Kitchen Remodeling in Longboat Key, FL

Gulf-front towers, seasonal owners and salt air along Gulf of Mexico Drive

Longboat Key runs about ten miles between New Pass and Longboat Pass, with mid-rise and high-rise towers, villa complexes and single-family homes sharing one long road. Many buildings are decades old, and their kitchens show it: enclosed galleys, dropped soffits hiding ductwork, and cabinets updated piecemeal by successive owners.

Census survey estimates fill in the picture. About six in ten of the key's roughly 9,900 homes sit in buildings of ten or more units, six in ten were built between 1970 and 1989, and about half are held for seasonal or occasional use rather than lived in year-round. Age and absence together matter: a slow leak under a sink can run unnoticed for weeks in a unit closed for the summer, one more reason we build sink bases from solid wood.

Tower construction changes how cabinets go in. Many buildings sit on post-tensioned concrete slabs, and associations commonly forbid drilling or anchoring into them without scanning first, so we plan fastening around framing and existing blocking. Salt air off the Gulf corrodes plain steel hinges and slides within a few seasons, so we fit stainless or coated hardware. Our condo kitchen remodeling process is built around these limits, and our post on Longboat Key condo remodel rules covers what boards typically ask for.

Two counties, one town building department, and both bridges onto the key

Longboat Key is split between Manatee County to the north and Sarasota County to the south, yet permits for both halves go through the Town of Longboat Key's own building department rather than either county. Work that moves plumbing, wiring or walls is permitted by the licensed trades doing it, and association approval is a separate step that has to come first.

The island also sits squarely in the path of Gulf storm surge. Helene's surge in September 2024 and Milton's landfall near Siesta Key that October pushed water into ground-floor units, garages and lower homes on parts of the key, and the town enforces the FEMA/NFIP substantial-improvement rule when damaged buildings are rebuilt.

We reach the south end through St. Armands Circle and over the New Pass bridge, and the north end from Cortez Road and Anna Maria Island across Longboat Pass, which also brings us to Cortez and Bradenton Beach.

Get directions to the Lewis Ave shopRead customer reviews

Board approvals, elevator bookings and install day in a tower

1. 1

   Measure and read the rules

   We measure the unit and go through your association's renovation rules: work hours, elevator reservations, required contractor documents and any limits on slab penetrations.

2. 2

   Drawings for you and the board

   Working drawings and a 3D model serve two audiences: you choose finishes, and the board or manager reviews the scope.

3. 3

   Built to fit the elevator

   Every box is built on Lewis Avenue and sized to clear the service elevator and the hallway turn into the unit.

4. 4

   Install on the building's clock

   We pad the elevator cab, protect corridors, install within permitted hours and bring in the stone fabricator to template once bases are set.

If the scope includes plumbing or electrical changes, the town permit and the association's sign-off both need to be in hand before demolition, and we do not schedule ahead of either.