Lutz · Odessa · Trinity · Land O' Lakes · New Port Richey · Port Richey



Your Backyard Was Made for an Outdoor Kitchen. Let's Build it the Right Way.

Tell Us Your Ideas

This is one of the most competitive outdoor kitchen markets in Florida. Which means you have a lot of options — and a lot of reasons to choose carefully. We'll help you understand the difference, then let you decide who builds your backyard hangout.




CUSTOM OUTDOOR KITCHENS · PERGOLAS · LOUVERED PERGOLAS · BUILT-IN GRILLS ·

OUTDOOR LIVING ·  COVERED PATIOS · SUMMER KITCHENS · WOOD CEILINGS

Florida-Certified Building Contractor ·  Serving the Tampa Bay Area Since 2014

Your situation


You've Done the Research. You Have More

Questions Than When You Started.

HLutz, Odessa, Trinity, and Land O' Lakes are some of the most desirable addresses in the Tampa Bay area — and the homeowners who chose them tend to approach major investments the same way they approach everything else: with research, with high standards, and with a healthy skepticism of anyone who makes the process sound simpler than it is.


An outdoor kitchen in north Hillsborough or south Pasco County is not a casual weekend project. A $500,000 home in Odessa or a $640,000 property in Starkey Ranch deserves an outdoor kitchen that matches the investment — in materials, in construction quality, in the way it sits relative to the home's architecture, and in the paperwork that protects the investment at resale.


The challenge in this market is specific: there are more companies competing for this business than in almost any other market we serve. Some of them are excellent. Some of them are pool companies that added outdoor kitchens to a services menu. Some are weekend crews buying materials from supply houses and assembling them in backyards without permits. Figuring out the difference, before you've handed anyone a deposit, requires knowing what questions to ask.



This page is designed to help you ask them — regardless of whether you end up calling us or not. That is how we earn the business of buyers like you.


$497k

Odessa median property value — among highest in Tampa Bay area

$640k

Odessa median sale price — lakefront and estate properties reach seven figures

$127k

Land O' Lakes median income for 45–64 household demographic

High

Homeownership rate across the corridor — owners invest, renters don't

Who we are


We've Been Building Outdoor Kitchens Since 2007.

 We'd Rather Educate You Than Sell You.

HL Posey Builders is a Florida-certified building contractor. Outdoor kitchens, louvered pergola systems, fire features, wood ceilings and outdoor living spaces are the entire business — not an add-on to a pool route or a landscaping contract. We've been building in this market long enough to know what a well-built outdoor kitchen requires and how to explain the differences clearly to a buyer who is doing their due diligence. That's what this page is for.


We Pull Permits.



Hillsborough County requires permits for projects involving gas, electrical, plumbing, or structural elements such as pergolas, roofed shade structures, or permanent covered structures. Pasco County has the same requirements. Building without a permit in either jurisdiction isn't a paperwork shortcut — it's a liability you'll own when you go to sell. Every structural project we build is permitted by the appropriate county building department and inspected before it's considered complete.







Hillsborough County · Pasco County · Permitted & inspected



We Build with Materials Specified for This Environment.


The Tampa Bay outdoor environment — UV intensity, humidity, and summer thunderstorm season — is demanding on outdoor kitchen materials. We specify materials based on what performs in these conditions: correct stainless grades for the salt air exposure of your specific lot, countertop materials that are genuinely appropriate for outdoor UV exposure, pergola systems engineered to Florida Building Code wind-load requirements. Not what's in stock. Not what has the highest margin. What holds up.


Correct stainless grade · UV-appropriate countertops · Wind-load rated structures



We Design the Kitchen and the Pergola Together.


The outdoor kitchen and the louvered pergola or shade structure above it are one design problem — not two separate projects assembled in proximity. We design both from the first conversation: the kitchen's layout, the pergola's column placement, the overhead span, the blade orientation for your primary view direction. The result looks intentional because it was designed intentionally.







One design · One permit · One contractor · One cohesive result


THE BUYERS GUIDE


What to Know Before You Talk to Any Contractor

in This Market

In a market this competitive, the difference between a $35,000 outdoor kitchen you'll enjoy for twenty years and a $20,000 one you'll want to replace in five comes down to a handful of decisions made before construction starts. Here is the knowledge that separates informed buyers from disappointed ones.

The Countertop Decision — What Every Lutz and Odessa Contractor Should Be Telling You

Countertop material is the outdoor kitchen decision where the most misinformation circulates — and where the most expensive mistakes get made. Here is the honest picture, material by material.

The Outdoor Countertop Hierarchy

BEST

Full-body porcelain slab (Dekton, Neolith, Lapitec)

UV-stable, completely non-porous, zero maintenance, and will not discolor, stain, or change appearance under any outdoor condition Florida produces. The correct answer if budget allows. Premium price point — significantly more than granite.

Better

Quartzite

Natural stone with genuine character, appropriate outdoors, and the most common real-world choice at this price point. Both are porous and require periodic sealing to resist staining. Darker colors are more forgiving than lighter ones — lighter granite and lighter dolomite show staining more readily and need more disciplined sealing. Age naturally and attractively when maintained.

Good

Granite and dolomite

Harder and less porous than granite. Requires sealing. Lighter quartzite will shift in tone with prolonged UV exposure — this is not a defect, it's a material characteristic worth knowing before you select a light color. Good choice for buyers who prefer a harder surface and understand the maintenance commitment.

AVOID OUTDOORS

Quartz (engineered resin composites)

Quartz countertops — Silestone, Caesarstone, and similar — are resin-bound composites that are not UV-stable. They discolor and degrade under direct sun exposure outdoors. Any contractor recommending quartz for an outdoor kitchen in Florida's sun exposure either doesn't know this or isn't telling you. It is not appropriate for outdoor use here.


⚠ We are transparent about this at the consultation

before a material is selected — not after an installation you're unhappy with. Our recommendation depends on your budget, your maintenance tolerance, and your lot's specific sun exposure.


Appliances, Stainless Grades, and Why the Wrong Choice Corrodes on Your Lot

The Tampa Bay area is not  a low-corrosion environment. Homeowners in Odessa lakefront communities, Trinity waterfront lots, and anywhere within a mile of water need to be aware of what stainless grade is going into their outdoor kitchen before they sign.

Stainless Steel Grades — the Practical Reality

PREMIUM

316-grade marine stainless

USA 316-grade is the least corrosive among stainless steel sheet metals. It is great for your saltwater boat but is overkill for your backyard hangout. It costs way more than 304-grade. Significantly outperforms it in humid, mineral-rich air environments.

STANDARD

USA-manufactured 304-grade stainless

Appropriate for all north Tampa and Pasco County locations. Specify USA-manufactured — imported 304, 201 and 430-grade products are often marketed as 304-grade but perform significantly worse in humid conditions. We carry Twin Eagles, Delta Heat, Coyote, and Alfresco because their stainless specifications and manufacturing quality are verifiable.

Good

Granite and dolomite

Harder and less porous than granite. Requires sealing. Lighter quartzite will shift in tone with prolonged UV exposure — this is not a defect, it's a material characteristic worth knowing before you select a light color. Good choice for buyers who prefer a harder surface and understand the maintenance commitment.

AVOID

Imported low-grade stainless (201, 430-grade)

Frequently found in mass-market outdoor kitchen supply chains and sold as "stainless steel" without grade specification. Can show surface rust and pitting within months if not weeks in the Florida outdoosr regardless of how far you are from the coast. Ask for the grade in writing before you buy any appliance.


⚠ Ask any contractor for the stainless steel grade specification of every appliance they propose — in writing, in the quote. If they can't or won't provide it, that is your answer about their material knowledge.


HOW IT WORKS

From First Conversation

to Finished Outdoor Kitchen — Four Steps

A buyer who has done their research deserves a contractor whose process matches their standard of care. Here is exactly what the process looks like from your first call to your first evening at the outdoor kitchen.

We Listen:


Starting with an in-depth conversation about your space and ideas, we give you a budget range. You can make an in-person or virtual visit to our showroom to see everything that fits your vision. Then we come out to your house and make it all work.

We Design:


We design your hangout and let you know what your investment will be. We guide you through the final selection of cabinet colors, countertops and backsplashes. Write it all up to determine the final scope of work so everyone is on the same page, including our licensed plumber and electrician.


We Build. You Enjoy:


Construction begins on your scheduled date. The construction period generally takes around three weeks for an outdoor kitchen. The last day we install all the appliances and clean up all the dust. Always shooting to deliver a 5-star performance.

Tell Us Your Ideas

Ready to get started?

Become a 'Hangout Hero' Today!

CALL (239) 893-3700

WHAT WE  BUILD


Custom Outdoor Kitchens, Pergolas, Fire Features &

Outdoor Living Spaces

Every project is designed from scratch for your specific property — your lot size, your home's architecture, your HOA standards, and how you intend to use the space. We build throughout north Hillsborough and south Pasco counties with materials specified for Tampa Bay's outdoor conditions.

01

Custom Outdoor Kitchens & Summer Kitchens


Fully custom outdoor kitchens built from masonry, aluminum frame, and natural stone — not polymer boxes. Built-in gas grills, charcoal grills, smokers, pizza ovens, outdoor refrigerators, ice makers, beverage coolers, outdoor sinks, and bar setups integrated into a structure designed for your lanai dimensions, your view orientation, and your cooking habits. Stone or porcelain slab countertops. Natural stone or tile facades. Narural wood ceilings where the design calls for them. Everything specified for Lakewood Ranch's outdoor conditions — UV, humidity, and Florida's heat — and designed to look like it was always part of the home.


Outdoor kitchens Lutz FL · Outdoor kitchen Odessa FL · Custom outdoor kitchen Trinity · Summer kitchen Land O Lakes · Built-in grill · Pizza oven · Big Green Egg outdoor kitchen · Outdoor refrigerator · Stone countertops · Granite countertop outdoor kitchen


02

Aluminum Pergolas & Louvered Pergola Systems


Motorized louvered pergolas, solid-roof aluminum pavilions, and attached patio covers that provide genuine weather protection for your outdoor kitchen and living space. Louvered pergola roof systems open and close with a wall switch or app — giving you full Florida airflow on mild days and complete rain protection during the afternoon storms that define a Lakewood Ranch summer. All aluminum pergola systems are engineered to Florida Building Code wind-load requirements and sized to your exact lanai dimensions. We design and install the shade structure as part of the same project as the outdoor kitchen — one contractor, and one cohesive result.



LPergolas Lutz FL · Louvered pergola Odessa · Aluminum pergola Trinity · Motorized pergola Land O Lakes · Covered patio New Port Richey · Pavilion · Shade structure Pasco County · Patio cover Hillsborough County



03

Outdoor Fire Features — Fire Pits, Fire Tables & Fireplaces


Custom gas fire pits, fire tables, fire pit bowls, linear outdoor fireplaces, and wood-fired or gas pizza ovens built into custom stone or porcelain surrounds. A fire feature changes how your outdoor kitchen gets used — it extends the evening, anchors the lounge area, and turns the outdoor space into a year-round destination. We handle the gas line work, and every layer of the finish as one contractor with no subcontractor handoffs between the kitchen and the fire feature. The result is a cohesive outdoor living space where the fire feature was designed as part of the kitchen from the beginning.





Outdoor fire pits Lutz · Gas fire pit Odessa · Fire table · Outdoor fireplace Trinity · Fire pit Land O Lakes · Gas fire feature · Pizza oven · Big Green Egg outdoor kitchen Lutz FL


04

Complete Outdoor Living Spaces


Outdoor dining areas, lounge zones, outdoor bars with bar seating, built-in entertainment walls, accent lighting, and the outdoor kitchen — designed together as one outdoor living space that flows from your home's interior and makes full use of your lake view, preserve edge, or pool backdrop. We design the full space before we build any of it. Every material selection is disclosed with the specificity a buyer at this price point deserves: the stainless grade, the countertop material with its outdoor performance characteristics, the pergola system's engineering specifications. The kind of outdoor room that makes the Lutz or Odessa property you invested in feel like it was always worth exactly what you paid for it.


Outdoor living spaces Lutz · Complete outdoor kitchen Odessa · Outdoor dining Trinity · Outdoor lounge Land O Lakes · Outdoor bar · Landscape lighting · Backyard outdoor kitchen north Tampa


WHAT IT  LOOKS LIKE WHEN IT'S RIGHT


The Outdoor Kitchen That

Makes the Home It's Attached To 

A well-built outdoor kitchen doesn't just complete the backyard. It makes the investment you made in the home make sense — every evening of every month of the Tampa Bay outdoor season, which is essentially every month.


The Big Green Egg is smoking. The fire table is lit. The Odessa lake is behind the louvered pergola. It's a November Saturday.


The louvered pergola blades are angled against the afternoon sun. The granite countertops are sealed and performing exactly as described at the consultation. This is the outdoor kitchen that was designed for your backyard — and it looks like it. You have our number if you ever need it.



You quoted three companies. The other two couldn't tell you the stainless grade on the grill they were proposing.


HL Posey quoted USA-manufactured 304-grade, told you it was appropriate for your inland Lutz lot, told you what the signs of 201-grade substitution look like, and put the appliance brand and grade specification in writing in the proposal. That transparency told you who was actually going to take care of you after the deposit cleared.



You go to sell. The outdoor kitchen is in the listing. The inspector finds nothing to flag.


A licensed-contractor-built outdoor kitchen in a Odessa or Lutz home is a documented asset that transfers cleanly to the next owner. No removal required. No disclosure complications. No renegotiation because a buyer's inspector found an unpermitted structure in the backyard.



Not sure who to trust with your backyard? Start Here ↓

WHAT WE HELP YOU AVOID


In a Crowded Market, the Mistakes Are

Predictable Once You Know Them

LNorth Tampa's outdoor kitchen market has more active contractors than any other area we serve. That competition is good for buyers in most ways — but it also means more contractors operating at a lower standard, because the volume of demand makes it easy to stay busy without building a reputation for quality.


The four outcomes below are patterns we see in this market consistently. Every one of them is preventable with the right questions asked before the deposit is paid.



CALL US BEFORE YOU HIRE ANYONE ELSE

List of Services


WHY HL POSEY


The Outdoor Kitchen Contractor That Treats You Like

the Informed Buyer You Are

North Tampa buyers — the professionals, the business owners, the families who chose Odessa or Lutz or Trinity because of what those addresses represent — do not respond well to contractors who simplify the process so much that the important details get glossed over. They respond to contractors who know their trade thoroughly enough to explain the details clearly, who are transparent about materials and grades before the contract is signed, and who stand behind the work after the invoice is paid.



That is the contractor HL Posey Builders has been since 2007. We have built our reputation in this market by educating buyers rather than selling them — by being the most specific, most transparent, and most technically knowledgeable outdoor kitchen contractor they talk to. Buyers who have done their research tend to call us back after speaking to the competition. We earn the business by being the guide who knows what they're talking about.




FLORIDA CONTRACTOR LICENSE


CBC 1253975

Verifiable at MyFloridaLicense.com.


We display this on every proposal, every permit application, and every project sign — because it matters and is required by Florida State law.


List of Services

QUESTIONS informed buyers ask


What North Tampa Homeowners
Want Answered Before the Consultation

  • What countertop material should I actually use for an outdoor kitchen in this area?

    The honest answer depends on your budget and your maintenance tolerance. The best outdoor countertop available — and the most expensive — is a full-body porcelain slab such as Dekton, Neolith, or Lapitec. These are UV-stable, completely non-porous, and require zero maintenance to hold their appearance indefinitely in Florida's outdoor conditions. If the budget allows, this is the correct answer. For most homeowners, the practical choice is granite or dolomite — genuine natural stone with character, appropriate outdoors, and the most common real-world choice at this price point. Both require periodic sealing to resist staining, and lighter colors are more demanding than darker ones. Quartzite is a step above granite in hardness and slightly less porous — also requires sealing, and lighter quartzite will shift in tone with prolonged UV exposure. Quartz — engineered resin composites like Silestone and Caesarstone — is not appropriate for outdoor use in Florida. It is not UV-stable and will discolor and degrade under direct sun exposure. We are transparent about this at the consultation and recommend based on your budget and maintenance preferences.

  • What outdoor kitchen materials hold up best?

    Luts, Odessa and Trinity outdoor conditions — intense UV, high humidity, heavy summer rainfall — are demanding on materials not chosen for them. For facades, natural stone veneer, large-format porcelain tile, and stucco-finish masonry hold up better than the polymer cladding used on some prefab systems. For framing, aluminum construction is more dimensionally stable in Florida's humidity than wood or composite materials. For appliances and hardware, quality 304-grade stainless is appropriate for Hernando County. We make all of these material calls as part of the design process, based on your specific lot and exposure.

  • How do I tell the difference between a good outdoor kitchen company and one who will do mediocre work?

    In a market this competitive, there are several questions that separate contractors who know their trade from those who don't. First: ask for the stainless steel grade of every appliance they propose — in writing. If they can't tell you the grade, or give you a vague answer like "commercial grade" or "high-quality stainless," that is a red flag. Second: ask whether they pull a county building permit for every project. Any contractor who suggests permits aren't necessary for an outdoor kitchen with gas, electrical, or plumbing connections is either wrong or deliberately misleading you. Third: ask whether the pergola columns will be surface-mounted or set in below-grade engineered footings. Surface mounting is faster and cheaper; engineered footings hold in storm conditions. Fourth: if they propose quartz for an outdoor countertop, ask why — quartz is not UV-stable outdoors in Florida. A contractor who recommends it either doesn't know this or isn't telling you. These four questions, asked before any deposit is paid, will tell you more about a contractor's competence than any number of before-and-after photos.

  • What does a custom outdoor kitchen cost in Lutz, Odessa, or Trinity?

    A licensed contractor built outdoor kitchen in north Hillsborough and south Pasco counties typically runs from $18,000 for a focused summer kitchen — built-in grill, countertop, and sink — to $100,000 or more for a full outdoor living space with a louvered pergola, fire feature, pizza oven or Big Green Egg setup, refrigeration, and quality stone. We provide a fixed-price proposal after the on-site consultation. That number includes county permit fees, HOA submission preparation where required, and the complete scope of construction. It doesn't change after you've signed. The countertop material selection has the most range within any given project: Dekton or full-body porcelain slab adds meaningful cost over granite, and we give you that number transparently before you commit to a material.

  • How long does a project take from start to finish in Hernando County?

    A typical outdoor kitchen in North Tampa takes 7 to 12 weeks from contract signing. Design and revision: two to three weeks.  On-site construction: two to three weeks. We give you a project-specific schedule once we have all your materials and update you at every milestone. The HOA timeline is the part we can't fully compress, but complete and accurate applications minimize review delays — and we submit complete packages. From the homeowner's perspective, the process is straightforward: you approve the design, we order the material, we schedule, we build, and you sit back and relax. Simple in practice, even if the steps behind it are not.

Let's Get Started!

Contact Us

Contact Us Today!

HL Posey Builders


Brooksville, FL 34613

(813) 736-5899


Building in Luts, Odessa, New Port Richey, Wesley Chapel, Spring Hill Brooksville and The Villages since 2014.

Schedule your free estimate today!

Let's Get Started!

Had our small outdoor kitchen area remodeled and new grill installed by them. Laurie & Henry were a pleasure to deal with, willing to listen to my ideas and offering plenty of their own. Josh & the installation crew were a great bunch of guys who worked hard and did a high-quality job. Overall, I am delighted and would certainly recommend them.


Jeff Weeks | Google Review