estimate as their own line, and our crew takes the old cabinets, countertops and backsplash with them. Tile tops set in a mortar bed take longer to break out than laminate, so tell us what is on your counters now and we will price it accordingly.
Can you work with an existing layout to keep costs down?
Yes, and it is often the smartest move. With the sink, range and refrigerator staying put, no drain lines or circuits move, and St. Lucie County exempts cabinet replacement with no plumbing or electrical change from a permit. You still get new cabinets, stone and backsplash, just without the construction.
Do you do full kitchen remodels in Port St. Lucie?
Yes. Port St. Lucie is about 25 minutes from our Metzger Rd shop, and many newer homes there have builder-grade cabinets and tops that are ready for an upgrade. Permits there go through the city's own building department instead of the county, and we confirm what your plan needs before work starts.
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