Hillsborough County · about 50 min (38 mi) from the shop
Kitchen Remodeling in Apollo Beach, FL
Kitchens and cabinetry for Apollo Beach canal homes on Tampa Bay, with materials picked for flood zones and salt air.
- Built in our Sarasota shop since 2011
- 4.4★ from 52 Google reviews
- 3D model before anything is built
- Solid-wood boxes, dovetail drawers
Apollo Beach kitchen remodeling starts with the water. Most of this Tampa Bay community is laid out along dredged canals, with homes built from the 1960s onward on lots that sit in mapped flood zones, and that affects which cabinet materials make sense before we talk about door styles.
Our part is the design, the cabinetry made on Lewis Ave in Sarasota, and the installation, while licensed trades take care of plumbing and electrical. The drive is about 50 minutes and 38 miles, north on I-75 or US 41 to Big Bend Road, so we plan each visit to cover as much as it can.
Planning Around the Drive Up I-75
We do not make casual stops this far north, so the work is set up around three trips. The first records measurements, floor heights and the position of every utility. The second goes over the working drawings and 3D model with you, whether at home or at our shop by appointment. With the design approved, the shop builds and finishes everything, and the third trip is the install, followed by countertop templating with the stone fabricator.
If something on site changes after demolition, we may need another look, and we will say so before booking it.
Hillsborough County Permits and Tampa Bay Flood Rules
Apollo Beach is unincorporated, so permits come from Hillsborough County. Moving plumbing, wiring or walls takes a Florida-licensed contractor and a permit. On canal lots, a big remodel may also be measured against the FEMA/NFIP substantial-improvement threshold. Before storm season, our hurricane season kitchen checklist covers simple steps that protect cabinets.
We also travel to Ruskin, Riverview and Gibsonton on the same trips north.
Most local landmarks are about water. Tampa Electric's Big Bend Power Station, at the end of Dickman Road, has run its free Manatee Viewing Center since 1986, open each year from November 1 to April 15, and it reopened for the 2024 season even after Helene and Milton hit within a month of each other. Apollo Boulevard links the canal neighborhoods to US 41, and Big Bend Road carries most traffic out to I-75. On a canal lot, pull your home's elevation certificate before design starts; it shows how the kitchen floor sits against the mapped flood elevation.
Six Services That Fit Bayfront Canal Homes
Apollo Beach owners mostly ask for these, often in combination.
Kitchen Remodeling
A complete kitchen design for a 1970s ranch or a new two-story, with licensed trades for walls and rough-in. Older ranches near the bay often get a new layout when they are raised or rebuilt.
Custom Cabinetry
Hardwood cabinets with sealed edges that tolerate canal-side humidity better than builder stock. With roughly 55 miles of canals in the community, damp air reaches most kitchens, so sink bases and dishwasher sides get the most protection.
Storm-Damaged Kitchen Repair
New cabinetry after a storm surge or flood reaches a ground-level kitchen. The rebuild is drawn to the repaired walls, with raised toe kicks where a canal lot has flooded before.
Outdoor Kitchens
Dock and lanai cooking stations made with species and finishes suited to bay spray. Bay-facing lanais take hard afternoon sun, so door species, finish and stainless hardware are picked for that exposure.
Water-Damaged Cabinet Repair
A slow dishwasher leak or a few inches of storm water often ruins one run, not the room. We rebuild the damaged boxes in hardwood and match the finish on the rest of the canal-home kitchen.
Custom Kitchen Islands
Newer two-story homes spreading east toward US 41 and I-75 often came with a builder island too small for seating; a hardwood island built to the room's clearances adds storage and a place to eat.
Canal-Front Lots, Big Bend Road and Flood-Zone Kitchens
The canal neighborhoods closest to the bay hold the oldest houses: 1960s and 1970s block ranches, many since raised, rebuilt or expanded. Newer two-story homes and gated sections spread east toward US 41 and I-75. Near the bay, warm-water discharge from the Big Bend power plant draws manatees in winter, a reminder of how much this place is shaped by the water around it.
Michigan businessman Francis Corr bought the land in 1957 and filed the first subdivision plats in 1958 and 1959. Dredge fill raised the finger lots between canals that now run roughly 55 miles out to Tampa Bay. Apollo Boulevard reached US 41 in 1967, and building moved inland from the bay in waves after that, which is why kitchen age here tends to track distance from the open bay.
On a low canal lot, a kitchen can take water from a surge or simply suffer from years of damp air. We favor custom kitchen cabinets in solid hardwood with sealed edges over particleboard, and we raise toe kicks where it helps. When a leak or minor flooding has hit only a few boxes, water-damaged cabinet repair can rebuild floors and sides without replacing the whole run.
Reviews
What customers near Apollo Beach say
4.4★ average from 52 reviews on Google. Quotes are from public Google reviews, shortened where marked.
“Probably the best cabinet and furniture maker in Sarasota and Manatee County. Gram and his crew do fantastic work.”
“ALL cabinets were installed beautifully-Graham takes the time to do the job properly, completely installed everything and properly prepared the cabinets for countertops. He does fine finish work to ensure that all of the trim looks terrific and finishes the job by adjusting all of the doors.”
FAQ
Apollo Beach kitchen remodeling questions
What cabinet material holds up in an Apollo Beach flood zone?
Solid hardwood boxes with sealed edges are our usual answer. No cabinet is waterproof, but solid wood keeps its shape and holds fasteners after wetting far better than particleboard, which swells and crumbles. On canal lots we also raise toe kicks and choose finishes that clean up easily after damp seasons.
Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen in Apollo Beach?
Yes, if plumbing, electrical or walls change; a Florida-licensed contractor obtains it from Hillsborough County. Swapping cabinets in the same layout is simpler. For large projects in a flood zone, the county may also apply the FEMA substantial-improvement review before work starts.
How long is the drive, and how often will you be at my house?
About 50 minutes from our Lewis Ave shop. We plan on a measuring visit, a drawing and 3D design review, and installation. Everything between those visits happens in the shop, where the cabinets are built and finished, so time on site stays focused.
Nearby
Also serving near Apollo Beach
- Ruskin, FLAbout 45 min (33 mi) from the shop
- Sun City Center, FLAbout 50 min (35 mi) from the shop
- Gibsonton, FLAbout 60 min (44 mi) from the shop
- Balm, FLAbout 55 min (41 mi) from the shop
- Riverview, FLAbout 60 min (46 mi) from the shop
1121 Lewis Ave, Sarasota
About a quarter mile east of US 301, off 12th Street. Shop visits are by appointment. Please call ahead before stopping by Lewis Ave.
Living Well Crafted
Planning a kitchen in Apollo Beach? Talk it through with the shop.
- Built in our Sarasota shop since 2011
- 4.4★ from 52 Google reviews
- 3D model before anything is built
- Solid-wood boxes, dovetail drawers