Hillsborough County · about 80 min (66 mi) from the shop
Kitchen Remodeling in Lake Magdalene, FL
Custom cabinets and kitchen redesigns for the wooded, lake-dotted 1960s-80s neighborhoods between Dale Mabry Highway and I-275.
- Built in our Sarasota shop since 2011
- 4.4★ from 52 Google reviews
- 3D model before anything is built
- Solid-wood boxes, dovetail drawers
We take on kitchen remodeling in Lake Magdalene, the north Tampa community named for the lake at its center, roughly 80 minutes (66 miles) up I-75 from our Sarasota shop. Each cabinet is designed, built and finished on Lewis Ave, then trucked north and installed in a scheduled window.
The neighborhood's character is age and shade. Homes here mostly date from the 1960s through the 1980s, set under mature oaks along small lakes, and their original kitchens are reaching the point where hinges, slides and laminate tops all fail together.
Kitchen remodeling in Lake Magdalene, plus wood restoration
Mature homes call for a mix of new work and careful restoration.
Kitchen Remodeling
A complete redesign for 1960s-80s layouts, opening sightlines wherever the licensed trades confirm it is possible. The usual target here is the wall between kitchen and family room, so the cook can see the yard and lake.
Solid Wood Cabinets
Solid hardwood construction suited to shaded lakefront lots where humidity stays high most of the year. Under heavy oak canopy, a kitchen may see little direct sun, so a fully sealed finish matters more than usual.
Cabinet Refinishing
Stripping and refinishing original solid-wood cabinets that are structurally sound but worn. Where 1970s oak doors and frames are still sound, a new finish, hinges and soft-close slides can carry them another decade or two.
Furniture Refinishing & Restoration
Refinishing for dining sets and case pieces that have lived in these houses for decades, done at our Sarasota shop. Bring smaller pieces to the shop by appointment, or ask about hauling a heavy sideboard from north Tampa.
Crown Molding & Trim
Once a 1970s soffit comes down, uppers can run to the ceiling and finish under crown. We size the profile to the room's ceiling height so the new run looks original to the ranch.
Custom Kitchen Islands
Where a lakefront kitchen loses its window wall to sliding doors, an island can carry the storage and seating instead, placed so the view across the water stays open from the sink.
Oak shade, lakefront lots and 1970s kitchens off Florida Avenue
Lake Magdalene runs from Dale Mabry Highway on the west to I-275 on the east, with Florida Avenue cutting through the middle. Lots are generous by Tampa standards, many backing onto a lake or pond, and the houses mix concrete-block ranches with larger custom homes on the water.
Shade and water keep humidity high, and many kitchens still have their first cabinets: dark stained oak, soffits above the uppers, and closed layouts that wall the cook off from the family room. Taking out a soffit or a wall often means ductwork or structure, which is work for a licensed general contractor; we design around what the trades decide is feasible. Where particleboard has gone soft, solid wood cabinets with a sealed finish handle the damp air far better.
Lakefront houses bring their own layout problem. Kitchens that look out over the water through sliding glass doors give up the wall where uppers would normally hang, so storage has to come from a tall pantry wall, deeper drawers or an island set where it does not block the view.
How a Lake Magdalene project runs from our Lewis Ave shop
- Site visit: we measure, note soffits, ducts and plumbing, and ask how the kitchen gets used day to day.
- Design: working drawings and a 3D rendering arrive by email, and revisions happen on a video call.
- Build: the shop cuts and joins your cabinets from hardwood, dovetailing every drawer and pinning each face frame with mortise-and-tenon joints.
- Install: we deliver finished boxes, set and level them, and hand off to the stone fabricator if you picked stone.
When soffits come down, consider running uppers to the ceiling and capping them with crown; we cover profiles and proportions in crown molding for ranch homes.
Between Carrollwood and the USF area
Lake Magdalene is unincorporated Hillsborough County, so the county, not the City of Tampa, issues permits for rewiring, replumbing or wall changes even though mailing addresses say Tampa. Neighboring communities on our north Tampa route include Carrollwood to the west and University to the east.
Applications go in online through HillsGovHub, the county's permit portal, and Development Services also keeps a walk-in tech center at County Center on Kennedy Boulevard downtown. The licensed trade doing the regulated work files the permit; we supply cabinet drawings when the reviewer asks for them.
Reviews
What customers near Lake Magdalene say
4.4★ average from 52 reviews on Google. Quotes are from public Google reviews, shortened where marked.
“SRQ Woodwork did a terrific job with our kitchen cabinet project. Not only did they understand and embrace our design concept but they executed it with a remarkable level of attention to detail and professionalism. Further, their price was very reasonable.”
“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
Lake Magdalene kitchen remodeling questions
Can you replace cabinets in an older Lake Magdalene home without a full remodel?
Yes. If the layout works, we build new cabinets to the existing footprint so plumbing and wiring stay put, which keeps licensed trades and permits to a minimum. We measure carefully because houses from the 1960s and 1970s settle, then scribe the new boxes to fit the walls. Countertops are templated after the cabinets are set.
What should I do with original solid-oak cabinets?
If the boxes are solid wood and dry, refinishing or new doors can extend their life; if they are particleboard or water-stained at the sink, replacement usually makes more sense. On our visit we check the sink base, drawer joints and face frames, then show each option in the drawings so you can compare before deciding.
Nearby
Also serving near Lake Magdalene
- University, FLAbout 80 min (66 mi) from the shop
- Carrollwood, FLAbout 80 min (64 mi) from the shop
- Northdale, FLAbout 85 min (68 mi) from the shop
- Lutz, FLAbout 85 min (72 mi) from the shop
- Egypt Lake-Leto, FLAbout 75 min (60 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 Lake Magdalene? 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