What Does It Cost to Remodel a House in South Florida?

Whole-house remodel cost

The short answer

Scope and code

The first cost driver: how much of the house the work touches

Florida classifies work on an existing building by what it changes, in the Florida Building Code, Existing Building (8th edition, 2023). The class decides how much of today’s code the project has to meet, and that is where budgets split:

• Level 1 (section 602.1) is the removal and replacement, or covering, of existing materials, elements, equipment or fixtures with new ones that serve the same purpose. New cabinets and counters in the same kitchen layout are a typical example.
• Level 2 (603.1) is the reconfiguration of space, adding or removing a door or window, reconfiguring or extending a system, or adding equipment, where the work area is up to half of the building area. Moving walls to open a kitchen is Level 2.
• Level 3 (604.1) applies “where the work area exceeds 50 percent of the building area”. That is most true whole-house renovations, and it carries the most requirements.
• Additions add floor area or height; the new part is built to the code for new construction.

The practical lesson: two projects with the same finishes can land in different classes. Keeping the kitchen where it is, or phasing work so the work area stays under half the house, changes what the code asks for. Deciding that deliberately, at the design stage, is cheaper than discovering it at plan review.

Flood zones

In a flood zone, the 50% rule can decide the whole budget

If the house is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, federal floodplain rules add a second test that ignores the code level. Any improvement whose cost equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure is a substantial improvement (44 CFR 59.1), and the Existing Building Code then requires the building to meet the flood requirements for new construction (sections 502.2, 503.2 and 701.3). For an older, lower house that can mean elevating it, which changes the project entirely.

The lists follow FEMA’s substantial improvement desk reference (P-758). Florida also prohibits local governments from adding up improvements over several years to reach the 50% line (section 163.31795, Florida Statutes). Our full guide to the FEMA 50% rule in South Florida explains how the market value is set and how to check your flood zone before the scope is fixed.

Windows, doors and roofs

Hurricane code: why openings and roofs cost what they do

The Florida Building Code defines the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone as Broward and Miami-Dade counties. There, exterior walls, the roof, outside doors, skylights and glazing “shall meet impact test criteria or be protected with an external protection device” (section 1626.1), and products need approval: Florida names Miami-Dade’s Product Control Division as an approved evaluation entity (section 553.842). Palm Beach County is outside the HVHZ, so its requirements differ.

For a whole-house budget this means two things. Replacing windows and doors across a house is one of the largest single line items, because every opening needs a tested, approved product and a compliant installation. And the product approvals belong in the permit package, which is why we choose them before we submit. See our hurricane-rated window systems.

Roofs follow their own rule. Under section 553.844(5), Florida Statutes, when 25% or more of a roof is repaired, replaced or recovered, and the roof was built to the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, only the portion being worked on has to meet the current code. For older roofs, that relief does not apply, which is worth knowing before you decide whether the roof belongs in the project.

Hidden conditions

Older homes: what the walls and paint can add

The age of the house shapes the budget twice. First, anything hidden: once walls and floors are open, rot, termite damage, earlier leaks or outdated wiring become part of the job, and the repair is work nobody could price in advance. Second, paint. If the house was built before 1978, the EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires the firm to be EPA- or state-certified and to use certified renovators and lead-safe work practices. The minor-repair exception covers only 6 square feet or less of painted surface per room inside, or 20 square feet outside, and never covers window replacement or demolition (40 CFR 745.83). A whole-house remodel of a pre-1978 home will almost always go past those limits.

Neither can be priced honestly from the street. What you can do is agree in the contract how a hidden condition will be documented, priced and approved before work continues, and hold a contingency for it.

The rest of the budget

Beyond construction: permits, sales tax and the review clock

Permit fees are set by each building department. As one published example, unincorporated Miami-Dade County charges 50 cents per square foot of the whole structure for alterations to a single-family home, with a minimum of $147 and a maximum of $847.95 before surcharges (Implementing Order 4-63, in force since June 26, 2026; the County adjusts its fees each October 1). Plumbing and electrical permits are separate. Cities in all three counties publish their own schedules, so check the one for your address.

Sales tax is inside the contract price. Florida treats contractors as “the ultimate consumers of materials and supplies they use to perform real property contracts” (Rule 12A-1.051), so the contractor pays tax on materials and it is part of what you pay. The rate is the 6% state rate plus the county surtax, and Palm Beach changed this year:

Time is a cost too. Since July 1, 2026, section 553.792 gives the building department 30 business days to decide a complete application for a home under 7,500 square feet, 60 for larger structures, and 5 for listed permits under $15,000 on an existing single-family home. A complete application is the fastest one, which is the job of our permit expediting team. Design and engineering fees depend on the scope and are quoted separately by the professionals involved.

Contracts and payments

The dollar lines in Florida law that protect your budget

Several Florida rules switch on at fixed contract amounts. Knowing them helps you read a contract and a payment schedule:

1. ContractRecovery Fund noticeResidential contracts over $2,500 must include the notice about the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund (section 489.1425).
2. DepositOver 10% starts two clocksIf the first payment is more than 10% of the contract price, the contractor must apply for the permits within 30 days of payment and start work within 90 days after they are issued, unless there is just cause or a written agreement (section 489.126).
3. Before inspectionNotice of commencementOver $5,000, a recorded notice of commencement must be filed with the building department before the first inspection (section 713.135). It is part of Florida’s construction lien system (chapter 713).
4. During the workPayments follow progressTie each draw to inspected, completed work, and keep change orders in writing with their price and schedule effect before the work is done.

One more line worth knowing: the state’s My Safe Florida Home program offers matching grants of up to $10,000 ($2 from the state for every $1 from the owner) for hurricane-hardening work on homesteaded houses built before 2008 with an insured value of $700,000 or less, for low- and moderate-income owners. Funding opens and closes, so check its current status before counting on it.

Interactive checklist

Before you set a budget: a checklist

Our process

How we build a whole-house budget

We price a whole-home renovation from the house, not from a table: we look at the structure, the flood zone, the roof and openings, and the rooms that change, then set the scope level with you before anything is drawn. On a design-build project, one team carries the design, the permit package and the build, so the drawings the building department reviews are the drawings we price. Kitchens and baths are usually the largest parts of the scope; see our kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling pages, and home additions if you need more space.

For an example of the scope a whole-house project can cover, from the exterior and roof to the kitchen, primary suite and outdoor kitchen, see our modern farmhouse whole-home renovation. Send us your plans or photos and we will tell you which scope level and rules apply before we talk about numbers.