Cabinets & Countertops in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea - Same-Day Service, Done Right the First Time

How Much Do Cabinets & Countertops Cost in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and How Long Does the Job Take?

What Actually Happens During a Cabinets & Countertops Job

We’ve done enough of these in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s 1960s-1980s condos to know the sequence by heart. Here’s how the days break down, and what you’ll need to decide at each point.

Day 1-2: Demo and field measure. We pull the old cabinets, countertop, and backsplash down to the subfloor and wall studs. In Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s older buildings, this is where we find the surprises: corroded aluminum window frames behind the sink cabinet, water-damaged drywall from years of salt-air infiltration, or electrical that predates GFCI requirements. We document everything and send you a revised scope if the hidden conditions change the plan. You’ll decide now whether to relocate the sink, add under-cabinet lighting, or upgrade outlets while walls are open.

Day 3-5: Rough prep and inspections. We level floors (many of these older slabs have settled), repair wall substrate, and run any new electrical or plumbing rough-in. If your building falls under the post-Surfside SB 4-D milestone inspection program - and most 3+ story structures in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea do at 25 years - we coordinate with your property manager to ensure our work doesn’t conflict with scheduled structural remediation. This is where permit status gets confirmed; most cabinet and countertop replacements don’t trigger full permits, but electrical or plumbing changes do.

Week 2: Cabinet delivery and install. Lead times vary by manufacturer. Stock KraftMaid or Wellborn cabinets ship in 2-3 weeks; semi-custom add 4-6 weeks. We install boxes, level, shim, and secure to studs. You’ll do a walk-through to confirm door swing directions, drawer alignment, and hardware placement before we move to counters.

Day 10-12: Countertop template and fabrication. We template directly on the installed cabinets - never from old measurements, since new boxes sit differently. Fabrication takes 5-10 business days depending on material: quartz from Cambria, Silestone, or Caesarstone moves faster than exotic granites or waterfall-edge details. You’ll finalize edge profiles (eased, beveled, ogee, or waterfall) and sink cutout type (undermount, drop-in, or apron-front).

Day 13-15: Counter install, backsplash, and finish. Counters get seamed, sinks get mounted, faucets get connected. We run water, test drains, and do a final clean. Most Lauderdale-by-the-Sea condo kitchens are fully functional by day 15 unless we’re waiting on building access for a plumbing inspection.

The Cabinet and Countertop Choices You’ll Actually Decide Between

We don’t stock proprietary lines. You pick from our full roster, and we build to your spec. Here’s where the money goes:

• Stock vs. semi-custom vs. custom cabinets: Stock boxes (KraftMaid, Wellborn) run $120-$280 per linear foot installed - fine for straightforward layouts with standard depths. Semi-custom jumps to $350-$650 per linear foot and lets you adjust depths, add glass fronts, or build around structural columns common in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s older floor plans. Full custom starts around $800 per linear foot and makes sense only for irregular spaces or matched historical millwork.
• Frameless European vs. face-frame construction: Frameless gives you slightly more interior space and a cleaner modern line; face-frame is more forgiving on walls that aren’t plumb, which matters in these 50-year-old condos.
• Quartz vs. granite vs. solid surface: Engineered quartz (Cambria, Silestone, Caesarstone) runs $65-$125 per square foot installed, needs no sealing, and holds up against the red wine and coffee that define Lauderdale-by-the-Sea winter-resident kitchens. Natural granite ranges wider - $50-$200 per square foot - and requires annual sealing. Solid surface (Corian-type) is cheaper at $45-$75 but scratches and can’t take a hot pan.
• Edge profile and backsplash height: A 4-inch quartz backsplash is included in most quotes; full-height backsplash to the cabinets adds $800-$2,500 depending on material and linear feet. Waterfall edges on islands add $1,200-$3,000.
• Hardware, organizers, and accessories: Soft-close hinges are standard now. Pull-out trash, spice racks, and drawer organizers add $200-$800. These aren’t afterthoughts - we spec them during cabinet selection so boxes get bored correctly.

What Cabinets & Countertops Costs in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL

Five factors push you toward the high or low end of that combined range:

Kitchen size and layout complexity. A straight 8-foot galley in a 1960s beach cottage is simple. An L-shaped kitchen with a peninsula, corner susans, and a window bump-out in a 1970s Intracoastal condo takes more boxes, more cuts, and more labor.

Existing condition and demo depth. If we find salt-corroded wall studs, failed waterproofing behind the sink, or aluminum wiring that needs updating, prep costs jump $1,500-$5,000 before cabinets go in.

Plumbing and electrical relocation. Keeping the sink and range in place saves money. Moving gas lines, adding a pot filler, or switching from electric to induction cooktop adds $800-$3,500 depending on your building’s access and whether the work triggers a Broward County permit.

Material grade and brand tier. Stock cabinets with a Level 1 quartz might land at $6,500. Semi-custom with Cambria Brittanicca and full-overlay soft-close hardware pushes $18,000+ for the same footprint.

Building access and logistics. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s narrow streets and limited loading zones mean we sometimes crane materials to upper floors or work within strict HOA hours. These aren’t markup items - they’re real costs we disclose upfront.

Our written estimates include demo, disposal, cabinets, counters, install, and basic plumbing reconnect. They don’t include appliance upgrades, flooring replacement, or permit fees if your scope triggers them.

What Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Homes Specifically Do to This Job

The cabinets and countertops we replace here aren’t failing from normal wear. They’re failing from the building around them.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s housing stock is almost entirely 1960s-1980s oceanfront and Intracoastal-adjacent condominiums, with a thin scattering of mid-century beach cottages along El Mar Drive and Bougainvilla Drive. Decades of direct Atlantic exposure have driven salt air deep into these structures. We regularly open sink cabinets to find the toe kick dissolved, the subfloor spongy, and the wall behind the range hood crumbling from spalled concrete. The cabinets themselves might be structurally fine, but they’re sitting on compromised substrate.

That changes how we bid. In a Fort Lauderdale inland home, we’d assume standard prep. In Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, we probe for moisture intrusion and concrete degradation before we quote. We’ve also learned to coordinate with building managers who are juggling SB 4-D milestone inspection schedules - our cabinet install can’t happen while scaffolding is up for balcony recertification, and we don’t want to deliver a quartz slab the same week the freight elevator is reserved for structural crews.

The condo HOAs here are active and specific. Many require proof of insurance, restricted hours for noise-generating work, and pre-approval of material haul routes. We handle this paperwork as part of our standard process - it’s not an extra, but it is a requirement that inland contractors sometimes underestimate.

And the kitchens themselves reflect the era: compact footprints, galley layouts with limited wall space, and aluminum-framed windows that eat into cabinet runs. We design around these constraints rather than pretending they don’t exist.

Frequently Asked - Cabinets & Countertops in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

Get Your Free Estimate for Cabinets & Countertops in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

Call (844) 665-0162 to schedule a free, on-site estimate. We’ll measure your kitchen, assess existing conditions, and deliver an itemized scope with real material options from our brand roster - no allowances, no surprises. Most Lauderdale-by-the-Sea appointments happen within 48 hours, and estimates are fully detailed before any work begins.

Written by Raymond Estevez, Owner at Groundwork Construction Co., serving Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and South Florida.