About SRQ Woodworks Co.

How SRQ Woodworks Co. Started

SRQ Woodworks Co. has served Sarasota since 2011. Our owner and president, Graham Custer, came to the business by way of custom homes and yachts: before opening the shop he spent many years remodeling custom homes, building cabinetry, making furniture and managing high-end yacht interiors.

Each of those trades left a mark on how we work. Remodeling custom homes taught that a cabinet is only as good as its fit to a crooked wall. Furniture making set the standard for joinery and finish. Yacht interiors taught the hardest lesson of all for a Gulf Coast shop: wood near water has to be built and sealed for it, or it fails. Marine woodwork is still part of what we do, so boat owners are welcome to call and see whether a project fits the schedule.

How a Project Works With Us

Whether it is a full kitchen, a bathroom vanity or a dining table, every job moves through the same three stages. Nothing is built until you have seen it drawn.

1. 1

   Drawings and a 3D model

   We measure the space, listen to how you will use it and produce working drawings plus a 3D model or rendering. You approve the design, the wood and the finish before any lumber is cut.

2. 2

   Built in the shop

   Cabinets and furniture are made at our Lewis Ave shop, where joinery, sanding and finishing happen under one roof instead of on your kitchen floor.

3. 3

   Installed in your home

   We deliver and install, scribing cabinets to walls and floors as they really are. Stone countertops are templated and set by a fabricator after the cabinets are level; wood tops we make ourselves.

You can see the full sequence for a kitchen on our kitchen remodeling in Sarasota page, or browse all of our services.

What We Build With, and What We Leave Out

Materials are where a custom shop either earns its name or does not. Our rules are short:

• Domestic and exotic hardwoods, chosen for the job and the room.
• Never endangered species.
• No mass-produced MDF or particleboard boxes, which swell and crumble once Florida humidity or a leak gets into them.
• Dovetailed drawer boxes and mortise-and-tenon face frames, the joints that keep cabinets square through years of daily use.

Those choices take more shop time than assembling flat-pack boxes, and they are the reason our custom cabinetry and handmade furniture can be repaired and refinished long after a particleboard cabinet would have gone to the curb.

The Lewis Ave Shop

The shop began on Vilas Ave and later moved to its current home at 1121 Lewis Ave, Sarasota, FL 34237, about a quarter mile east of US 301 off 12th Street. It is a working shop, not a showroom. There are no display kitchens, just benches, machines, lumber and whatever projects are underway that week.

Visits are by appointment. Customers often come by to choose wood, look at finishes or see their own cabinets before installation, and an appointment makes sure someone is free to walk you through the work rather than running a saw. Furniture for refinishing can be dropped off at the shop; for heavy pieces, ask about pickup and delivery, which may carry a fee.

Where We Work Around Sarasota and Beyond

Sarasota and Manatee counties come first, from downtown Sarasota and Siesta Key to Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch. We also take projects farther out in Charlotte, DeSoto, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. See our service areas for the full list, or go straight to Sarasota County, Manatee County or Charlotte County.

What We Do Not Do

We are a custom cabinetry and woodworking shop. We design, build and install; we are not a general contractor. Work that moves plumbing, wiring, gas lines or walls requires a Florida-licensed contractor and a permit, so licensed plumbers, licensed electricians and, for structural changes, a licensed general contractor handle that part of a remodel.

We work alongside those trades routinely. Our drawings show them where supply lines, drains and outlets need to land, and we time cabinet installation to follow their inspections. If you do not already have a contractor for that work, tell us during design so the whole schedule can be planned together.

Hours, Visits, Reviews and Payment

The shop keeps Monday through Saturday hours, 8:00 am to 6:30 pm, and is closed on Sunday. Because the people who answer the phone are also at the bench, visits are by appointment: call first and we will set a time when your wood samples or cabinets are ready to look at.

We accept American Express, Discover, Mastercard, Visa, debit cards, checks and cash. Our customers have left 52 reviews on Google, averaging 4.4 stars; you can read a selection, in their own words, on our reviews page.

Part of the Sarasota Community

Local business means local responsibility. SRQ Woodworks Co. has supported Alex's Lemonade Stand, the foundation that funds childhood cancer research, and we look for ways to give back to the community that has kept our shop busy since 2011. Read what customers say on our reviews page, or contact us to talk about a project.