Galley Kitchen Redesign
Two runs, one walkway. How to get more worktop and a wider gap out of a narrow kitchen.
Free, no obligation. One local fitter prices it, not five.
Short answerKeep the sink and hob on the same run unless the walkway is wide, put tall units at one end, and use 370 mm deep units on one side if the gap is tight.
What a galley kitchen is
Two runs of units facing each other with a walkway between them. In Irish houses it's the narrow kitchen at the back of a terrace or a semi, often with a door at one end and a window at the other. It's a good kitchen to cook in: everything is a step away, and two people can work a side each.
The gap decides everything
The two runs have to be far enough apart for the doors on both sides to open at once. Measure from the front of one worktop to the front of the other before you change anything. If the walkway is tight, deeper units make it worse. Shallower units on one side give it back.
- 370 mmdeep units for the tighter side, instead of 600 mm
- 400 mmof worktop at least between hob and sink
- 200 mmat least from the hob to the end wall
- 100 mmat least from the sink to the worktop edge
Redesign moves that work in a galley
- Keep wet and hot on the same side unless the walkway is wide, so nobody crosses with a pot.
- Tall units at one end only. A fridge-freezer and an oven tower at the door end leave both runs as worktop.
- Go shallow on one side. 370 mm units on the side without the sink keep storage and widen the walkway.
- Light colours on the long walls. A dark galley reads narrower. Keep a dark colour to the base units.
- Close the far end. A short return of units under the window makes it a U and adds corner storage. Check the walkway again.
What it costs
A galley has short runs, so it's often the cheapest layout to refit. New doors, drawer fronts and a worktop on the units you have cost €1,350 to €5,000. Moving the sink to the other side is what adds cost. Moving the sink or dishwasher means new water and waste runs: €500 to €1,500. New circuits for a hob or an island are €500 to €2,000, done by a registered electrician who gives you a completion certificate. Gas work is for a Registered Gas Installer only.
Redesign your kitchen in the Studio
Free. About two minutes. Your redesign is drawn on your own photo, and when you like it, one kitchen fitter near you can price it.
- Photo your kitchenAny phone photo of the room.
- Rethink itLayout first, then the doors, colour, worktop and finishing touches.
- See it, then tweak itYour redesign on your own photo, then ask the AI designer for changes.
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Start with the shape of the room
Kitchens come in a handful of shapes. Each one has its own fixes.
L-shaped kitchens
Two walls and a corner. Win the corner back, add a table or an island.
More on L-shaped kitchens →
U-shaped kitchens
Three walls of storage. Open one arm into a peninsula with stools.
More on U-shaped kitchens →
Kitchen islands
Needs 1200 mm clear all round. What to put on it and what it adds.
More on kitchen islands →
Open plan kitchens
Taking a wall out: the engineer, the steel, the planning and the cost.
More on open plan kitchens →
Small kitchens
Shallow units, drawers, one tall unit and more light out of the same few metres.
More on small kitchens →Redesign without a new kitchen
If the units are sound, change what you see: the doors, the colour, the worktop.
Kitchen respray
From €700
New colour on the doors you have, in one to three days.
More on kitchen respray →
Replacement kitchen doors
From €48 a door
New fronts on the units you have.
More on replacement kitchen doors →
Kitchen worktop replacement
From €800 fitted
Laminate, wood or stone on the units you have.
More on kitchen worktop replacement →Get your redesign priced
Three taps about the kitchen, then your number. It goes to one kitchen fitter who covers your area, and they ring you to talk it through, measure up and price it.
Kitchen Redesign guides & price breakdowns
Straight answers to what people ask most: itemised costs, specifications, planning or grants, and what to check before you book.
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Questions people ask
Is a galley kitchen a good layout?
For cooking, yes. Everything is a step or two away and two people can work a side each. It's poor for eating in, unless one end opens into a dining area.
How wide should a galley walkway be?
Wide enough for doors and drawers on both sides to open at the same time. Measure with the doors open before you change the units.
Can I turn a galley into an open-plan kitchen?
Often, if the wall on one side can come out. That needs a structural engineer and usually a steel beam, €2,000 to €4,000.
Who will ring me?
One kitchen fitter who covers your area. Your number isn't sent to a list. They ring you within one working day, ask about the room and what you want to change, and arrange to measure it before giving you a written price. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
Kitchen Redesign across all 26 counties
Requests from all 26 counties go to one vetted local specialist who covers your county — from Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick to Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Waterford and Donegal. Pick your county below for local prices, specifications and advice.