How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Cost in Lexington, SC? (2026 Guide)

Picture this. You’re standing in your kitchen at 6:45 on a Tuesday morning, coffee in hand, staring at cabinets that were installed the same year your neighbor’s oak tree was planted. The drawer that sticks. The countertop with the burn mark from 2011. And you finally say the words out loud: “We need to do something about this kitchen.”

Then the second thought lands: What is this going to cost?

Welcome to the episode everyone asks about first. We’re Palmetto Renovations, Lexington’s design-build remodeling team, and today we’re pulling back the curtain on the real numbers. No mystery pricing, no vague “it depends” — just what a kitchen remodel in Lexington, SC actually costs in 2026 and where every dollar goes.

The Big Number: Kitchen Remodel Cost Ranges in Lexington, SC

Let’s rip the bandage off. Here’s what we see across hundreds of Midlands kitchens:

• Refresh remodel — $25,000 to $45,000. Same layout, new cabinet doors or refacing, new countertops, updated backsplash, new fixtures and lighting. Big visual impact without moving plumbing.
• Full remodel — $45,000 to $85,000. Everything comes out. New cabinets, countertops, flooring, lighting, appliances, and maybe a wall opened up. This is the sweet spot for most Lexington families.
• Luxury or structural remodel — $85,000 to $150,000+. Custom cabinetry, natural stone, moved plumbing and gas lines, walls removed, sometimes a bump-out addition to gain square footage.

Why such a wide spread? Because a kitchen isn’t one purchase — it’s about fifteen purchases stacked on top of each other, and you get to decide how far you push each one.

Where the Money Actually Goes

On every show there’s that moment where the host draws on a whiteboard and explains the budget breakdown. Here’s ours. For a typical full remodel in the Lexington area, the budget roughly splits like this:

• Cabinetry: 28–35%. The single biggest line item. Stock, semi-custom, and custom cabinets can differ by tens of thousands of dollars — we break that down in our guide to custom vs. stock cabinets.
• Labor and installation: 20–25%. Demo, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, tile, paint. This is where a licensed, insured team earns its keep.
• Countertops: 10–15%. Quartz remains the Midlands favorite. Granite and marble climb from there.
• Appliances: 10–15%. A standard package versus a pro-style range and panel-ready refrigerator can swing the total by $15,000 on its own.
• Flooring, lighting, plumbing fixtures, backsplash, hardware, paint: the remaining 15–20%. The small decisions that add up quickly.

The Five Things That Push Your Number Up (or Down)

1. Are you moving the sink, the stove, or the fridge?

Every time plumbing, gas, or a 220-volt line relocates, the cost climbs. A kitchen that keeps its “work triangle” in place is dramatically cheaper than one that reinvents it. That’s not a reason to keep a bad layout — it’s just a reason to decide early.

2. Are walls coming down?

Lexington homeowners love an open concept kitchen, and for good reason. But if that wall is load-bearing, you’re adding an engineered beam, a permit, and structural labor. Worth it? Usually. Free? Never.

3. Cabinet tier

Stock cabinets from a big-box store might run $8,000 to $15,000 for an average kitchen. Semi-custom lands around $15,000 to $30,000. Fully custom, built to the inch with soft-close everything and specialty inserts, can exceed $40,000. The doors you choose matter too — see our rundown of the best cabinet styles for Lexington homes.

4. Countertop material

Laminate is cheapest but rarely chosen anymore. Quartz runs roughly $70–$120 per square foot installed. Granite is similar. Marble and quartzite go higher. A big island means more square footage of stone, so the island decision is also a countertop decision.

5. Surprises behind the walls

This is the “uh-oh” moment every renovation show teases before the commercial break. Old wiring, a slow leak under the dishwasher, subfloor damage. In older Lexington and Columbia homes, we recommend a 10–15% contingency. Our fixed-price contracts limit surprises, but we’d rather you plan for them than be blindsided.

What About the Age of Your Home?

Lexington has everything from brand-new construction in Saluda River developments to 1960s ranches near downtown and older homes closer to Columbia. Homes built before 1978 require lead-safe work practices — Palmetto Renovations is EPA RRP certified, which means we handle that correctly and legally. Older homes also tend to hide more of those behind-the-wall surprises, which is why the contingency matters more.

Is a Kitchen Remodel Worth It in Lexington?

Here’s the part where the host looks at the camera and says, “Let’s talk about resale.” A kitchen remodel is consistently one of the highest-return projects a homeowner can do. In the Midlands, a mid-range kitchen remodel typically recoups a large share of its cost at resale, and a well-designed kitchen is often the single feature that makes a buyer fall in love with a house. We dig into the numbers in Kitchen Remodel ROI in Lexington, SC.

But the bigger return is the one you don’t see on a spreadsheet: the years you spend cooking, hosting, doing homework at the island, and not fighting that sticky drawer every morning.

How to Budget Smart: The Palmetto Approach

Every Palmetto Renovations project starts with a free consultation and moves into our design process, where you see your new kitchen in 3D before a single cabinet is ordered. That’s where the budget gets locked in. A few tips from our designers:

• Decide your “must-haves” before your “nice-to-haves.” The island, the layout, the storage. Then let the finishes flex to fit the number.
• Spend on what you touch every day. Cabinet hardware, faucets, drawer glides. Save on things that are easy to change later, like paint and pendant lights.
• Get a fixed-price contract. Our clients regularly tell us the price never changed from the pre-contract number. That’s how it should be.
• Consider the whole picture. If the bathrooms and floors are next, a whole home renovation can be more efficient than three separate projects. Our home remodel budgeting guide walks through how to sequence it.

Three Real Lexington Kitchens, Three Real Budgets

Ranges are useful, but nothing beats seeing how the money actually gets spent. Here are three kitchens modeled on projects we’ve built around Lexington and Columbia — the numbers are rounded, the decisions are real.

The $38,000 refresh: a 1998 two-story off Highway 378

The layout was fine. The oak cabinets were not. We refaced the existing plywood boxes with new Shaker doors in a warm white, added soft-close hardware, replaced laminate counters with quartz, ran a full-height tile backsplash behind the range, swapped the fluorescent box light for recessed cans and three pendants, and installed a new faucet and sink. Six weeks. The homeowners kept their appliances and their flooring, which is where the savings came from. Visitors assume it’s a brand-new kitchen.

The $68,000 full remodel: a 1972 brick ranch near downtown Lexington

Everything came out. Semi-custom cabinets took the perimeter to the ceiling with crown molding, a stained white oak island seated four, quartz counters throughout, luxury vinyl plank flooring that continued into the adjacent den, a new stainless appliance package, under-cabinet lighting, and a pull-out pantry where a broom closet used to be. Because the home was built before 1978, lead-safe demolition practices applied. Nine weeks. The pantry pull-out is the feature the family talks about most.

The $118,000 structural remodel: a 2004 home near Lake Murray

The wall between the kitchen and the family room came down, which meant an engineered beam, a permit, and a structural inspection. Custom inset cabinetry, a 10-foot island with a waterfall quartzite edge, a paneled refrigerator and dishwasher, a 48-inch range with a custom hood, a walk-in pantry carved out of a former laundry closet (the laundry moved to a new mudroom), and a beverage station. Twelve weeks. This is the kitchen that shows up in the neighborhood’s real estate comps.

What the three have in common

All three started with a fixed price. All three finished at that price. And in all three, the single most important decision was made before demo: what stays, what goes, and where the budget flexes. The refresh saved by keeping appliances and floors. The full remodel spent on cabinets and saved on a mid-range appliance package. The structural remodel spent everywhere — because the family was staying twenty years and the neighborhood supported it.

When you sit down with our designers, we’ll show you which of these three your kitchen most resembles, and where your dollars will do the most work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average cost of a kitchen remodel in Lexington, SC?

Most full kitchen remodels in Lexington land between $45,000 and $85,000. Refresh-level projects start around $25,000, and luxury or structural remodels can exceed $150,000.

How long does a kitchen remodel take?

Most take 6 to 12 weeks of construction after design and material selection. Custom cabinetry and structural work push toward the longer end. Check out our week-by-week remodel timeline.

Does Palmetto Renovations offer financing?

Yes. Ask about flexible financing options during your consultation.

Can I stay in my home during the remodel?

Almost always. We’ll help you set up a temporary kitchen so you’re not living on takeout for two months.

Ready for Your Reveal?

Every great kitchen episode ends the same way: the family walks in, stops, and goes quiet for a second. That’s the moment we build for. If you’re ready to find out exactly what your kitchen will cost — not a guess, a real number — schedule a free consultation or visit our Kitchen & Bath Showroom at 713 West Main Street in Lexington. Bring your wish list. We’ll bring the numbers.