About the Founder
Built on a Lifetime of
Hands-On Craftsmanship
Michael Leckie brings a rare combination of marine boat building, international construction experience, and a deep respect for materials to every outdoor kitchen he creates.
When you commission an outdoor kitchen from MJ Leckie Carpentry, you are working with a tradesman whose career has been defined by one consistent principle: build it right, or don't build it at all.
Michael Leckie's path to founding MJ Leckie Carpentry is not a conventional one. It spans sawmills, a formal boat building apprenticeship in Nelson, New Zealand, working on high-end yachts around the world, and broad construction experience across Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is precisely this unconventional background that makes his outdoor kitchens different.
Today, Michael operates a well-equipped workshop in Brookvale on Sydney's Northern Beaches, where every cabinet is manufactured to withstand the coastal Australian climate — salt air, intense UV, humidity, and the occasional storm. His clients are homeowners who want an outdoor kitchen that will still look and perform beautifully a decade from now.
Career Journey
A Career Built on Demanding Environments
Sawmill Experience
Michael's career began working in sawmills, giving him a foundational, hands-on understanding of timber — from raw log to finished product. This early exposure to materials at their most fundamental level shapes how he selects and specifies timber to this day.
Boat Building Apprenticeship — Nelson, New Zealand
Michael completed a boat building apprenticeship in Nelson, New Zealand. Boat building is one of the most demanding trades in woodworking — every joint, every seal, and every material choice must withstand constant moisture, salt air, and structural load. It is a craft that tolerates no shortcuts.
High-End Yachts Around the World
Following his apprenticeship, Michael worked on high-end yachts internationally. This exposed him to elite levels of craftsmanship, premium marine-grade materials, and the exacting standards required when a structure must perform flawlessly in demanding, exposed environments.
Broad Building Experience — Canada, Australia & New Zealand
Michael has worked alongside builders across Canada, Australia, and New Zealand on a diverse range of projects — from constructing large kit sheds for apple orchard farms to meticulous classic boat restorations. This breadth of experience gave him an adaptable, practical approach to construction challenges of all scales.
A Deep Respect for Water Damage
Perhaps the most defining thread across Michael's career is his intimate understanding of what water can do to a structure over time. Through boat building, yacht work, and varied construction projects, he has seen first-hand how moisture infiltration, poor drainage, and incorrect material choices lead to premature failure. This knowledge directly informs every outdoor kitchen he builds.
Why It Matters
Marine Craftsmanship Applied to Your Backyard
Most outdoor kitchen builders come from a domestic joinery background. Michael's background is in marine construction — an environment where moisture, structural stress, and material degradation are constant concerns. The standards are simply higher.
This is why MJ Leckie Carpentry specifies polytec Alfresco Alloy frame doors — Australian-made aluminium-framed cabinetry engineered specifically for outdoor exposure, backed by a 7-year warranty — with waterproof Stylex board carcasses behind every door. It is why the team uses Smartstone Sintered benchtops, which are 100% UV stable, frost-resistant, and carry a 15-year warranty. These are not budget-friendly substitutes — they are the right materials, chosen by someone who understands the consequences of getting it wrong.
The Brookvale workshop is set up specifically to manufacture and finish cabinets to a standard that gives every outdoor kitchen the best possible chance of standing up to the Australian outdoor climate — coastal salt air, UV, humidity, and all.
"I've seen what water does to a structure over twenty years of working in marine environments. Every outdoor kitchen I build, I'm thinking about that. It's not just about how it looks on day one — it's about how it holds up on day three thousand."
— Michael Leckie, Founder, MJ Leckie Carpentry
Ready to Work with Michael?
Start designing your outdoor kitchen with our free online planner, or call Michael directly for a no-obligation consultation.