Cypress Lakes HOA Guide: Approval for Pergolas, Covers & Outdoor Living

Planning an outdoor project in Cypress Lakes? Start with the review.

Here's how a pergola, patio cover, screen enclosure, outdoor kitchen or fire feature usually moves through review in Cypress Lakes.

Book a Consultation · Call (904) 629-8803

Getting to Know Cypress Lakes

Cypress Lakes is a deed-restricted golf-course community in Elkton, in St. Johns County southwest of St. Augustine. It surrounds the St. Johns Golf Club course, with about 300 single-family homes and a community pool.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30, with the peak around September 10, according to NOAA.

Planning Notes for Cypress Lakes Backyards

Deed restrictions. Cypress Lakes is deed-restricted, so the association's rules shape what can be built.

Golf-course lots. Many homes face the course.

Room to spread out. Lots here often leave space for a freestanding gazebo or a fire pit area.

Projects Close to Cypress Lakes

In Cypress Lakes, we've built a custom cedar gazebo tied into the house roof, with a tongue-and-groove ceiling.

Recent St. Augustine projects near Cypress Lakes:

  • A gazebo with a wood ceiling (Markland)
  • A full-width paver patio with lighted planters (Beacon Lake)
  • An outdoor kitchen and a pergola (SilverLeaf)

Permits for Cypress Lakes Homes

Cypress Lakes homes are permitted by St. Johns County. The County requires a building permit for most improvements and, in most cases, a clearance sheet before it accepts the application, and registered architectural review associations are notified automatically when exterior work is filed. A recorded Notice of Commencement is required for most permitted projects. Our St. Johns County permit guide walks through each step. Every permitted structure gets its necessary engineered documents. The association's approval doesn't replace the building permit; we take care of both.

Getting Approval in Cypress Lakes

The HOA of Cypress Lakes reviews exterior changes under its deed restrictions. We prepare the package for you. Confirm current guidelines with your association.

What We Take Care Of

Amany Youssef designs every project in person with you in AutoCAD, first at our Jacksonville studio and then at your home. We can start most projects within two to four weeks, and financing is available through Synchrony Bank, including 18 months of no-interest financing. The itemized quote arrives within 24 hours of your consultation. Every AY Luxury Designs project has a $10,000 minimum. Wiring is done with our licensed electrical partner, and our licensed trade partners make the gas and plumbing connections. The review package, the engineered documents every permitted structure needs and the permit filing are all part of our job. With the AY Advantage, the last 5% waits seven days after completion while we handle any touch-ups.

Up to 80% of UV rays can get through clouds, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Project Types and the Review

  • Pergolas, gazebos and patio covers. Most HOAs require architectural approval before a roofed or open-top structure goes up; we show the size, its spot on your survey, elevations, materials and colors.
  • Fire features. Placement matters for both the board and the code, so fire pits and fireplaces are drawn with their clearances.

These are typical review topics, not Cypress Lakes' written rules. Confirm current guidelines with your association.

Related Guides

For the bigger picture, see the St. Augustine page and our guide to HOA architectural review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Cypress Lakes? In Elkton, southwest of St. Augustine near I-95, around the St. Johns Golf Club course.

Is Cypress Lakes deed-restricted? Yes. The association's deed restrictions apply, so we design within them and prepare the review package. Confirm current guidelines with your association.

Do you serve Cypress Lakes? Yes. Nearby in SilverLeaf, our projects include a gazebo inside a new screen enclosure with our expanded-view upgrade. Your project starts with a design session at our Jacksonville studio, and then Amany comes to your home for the in-home design visit.

Talk Through Your Cypress Lakes Project

Book a design session with Amany. We'll design to your community's guidelines and prepare the full review package.

Call (904) 629-8803 or book a consultation. Design studio: 8917 Western Way, Suite 7, Jacksonville, FL 32256 · Monday–Friday, 10am–5pm

AY Luxury Designs LLC · Certified Building Contractor CBC1268168 · Amany Youssef: Registered Building Contractor RB29003947 · Registered Electrical Contractor ER13016631 · Registered Underground Utility & Excavation Contractor RU11066663

RiverTown backyard with the original covered porch before the tied-in cedar gazebo
Before
Tied-in cedar gazebo and screen enclosure at night in RiverTown, St. Johns
After
Durbin Crossing backyard before the A-frame cedar gazebo and paver patio
Before
Cedar gazebo and paver patio in Durbin Crossing, St. Johns
After
Seabrook backyard in Nocatee before the cedar gable lanai extension
Before
Cedar gable roof extension in Seabrook, Nocatee
After
Del Webb Nocatee backyard before the cedar gazebo and screen enclosure
Before
Tied-in cedar gazebo inside a screen enclosure in Del Webb Nocatee
After
Cedar pergola and seating wall on a paver patio in St. Augustine
Cedar gazebo inside a screen enclosure at night in SilverLeaf, St. Augustine
Cedar gazebo lanai extension at dusk in SilverLeaf, St. Augustine
Paver patio with a gas fire pit and seating wall in SilverLeaf, St. Augustine
Covered lanai and paver patio dining area in SilverLeaf, St. Augustine
Composite-roof screen enclosure in Stillwater, St. Johns
Lighted seat walls on a paver patio at night in Stillwater, St. Johns
Covered paver patio with a hot tub pad from above in Aberdeen, St. Johns
Screened patio with a fireplace and ceiling fan at night in Stillwater, St. Johns
Composite-roof screen enclosure from above in Aberdeen, St. Johns
Outdoor kitchen and cedar pergola lit at night in Del Webb Nocatee
Cedar pergola over a paver patio dining area in St. Augustine
Screen enclosure with curved stone steps in SilverLeaf, St. Augustine
Tied-in A-frame lanai extension with a wood ceiling in Shearwater, St. Augustine
Attached cedar pergola over a paver patio lounge in St. Augustine
Linear fireplace in stone veneer inside a screen room in St. Augustine
Screened lanai extension lounge in Shearwater, St. Augustine
Cedar pergola beside a raised planter wall in St. Augustine
Outdoor kitchen and bar inside a screen room in St. Augustine
Lanai extension with ceiling fans inside a screen enclosure in Shearwater, St. Augustine
Wood-burning fire pit with a seating wall in RiverTown, St. Johns
A-frame cedar gazebo over an outdoor kitchen in Durbin Crossing, St. Johns
A-frame gazebo and screen enclosure over a patio extension in Stillwater, St. Johns
Linear gas fireplace in a screen room in Stillwater, St. Johns
Paver walkway down to a fire pit in RiverTown, St. Johns
Paver patio with a bench and fire pit in Durbin Crossing, St. Johns
A-frame gazebo with a screen enclosure in Stillwater, St. Johns
A-frame gazebo wood ceiling inside a screen room in Stillwater, St. Johns
Curved outdoor kitchen under a cedar pergola in Del Webb Nocatee
Cedar gazebo with custom columns in Del Webb Nocatee
A-frame cedar gazebo with a gas fireplace in Cypress Trails, Nocatee
Outdoor kitchen under a cedar gable extension in Seabrook, Nocatee
Paver patio extension with a built-in bench in Del Webb Nocatee
Curved seating wall with lighted caps in Seabrook, Nocatee
Paver patio extension with a curved seating wall in Del Webb Nocatee

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