Summer Kitchen Builder in St. Augustine, FL

St. Augustine summer kitchens that move the cooking, and the heat, out of the house.

The phrase 'summer kitchen' goes back to Southern homes that cooked outside to keep the house cool. In St. Augustine it still makes sense. We design summer kitchens that sit right off the lanai, with a cover for the storms and lights for late dinners. Downtown, the City's historic districts protect the look of the street, so outdoor rooms there are designed to sit quietly behind the house.

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

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St. Augustine Summer Kitchen Options

Next to the fire. A summer kitchen beside a fireplace or fire pit keeps the whole evening in one place.
Lighting over the counter. Light where you prep, planned with the cover.
Matching stonework. A base that matches the house or the seat walls.
Seating nearby. Room for a dining table close to the counters.

NFPA recommends keeping children and pets at least three feet away from the grilling area.

Planning a Summer Kitchen in St. Augustine

Palencia and Markland sit between US 1 and the Intracoastal, where marsh and golf views are part of many lots. Salt air is hard on outdoor kitchens, so we choose finishes for the exposure and place the kitchen out of the worst of the wind.

We often pair a summer kitchen with a fire feature so the cooking and the evening fire share one space. Before we draw a summer kitchen in St. Augustine, we check how close the kitchen can sit to the lanai, where the smoke will drift and whether a cover is wanted now or later.

Keeping a grill clean matters: NFPA found the grill had not been cleaned in roughly one-fifth of grill fires.

Approvals and Permits in St. Augustine

Master-planned communities such as SilverLeaf, Shearwater, Markland and Palencia run their own architectural review, while many older and beach-side neighborhoods follow city or county rules only. For a summer kitchen, review boards often want to know where it sits, what it's made of and whether a cover goes over it. Confirm current guidelines with your association.

Homes inside the City of St. Augustine's limits are permitted by the City. In the City's historic preservation zoning districts, most exterior work, including a new accessory structure, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Architectural Review Board before a building permit can be issued. Outside city limits, unincorporated St. Johns County issues a clearance sheet before it accepts the permit application. Every permitted structure gets its necessary engineered documents.

Why AY Luxury Designs

You design it with the founder. Amany Youssef designs every project with you in person and stays involved through the final walkthrough.
We manage every step, from design to final inspection. We handle the AutoCAD design, the HOA paperwork, the engineering, the permits and the build. We handle electrical work with our licensed electrical partner, and gas and plumbing with our licensed trade partners.
Built for Florida. Every permitted structure gets its necessary engineered documents.
A Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorite.

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 summer kitchen 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 St. Augustine or St. Johns County 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.

Summer Kitchen Projects in St. Augustine

Recent summer kitchens and related work we've completed here:

Madeira: A new outdoor kitchen, a gas fire bowl and a lighted seating wall.
SilverLeaf: An outdoor kitchen and a pergola.

See more on our Summer Kitchen Builder in Jacksonville page and our St. Augustine page.

Areas We Serve in St. Augustine

We proudly serve homeowners all across St. Augustine (32080, 32084, 32086, 32092, 32095), from Shearwater, Markland and Palencia, and everywhere in between. Wherever you call home in St. Augustine, we'd love to hear about your project, so give us a call.

We also serve homeowners throughout St. Johns County and the greater Jacksonville area. Nearby, see our pages for World Golf Village, St. Johns and Nocatee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a minimum budget for a summer kitchen in St. Augustine? Yes. Every AY Luxury Designs project has a $10,000 minimum. Beyond that, the cost depends on the patio; the size and layout; base and counter materials; appliances; and permits, and your fully itemized custom quote comes within 24 hours of your consultation.

How big should a summer kitchen be? Big enough for how you cook and no bigger. We lay out the counters and seating in AutoCAD so you can see the fit.

Can a summer kitchen have a fridge? Yes. We plan the base and the power for a fridge or beverage center.

Do you serve Anastasia Island and Vilano Beach? Yes. We serve homeowners all across St. Augustine, including the beach side. Salt air and wind shape the design there, and we plan for them from the first sketch.

Does a summer kitchen in St. Augustine go to the HOA? In most cases, yes. In St. Augustine, the review that matters depends on where you live: a community architectural review board in places like SilverLeaf, Palencia or Markland, the City's historic review downtown, or simply the county's rules on an older street. We prepare the site plan, scaled drawings and material and color selections and submit them with you. Confirm current guidelines with your association.