Bluffton ยท Zip code 29910
Kitchen remodeling in Bluffton, SC
A Bluffton kitchen remodel starts with one question: is the home inside town limits or in the county? From there it could be an Old Town cottage or a newer house off Highway 278. Call now to talk to a local kitchen remodeler.
Ask about a free estimate.
Which office handles your permit
This is the first thing to sort out, because Bluffton's map is not simple. The town limits have a patchwork shape, and a Bluffton mailing address does not prove you are inside them.
Inside town limits: the Town of Bluffton handles it through its Growth Management office at 20 Bridge Street, (843) 706-4500. The Town offers an application for additions, remodels and minor projects, and says contractors need a South Carolina license that covers the work.
Outside town limits: Beaufort County Building Inspections handles it, at (843) 255-2065. This can include neighborhoods that feel like Bluffton but sit in the county.
A good remodeler will confirm this for your address before giving you a schedule. If you want to check it yourself, call either office with your address.
Old Town Bluffton
Old Town sits on the bluff above the May River. Before the bridge to Hilton Head opened in 1956, it was a quiet river town with summer cottages. The National Register's Bluffton Historic District sits within a larger local district the Town set up in 2007, and the Town's Historic Preservation Commission acts as its board of architectural review.
So an older house here works differently from a suburban one. A new window over the sink or a vent through a street-facing wall may need review. If your project changes the outside of the house, talk to the Town before you design around that change.
Inside, these houses tend to have small rooms and real materials. Keep the old pine floor if you can. Use inset or simple shaker doors, a deep sink and beadboard, and the new kitchen will look as if it belongs. Plan for surprises as well. Old framing is rarely square, and wiring or plumbing may need work once walls open. Homes built before 1978 may also have lead paint, so ask about EPA lead-safe practices.
Newer neighborhoods and Sun City
Most of Bluffton's homes are much newer than Old Town. The town grew quickly as people moved inland from the island, and large planned neighborhoods spread out along the highways. Kitchens in these homes tend to be a good size but builder-grade: thin cabinet doors, basic counters and a single light in the ceiling. Layouts usually work, so the money goes to cabinets, stone and lighting rather than to moving walls.
Sun City Hilton Head is a large active-adult community that opened in the mid-1990s. Its homes have Bluffton or Okatie addresses, but no part of it is inside Bluffton town limits, so permits follow the county rather than the Town. Its oldest kitchens are now around thirty years old, and owners often ask for wider paths, deep drawers instead of low cabinets and better task lighting.
As with island communities, most of these neighborhoods have owners associations and their own rules for exterior changes, contractor hours and dumpsters. Ask before work starts.
What is the same as on the island, and what is not
You are still in the Lowcountry, so humidity is a daily fact and homes near the May River or the marsh should check flood zones. Salt air is usually less of a concern as you move inland, but ask your remodeler about it if you are close to the water.
Unlike the Town of Hilton Head Island, whose 49 percent rule is covered on the Hilton Head Island page, your flood rules come from whichever office handles your address. Ask that office about its own threshold, particularly if the kitchen is part of a bigger renovation.
Common questions
Bluffton kitchen questions
Is Sun City in the Town of Bluffton?
No. Sun City homes have Bluffton or Okatie addresses, but no part of the community is inside Bluffton town limits. Ask Beaufort County or Jasper County, depending on your address, about permits.
Do you take calls from all of Bluffton?
We take calls for homes in zip code 29910, which covers most of Bluffton. If you are unsure about your address, call and ask.
Can I change the windows in an Old Town house?
Possibly, but outside changes in the historic district may need review. Talk to the Town of Bluffton before you draw a kitchen around a new window.