Redesign vs. Remodel: What's the Difference?

A kitchen remodel is about updating finishes — new cabinets, countertops, appliances, backsplash — usually within the existing footprint. A kitchen redesign changes the layout itself: moving the sink, opening a wall to the living area, adding or removing an island, or reconfiguring the entire work triangle. Redesigns almost always involve permits, and in Florida, they almost always involve the question of whether a wall is load-bearing.

The Most Requested Florida Kitchen Redesigns

1. Open Concept (Removing the Wall Between Kitchen and Living Room)

This is the single most requested redesign in Florida homes built in the 1970s–1990s, when kitchens were commonly walled off from the living area. Whether this is possible — and what it costs — depends entirely on whether that wall is load-bearing.

In CBS homes, load-bearing walls are typically the ones running perpendicular to the roof trusses or containing the home's main structural spine — but this must be confirmed by a structural engineer, not guessed at. We will not remove a wall in a Florida home without an engineer's letter, regardless of what a homeowner's contractor friend says about "just knocking it down."

2. Adding or Enlarging an Island

Islands require either enough existing floor space (10 feet of clearance minimum on all sides is the comfortable standard) or an open-concept redesign to create that space. Adding plumbing to an island (prep sink, dishwasher) means running new supply and drain lines under the slab — which means cutting concrete. Budget $3,500–$9,000 for a plumbed island addition, or $1,800–$4,000 for a non-plumbed island (just storage and counter space).

3. Reconfiguring the Work Triangle

The classic "work triangle" (sink, stove, refrigerator) still matters for kitchen function. If your current layout has you crossing the kitchen repeatedly to move between these three points, a redesign can shorten those paths — often by relocating just one appliance rather than the whole layout. Moving the stove or sink to a different wall requires new gas/electric or plumbing runs; moving the refrigerator location is usually just an electrical outlet relocation, the cheapest layout change available.

4. Converting a Galley Kitchen to L-Shape or U-Shape

Narrow galley kitchens (common in 1960s–1980s Florida homes) can often be opened into an L-shape or U-shape by removing a single non-structural wall or pass-through, especially where the kitchen backs onto a dining nook or Florida room. This redesign typically runs $6,000–$16,000 depending on cabinetry and whether plumbing/electrical relocates.

The redesign question we get wrong the least often — but that costs homeowners the most when skipped — is whether the electrical panel has capacity for the new layout. Adding an island with under-cabinet lighting, a wine fridge, USB outlets, and a garbage disposal can push an older panel past its safe capacity. We check panel capacity as part of every redesign quote, because discovering a panel upgrade is needed mid-project (versus in the estimate) adds both cost and schedule delay that nobody wants to hear about halfway through demo.

What Requires a Permit

In Florida, a kitchen redesign requires a permit any time it involves: removing or modifying a wall (load-bearing or not), relocating plumbing (sink, dishwasher, disposal), adding or moving electrical circuits, or changing the structural footprint. A pure cosmetic remodel with no layout changes may not require a permit — but the moment you're moving a wall or a drain line, Florida law requires it, and skipping it creates real problems at resale (unpermitted work must be disclosed and can require retroactive permitting or removal).

Getting a Redesign Concept You Can Actually Build

The redesign ideas that fail are the ones drawn up without checking structural walls, panel capacity, and plumbing chase locations first. D&Co starts every redesign consultation with those three checks, then builds a layout concept around what's actually achievable in your home — with a written scope and price before any wall comes down.