Outdoor Living Contractor in Mandarin, Jacksonville, FL

Backyards for Mandarin homes, designed in person with you in AutoCAD. We manage every step, from permit to final walkthrough.

Mandarin backyards come with live oaks, river and creek views, and plenty of room to spread out. AY Luxury Designs designs and builds pergolas, covered patios, screened enclosures, outdoor kitchens and fire features for homeowners in Mandarin, a short drive from our design studio. We handle the design, any HOA paperwork, the City of Jacksonville permits and the build.

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

Book a Consultation · Call (904) 629-8803

Outdoor Living Services in Mandarin

Every project is custom designed for your lot, your home's architecture and your neighborhood's guidelines.

Pergolas and Louvered Pergolas: open or adjustable shade, attached or freestanding.
Gazebos and A-Frame Gazebos: solid-roof outdoor rooms, freestanding or attached to your house.
Covered Patio Extensions and Lanai Extensions: more covered living space that looks original to the house.
Screen Enclosures: patio and pool enclosures that keep bugs out without losing the view.
Outdoor Kitchens and Summer Kitchens: you choose the layout and finishes, with the electrical handled with our licensed electrical partner and the gas and plumbing connections made by our licensed trade partners.
Outdoor Fireplaces, Fire Pits and Linear Fire Features
Pavers & Patios and Seat Walls
Outdoor Lighting, Fans & Heaters and Outdoor Electrical, handled with our licensed electrical partner.
3D Backyard Design: see the whole backyard before anything is built.

Why Building in Mandarin Is Different

Architectural review. Mandarin has everything from deed-restricted riverfront lots to newer HOA neighborhoods with their own architectural review. We prepare a neighborhood-specific package with a scaled site plan, elevations, materials and 3D renderings. Confirm current guidelines with your association.

Permits. Mandarin is inside the consolidated City of Jacksonville, so permits are filed through JaxEPICS and reviewed by building, zoning and the fire marshal. A Notice of Commencement is required for most permitted projects. See our Duval County permit guide.

The setting. Big oaks, the St. Johns River and Julington Creek give Mandarin backyards shade and views, and also roots, slopes and storm exposure to plan around.

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

Local Notes for Mandarin Backyards

One of Jacksonville's oldest communities. Mandarin sits on the east bank of the St. Johns River south of downtown, where author Harriet Beecher Stowe spent her winters after the Civil War. The Mandarin Museum and Walter Jones Historical Park keep that history.
River, creek and oak lots. Julington Creek forms Mandarin's southern edge, and big live oaks shade many older lots, so roots and slopes are part of every plan.
Our Mandarin work. We built an attached cedar pergola with a covered top onto a Mandarin family's existing screened pool enclosure to add shade by the pool.

Jacksonville's air is humid: average morning relative humidity runs about 88% over the year, falling to about 56% in the afternoon, per Florida Climate Center data.

Who Builds Your Project

AY stands for Amany Youssef, the founder who designs every project with you and stays personally involved through the final walkthrough. Amany came to the United States as a young child, grew up in Jacksonville, graduated from the University of Florida, and earned her Florida building contractor license. When she did, she became the youngest female licensed building contractor in Florida at the time. Today she leads an experienced team of designers, project managers and builders.

Amany is a member of Professional Women in Building, a council of the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA), and serves as co-chair of its STEM committee. In St. Johns County, she speaks regularly to students at Tocoi Creek High School about careers in construction, and AY Luxury Designs takes on Tocoi Creek students as interns.

Our Design-Build Process

Design session with Amany. Your project starts at our Jacksonville design studio, where you sit down with founder Amany Youssef and watch your backyard take shape live on screen in AutoCAD.
Free AutoCAD design and a custom quote. You get to-scale 3D renderings and a fully itemized custom quote within 24 hours of your consultation, so you know exactly what you're getting.
In-home design visit. Amany comes to your home for an in-person walkthrough, so we look at the project together where you're most comfortable, finalize the details and choose your colors and finishes.
Engineering, HOA and permits handled. We get the necessary engineered documents for every permitted structure, prepare your HOA/ARB package and pull the City of Jacksonville permits.
Build. We can start most projects within two to four weeks. Our crews follow a build process we've refined over many projects, and you get daily updates.
The AY Advantage. You hold back the final 5% for seven days after completion, so we can take care of any touch-ups before you sign off.

Financing is available through Synchrony Bank, including 18 months of no-interest financing, and we have other financing options as well.

Recent Mandarin Projects

Attached covered pergola on a screened pool enclosure, Mandarin (Jacksonville) An attached cedar pergola with a covered top, built onto the family's existing screened pool enclosure to add shade by the pool.

"We had a covered pergola put in on our screened pool enclosure." — Mary Anne P., Google review

Areas We Serve in Mandarin

We proudly serve homeowners all across Mandarin (32223, 32257, 32258), including Mandarin Station, Julington Creek, the riverfront and Loretto, and everywhere in between. Nearby, see our pages for St. Johns, Fruit Cove and Southside.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an outdoor living project in Mandarin cost? Every project gets a custom quote with an in-person AutoCAD design, and every AY Luxury Designs project has a $10,000 minimum. What drives the cost of an outdoor living project in Mandarin: the size of the space; materials; features like fireplaces, fire pits and screens; electrical; engineering and permits; HOA requirements; and site work. You get a fully itemized quote within 24 hours of your design consultation.

Do I need a permit for a gazebo, pergola or patio cover in Mandarin? Most attached or roofed structures need a building permit, and many freestanding ones do too, depending on size and design. The City of Jacksonville permits Mandarin projects through JaxEPICS. We file, track and schedule the inspections. Every permitted structure gets its necessary engineered documents.

Do I need HOA approval for a pergola, gazebo or patio cover in Mandarin? Expect it. Most Mandarin homes are in a planned community, and the review board approves structures and most backyard changes before work starts. We design to your community's guidelines from the first sketch and prepare the full submission for you. Approval is up to the board, so confirm current guidelines with your association.

Do you serve Mandarin? Yes. In Mandarin, our projects include a pergola over a paver lanai extension with a custom wood-burning fireplace and seating walls. We start with a design session at our Jacksonville studio, and Amany then visits your home to finalize the design with you.

Have you built in Mandarin? Yes. We built an attached cedar pergola with a covered top onto a Mandarin family's screened pool enclosure, adding shade right by the pool.

How soon can my project start? We can start most projects within two to four weeks, depending on the project's scope.

Do you offer financing? Yes. You can finance through Synchrony Bank, including 18 months of no-interest financing, or ask us about our other financing options.

Ready to Design Your Mandarin Backyard?

Book your in-person design session with Amany and see your project in AutoCAD before anything is built.

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

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