Outdoor kitchens in Pinecrest

Pinecrest was incorporated on March 12, 1996, covers about eight square miles and is bounded roughly by Snapper Creek Canal, SW 136th Street, SW 57th Avenue and US 1. The Village describes Pinecrest by its tree-lined streets and large estate lots.

In the 1950s and 1960s, ranch-style homes on acre lots laid the foundation for Pinecrest's rural, lushly landscaped residential character. In Pinecrest's EU-1 estate district, the minimum lot area is one acre; in the EU-1C district it is 2.5 gross acres.

Low ranch houses with wide terraces suit a FREILUFT kitchen well: a long run along the house, a counter of natural stone (natural stone worktops in Nero Assoluto, Anthracite Black, Taj Mahal and Calacatta Brazil) and fronts in standard colors in fine texture, with nearly all RAL colors available on request.

In Pinecrest's estate districts, accessory uses other than garages must be placed behind the rear wall of the house or within an open courtyard screened from public view. In Pinecrest's residential districts, detached accessory structures up to 14 feet high must be set back at least 15 feet from the rear property line, and those up to 18 feet high at least 20 feet.

For most gardens, that means the kitchen stands on the terrace behind the house. A separate roof or pavilion further out needs the setbacks above. In Pinecrest, permits are handled by the Village's Building and Planning Department at 12645 Pinecrest Parkway, whose permit checklists include chickee huts, wood decks, pools, plumbing and gas, and electrical work.

Pinecrest has been named a Tree City USA community every year since its incorporation in 1996 and has planted over 10,000 street trees since 1997. Pinecrest Gardens, the site of the Parrot Jungle founded in 1936, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

Pinecrest requires a tree removal permit to remove or relocate any tree not specifically exempted, and trees over 18 inches in diameter at four feet above the ground count as specimen trees. Pinecrest's ordinances require all commercial tree trimmers and landscapers working in the Village to register. We place the kitchen clear of large roots and keep the fire away from low branches. The manufacturer specifies a minimum clearance of 11 13/16 in (30 cm) to adjacent building elements; local fire codes in Florida are reviewed during planning.

Miami-Dade County lies in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone and has the most advanced requirements of the Florida Building Code. A FREILUFT kitchen is built to stay outside year-round and has storm hooks in the plinth that secure the doors; before a storm, secure everything loose.