Hillsborough County · about 70 min (56 mi) from the shop
Kitchen Remodeling in Tampa, FL
Shop-built cabinetry for Hyde Park, Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights bungalows, scribed to century-old walls and finished in Sarasota.
- Built in our Sarasota shop since 2011
- 4.4★ from 52 Google reviews
- 3D model before anything is built
- Solid-wood boxes, dovetail drawers
Our kitchen remodeling in Tampa centers on the city's early twentieth-century neighborhoods, where a stock cabinet rarely fits the room. We design the kitchen, build the cabinetry at our Lewis Ave shop in Sarasota, about 70 minutes and 56 miles south on I-75, and install it ourselves.
Tampa is one of the four markets we list on our Instagram profile, so the drive is built into every schedule rather than treated as an exception.
Bungalow kitchens in Hyde Park, Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights
Tampa counted 384,959 residents in 2020, but the homes that bring us north are mostly a century old. Hyde Park's streets off Bayshore Boulevard, Seminole Heights along Florida Avenue and the Hillsborough River, and Tampa Heights just north of downtown are full of Craftsman bungalows and frame houses built between roughly the 1890s and the late 1920s.
Those kitchens started small and were often rebuilt more than once, so we find raised wood floors with a crown, plaster walls out of plumb, and tall windows that leave little room for uppers. We answer with inset or partial-overlay doors matched to the house's trim, face frames scribed to the walls, and pantry towers where the windows won't allow wall cabinets.
The city's own district records date those eras precisely: Hyde Park's period of significance runs from 1886 to 1933, and Seminole Heights' from 1912 to 1939. Houses that age stand on piers with wood floor framing, so a full run of base cabinets under a stone top bears on joists that decades of plumbing repairs may have notched. Before a countertop is chosen, we ask your contractor to look under the kitchen, and we place island bases over framing that can carry them.
Permits through the City of Tampa, not the county
Homes inside city limits go through the City of Tampa's own permitting, separate from Hillsborough County's office. Hyde Park, Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights also have city historic design review, which focuses on exterior changes; kitchen trade work still follows the normal permit path. A licensed plumber or electrician handles any line that moves, and we book installation after their inspections. Nearby, we also cover East Lake-Orient Park and Egypt Lake-Leto.
Those city permits come from the Construction Services Division at 1400 N. Boulevard, which takes applications through its Accela Citizen Access portal or at the counter. Historic oversight sits with the Architectural Review Commission for Hyde Park, Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights, while Ybor City answers to the separate Barrio Latino Commission. If your kitchen project also adds a window over the sink or a vent through a wall visible from the street, raise it early, because that exterior piece may need commission review before work starts.
Matching new cabinetry to early 1900s Tampa trim
We pick services for Tampa by what an old house will tolerate and what it deserves.
Kitchen Remodeling
Kitchen remodeling as one plan: layout, working drawings, a 3D model and cabinetry built for a bungalow footprint. In the historic districts we flag exterior changes, like a new sink window, early for the review commission.
Custom Cabinetry
Painted inset or stained hardwood cabinets with mortise-and-tenon face frames, sized to tall ceilings and narrow walls. Stacked uppers with glass tops use the height that Hyde Park and Tampa Heights ceilings give you.
Furniture Refinishing & Restoration
Heirloom sideboards, tables and dressers can come to the shop for repair and a new finish; ask about pickup for heavy pieces. Seminole Heights homes built between the 1910s and 1930s often hold pieces as old as the house.
Cabinet Refacing
Where a 1990s remodel left solid boxes, new doors and veneer bring the kitchen back in line with the house. New doors can copy the five-piece profiles of the bungalow's original casework.
Door Refinishing
Original panel doors in Tampa Heights and Seminole Heights bungalows can be refinished on site, so hallway and pantry doors carry the same finish as the new kitchen instead of fighting it.
Bookcases & Libraries
Craftsman bungalows like those along Florida Avenue traditionally had built-in bookcases and window seats; where an owner long ago tore one out, we build a replacement in matching wood and profile.
Pantry & Kitchen Storage
Tall windows and narrow walls leave century-old Tampa kitchens short on upper storage, so a floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinet on the one solid wall often carries what the uppers cannot.
Three trips from Lewis Ave to a Tampa bungalow
The first trip is a measure, with time set aside to check floor level and wall plumb at every run, because old houses hide their quirks. After that, the layout is drawn up and modeled in 3D for you to study over video or at the shop. The cabinets are then built and finished in Sarasota and delivered complete. Installation takes consecutive days, with scribing done in the room so face frames meet plaster cleanly. Our guide to framed vs. frameless cabinets explains why face frames suit these houses.
Reviews
What customers near Tampa say
4.4★ average from 52 reviews on Google. Quotes are from public Google reviews, shortened where marked.
“Graham, PJ and the team at SRQ were exceptional. Creative design for a massive library/wall unit that was a blend of modern and traditional. Outstanding workmanship. Highly recommend!”
“Best of the best in every way!! I interviewed 8 carpenters for a custom built-in job I wanted for our living room and dining room. If you've lived in Sarasota for any length of time, you will know that it's very hard to find reliable help. That is NOT the case with SRQ Woodworks.”
FAQ
Tampa kitchen remodeling questions
Can new cabinets look original to a 1920s Tampa bungalow?
Yes, if the details follow the house. We match door profiles and trim widths to existing casings, favor inset or flush-fit doors on face frames, and choose painted maple or stained quartersawn oak where the woodwork calls for it. The 3D model shows the new run against your windows and doorways before any wood is cut, so you can judge the fit ahead of time.
Do I need a city permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Tampa?
It depends on scope, and the City of Tampa decides. Moving a sink, adding outlets or opening a wall requires a licensed trade and a city permit, while homes in unincorporated areas go to Hillsborough County instead. We work alongside the plumber, electrician or licensed contractor on your job and set our install dates around their inspections.
Nearby
Also serving near Tampa
- Egypt Lake-Leto, FLAbout 75 min (60 mi) from the shop
- Palm River-Clair Mel, FLAbout 65 min (53 mi) from the shop
- Carrollwood, FLAbout 80 min (64 mi) from the shop
- Town 'n' Country, FLAbout 75 min (60 mi) from the shop
- East Lake-Orient Park, 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 Tampa? 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