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CGI Kitchen Remodeling: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
If you have a CGI kitchen and you’re looking at a failed cabinet, a cracked countertop, or a layout that stopped working for you five years ago, the honest answer is this: most CGI kitchens in Fort Lauderdale don’t need a full teardown. The installed price for a kitchen remodel in this market typically runs $14,000 to $45,000 depending on whether we’re replacing cabinets, countertops, or the whole room, and most jobs take 2 to 6 weeks once we have materials in hand. What most owners actually discover is that one component failed while the rest of the kitchen was still doing fine, and matching that piece correctly is where our work starts.
Here’s the thing about kitchens that were built around CGI cabinetry and installed in South Florida. The failure you’re seeing usually didn’t happen overnight. It started as a drawer that dragged, a door that hung a little crooked after hurricane season, or a countertop seam that collected crumbs. By the time a homeowner calls us, they’ve usually been living with it for six months, wondering if it’s worth fixing. Most of the time, it is. We’ll tell you plainly if it isn’t.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI cabinetry has been installed in Fort Lauderdale homes through several builder and supply channels over the years, which means identifying your exact line matters more than it does with most other cabinet brands. The important thing to know: CGI cabinets were often used in multi-family and production-built homes, so the same kitchen layout can appear across dozens of units but with different door profiles, finish codes, and hinge hardware depending on when the building went up. Before we order anything, we check the label inside the cabinet door frame, the finish code stamped under the drawer box, and the hinge brand and spacing.
For homeowners deciding between OEM CGI parts and quality aftermarket equivalents, the split usually comes down to two things: finish match and hinge compatibility. If you’re replacing a door or drawer front, OEM is almost always the right call because the finish has aged with the rest of the kitchen, and the new piece needs to match what sunlight and humidity have already done to the old ones. For a failed hinge, slide, or internal bracket, a quality aftermarket part from a brand like Blum or Salice often performs as well or better than the original, costs less, and is easier to source locally. We keep common hinge styles and soft-close hardware on the truck for exactly this reason.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CGI Kitchen Remodeling Is Failing
- Doors sag or don’t close square. The hinge plates have loosened from the frame or the hinge itself is worn. In Fort Lauderdale humidity, door frames also swell slightly in the summer, which changes the reveal even when the hardware is fine.
- Drawers stick, drag, or drop when opened. The drawer glides are the most common CGI part failure we see, especially on heavy pots-and-pans drawers. The original ball-bearing slides simply wear out after years of daily use.
- Lifted or delaminating laminate edges. Moisture from sink splash or dishwasher steam has gotten under the laminate. Once the substrate starts to swell, the edge never lies flat again without replacement.
- Countertop seams have opened up or collected dark staining. The seam was cut too tight or the adhesive has aged. South Florida heat cycles expand and contract stone and solid surface enough to eventually break a weak seam open.
- Water damage at the toe kick or cabinet base. This is the one we treat as urgent. A slow leak from the sink trap or dishwasher supply line rots the cabinet box from underneath, and by the time you see the front, the damage may extend to the subfloor.
See the difference
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
In Fort Lauderdale, a full kitchen remodel with new cabinetry, countertops, and backsplash typically runs $14,000 to $45,000. On the smaller end, you’re looking at a modest kitchen with stock or semi-custom cabinets, a mid-tier countertop, and existing plumbing staying put. At the higher end, we’re moving walls, adding an island, installing custom cabinets, and putting in quartz or natural stone. Between those numbers sits most of the work we actually do: a new cabinet package, new countertops, new backsplash, and new fixtures, with the plumbing and electrical staying where it is.
Here’s the pricing breakdown we quote from every day in buildings across South Florida:
- Small kitchen remodel: $9,000 – $20,000
- Full kitchen remodel: $14,000 – $45,000
- Cabinet installation only: $4,000 – $13,000
- Countertop installation only: $2,000 – $6,500
- Backsplash installation: $800 – $2,500
- Kitchen island installation: $3,000 – $10,000
Every one of those numbers gets written down before we touch the job, along with exactly what’s included: the parts, the labor, the haul-away, and the cleanup. You’ll also get our 365-Day Done Right Promise in that same written quote. If something fails inside a year, we come back and fix it, no charge, no re-inspection fee. That’s The Kingswell Way, and it’s been the operating standard since 2004.
DIY or Call Us?
Not all of this is dangerous, and we’ll be the first to tell you that. If you need to replace a shelf pin, tighten a loose hinge screw, or adjust a door with a screwdriver, those are fair game for a Saturday morning. The risks start when you’re handling a full cabinet box, lifting a stone countertop, or cutting into a wall. Stone tops in particular are a genuine hazard. A slab of quartz can top 300 pounds, and a broken piece has edges sharp enough to send you to the emergency room. If you’re replacing a countertop or pulling cabinets off the wall, call us.
Here’s the practical split: if the failure is hardware or a hinge, you can absolutely try the fix yourself. If the failure is structural; a rotted cabinet base, a dropped door frame, a failed seam, or anything involving plumbing or electrical, that’s the point where a professional should be in the room. Call (754) 551-2922 and we’ll tell you over the phone whether it’s a DIY fix or a service call. We won’t sell you on a service visit you don’t need.
FAQs
In a South Florida climate, well-installed CGI cabinet boxes typically last 20 to 30 years, but the hardware, hinges, and glides often need replacement at the 10 to 15 year mark. The humidity and salt air in Fort Lauderdale accelerate wear on hardware first, while the cabinet boxes themselves hold up reasonably well if they were installed with proper clearance and sealing.
Hardware like hinges and drawer glides is almost always a straightforward repair; soft-close hardware alone can rescue a kitchen that feels worn out, and it’s a fraction of the cabinet cost. Structural damage like a rotted cabinet floor or a delaminated door face is usually a replacement. Call (754) 551-2922 and describe what you’re seeing; we’ll give you an honest read on repair versus replace before we ever schedule a visit.
A typical full kitchen remodel runs 2 to 6 weeks depending on cabinet lead times and whether any plumbing or electrical work changes the schedule. A straight cabinet swap with existing plumbing in place can finish in under two weeks. We’ll give you a written timeline with your written price, and if the schedule slips on our side, you’ll hear it from a person, not a voicemail.
We keep common hinge styles, soft-close drawer glides, and standard door hardware on the truck for same-day repairs in Fort Lauderdale. For finish-matched CGI doors or drawer fronts, we order those against your cabinet’s finish code, and lead times vary by line. Tell me what you need, our owner Trevor Nash says, I’ll tell you what it costs, then we’ll get it done.
Have a CGI kitchen in Fort Lauderdale that needs a hand? Call (754) 551-2922 and a live person will answer. We’ll talk through what you’re seeing, give you a straight answer on whether it’s a repair or a remodel, and put a written number on it before any work starts. Estimates are free, and the number we write is the number you’ll pay.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale at Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
