4 Min Read

Kitchen Remodel Cost Breakdown in Lexington & Columbia

Feb. 12, 2026

Whether you’re a growing family needing more elbow room for school mornings or you’re finally ready to create the 'forever kitchen' you’ve dreamed of for years, one thing is universal: your home is one of your biggest investments. Here in the Midlands, we’ve learned that 'cheap' usually ends up being the most expensive way to do things.

We’ve all seen the reality TV shows where a kitchen is gutted and rebuilt for twenty grand in forty-eight minutes. In the real world—especially in the current South Carolina market—those numbers are about as realistic as a snow day in July. At Bald Cypress Builders, we believe transparency is the foundation of a great remodel. If we’re going to be in your home for an extended period of time, let’s start on a basis of total honesty. Here is what a high-quality kitchen investment actually looks like in the Columbia and Lexington, South Carolina areas.

THE REALITY: YOUR KITCHEN IS ONE-OF-A-KIND

No two kitchens—or budgets—are identical. Your home has its own history, and you have your own rhythm. We don't believe in "cookie-cutter" pricing because we don't believe in cookie-cutter homes. We focus on the custom nuances of your space to ensure your investment goes exactly where it matters most.

Here are some of the primary drivers that shape your project's investment:

The Scope of Change: Are we refreshing your current look, replacing everything in its place, or totally transforming the layout for better flow?
The "Bones" of the Home: How the age of your property impacts modern plumbing, electrical, and structural needs.
Cabinetry & Customization: The choice between high-quality semi-custom or fully bespoke cabinetry tailored to your storage needs.
Surfaces: Your selection of stone, edge profiles, and specialized countertop fabrication.
Structural & Exterior Shifts: Removing walls to "open things up" or adjusting windows and doors to let the light in.
Technical Details: High-impact additions like pot fillers, gas hookups, and integrated under-cabinet lighting.
The "Flow" Factor: Ensuring new flooring, paint, and trim blend seamlessly with the rest of your home so the remodel doesn't look like an "island."
Scope Creep: Are we incorporating overflow spaces like a pantry or scullery? Including an eat-in space or dinette?

Kitchens are the most complex, high-function rooms in your house. While a bedroom just needs four walls and a closet, a kitchen requires a symphony of moving parts. By focusing on these variables early, we ensure your kitchen doesn't just look beautiful—it performs well for years to come.

INVesTING IN YOUR VISION: THE THREE TIERS OF KITCHEN REMODELS IN LEXINGTON & COLUMBIA, SC

While every project is a custom endeavor with its own unique "nitty-gritty," most Midlands kitchen remodels fall into one of these three investment tiers. Here’s a look at where these transformations typically begin:

1. The Bespoke Refresh | Starting around $65,000*
The "I love my layout, but it needs a new soul" project.

If your kitchen’s "bones" are great but the finishes feel dated, this is your path. We breathe new life into your space without the upheaval of a total gut job.

The Experience: We maintain your footprint while elevating every touchpoint. Think professionally refinished cabinetry, new stone surfaces, new lighting and plumbing fixtures, and a fresh tile backsplash that makes the space pop.

2. The Kitchen Upgrade | Starting around $95,000+
The "Everything needs to go, but the walls can stay" project.

This is a "remove and replace" situation. It’s perfect for the homeowner who needs better functionality and a total aesthetic reset but doesn't need a structural or major mechanical rework.

The Experience: Mostly all-new everything. We’ll install custom cabinetry, high-end hardware, and integrated lighting. We focus on the "pockets of joy"—like dedicated spice storage or under-cabinet task lighting—while keeping the project contained within the kitchen's current footprint.

3. The Total Transformation | Starting around $125,000+
The "Dream Kitchen+" territory.

When the existing layout & energy just doesn't work for your lifestyle, we enter the Transformation realm. This is for the homeowner who wants a bespoke overhaul.

The Experience: We aren't just changing cabinets; we’re changing how you live. This often includes removing and/or building new walls for more effective flow, adding a butler’s pantry or scullery, and/or rerouting major mechanicals. From appliance garages to custom-plumbed coffee stations, if you can dream it, we'll make it happen.

PLANNING FOR THE "UNFORESEENS"

Part of being a transparent partner is looking behind the drywall before the hammers even swing. While many homeowners focus on the finishes, we focus on the integrity of your home. It’s our job to spot the "extra" variables on the front end so you have a clear, reliable investment picture from day one.

Often-overlooked factors that ensure a safe, high-quality result include:

Proactive Remediation: In some Midlands homes, we have to factor in the safe handling of asbestos or mold.
Modernizing for Safety: Code requirements can shift. If your home has character, we ensure your new kitchen meets 2026 safety standards—even if it means updating systems tucked behind the walls.
Precision Protection: We treat your home like a sanctuary. This includes custom floor protection, dust barriers, and "clean-zone" partitions to keep construction debris where it belongs as much as possible.
The "Living-In" Luxury: If you’re staying in your home during the transformation, we invest in additional safety measures and project oversight to keep your daily life as seamless as possible.
Hidden Infrastructure: For older properties, we often have to replace things like aging subfloors or outdated plumbing lines to ensure your new space is up-to-date and long-lasting.
You Get What You Pay For: We work with vetted, trusted Trade Partners, material suppliers & vendors, and other industry professionals to ensure the finished space we're putting together is built to last, and built correctly.

How We Help You Balance Beauty, Function, & Cost

We respect your investment too much to "blindly" start construction without a solid plan, and the ability to bring it to life . Instead, we use a proven Design-Build approach to align your aesthetic dreams with functional reality and financial clarity. Before construction starts, we work as a unified team to ensure your new space fits how you live, how you move, and what you’ve planned to invest.

During our Pre-Construction phase, we take the guesswork out of the equation by:

Engineering for Possibility: We inspect your home's current "bones" to understand exactly what's structurally feasible.
Designing for Your Life: We understand how you cook, host, and move so the layout solves your current frustrations once and for all.
Budget-Synchronized Design: We tie every selection to a real-world line item to help avoid you falling in love with a rendering that is out of financial reach.
Strategic Investing: We guide you on where to prioritize your "investment dollars" for the highest impact and where to be more cost-effective.
Timeless Curation: We help you select materials that don't just look good on day one, but perform beautifully for a lifetime.

Once construction begins, our honed execution process brings every planned detail to life. Our goal is simple: to help you invest where it makes the most meaningful difference, from the first sketch to the final walkthrough.