Small & Galley Kitchen Remodel - Elbaz Construction

The ServiceSection 02 of 15

A layout problem before it is a finish problem.

A small or galley kitchen remodel reworks a fixed footprint — usually without moving a wall — so the plan, the storage and the light do more work than they did before.

In older South Florida block homes the exterior and central walls are typically load-bearing. In condos the walls are frequently shared or structural, and the building’s own rules often fix where plumbing can go. Expansion is usually off the table. What is left is the plan: aisle widths, run lengths, where the sink and range sit relative to each other, and how much of the vertical wall is actually being used. Reworking a small kitchen into a tighter galley or a better L often delivers more usable function than the original ever had, without touching a wall.

Galley aisle4–6 FT

Enough for one person to work comfortably and for a second person or an open appliance door to pass without the room feeling cramped.

Appliance depth24 IN

Counter-depth and panel-ready units free real floor and worktop space that standard-depth appliances eat into.

Licensed GCCBC1265280

Elbaz Construction holds the certified building contractor licence and manages condo board approval alongside the permit.

ScopeSection 03 of 15

What a small-kitchen remodel covers.

In a fixed footprint the plan carries most of the value. Here is the order.

01Measured survey and layout studyThe existing room measured properly, then two or three layout options tested against how you actually cook.

Aisle width, the distance between sink, range and refrigerator, and where a second person stands are all decided here. In a small kitchen this study is worth more than any single finish choice.

02Structural and services checkWhich walls are load-bearing, where the plumbing stack and wet wall sit, and what the electrical panel can carry.

In a block home the central wall is often load-bearing. In a condo the stack position is frequently immovable regardless of what the ideal plan would want, so the layout is designed around it rather than into a dead end.

03Condo and HOA approvalPlan submission, certificates of insurance, work-hour rules and freight elevator scheduling where the building requires them.

A condo kitchen is managed as much through building administration as through construction. Getting the board package right early is what keeps a start date from slipping by weeks.

04PermittingA building permit for the work, with plumbing and electrical included where the scope calls for it.

Requirements differ across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. Like-for-like replacement and a layout change are not the same submission.

05Demolition and protectionExisting cabinetry, worktops and finishes removed, with floor and corridor protection in occupied buildings.

In a condo this is a logistics exercise: protected routes, scheduled elevator use and controlled debris removal.

06Rough-inPlumbing and electrical adjusted within what the building allows, plus any circuits the new appliances need.

Small kitchens frequently need added circuits even when the layout barely moves, because the original panel was never sized for modern appliance loads.

07CabinetryFull-height runs, drawer stacks, blind-corner pull-outs and appliance garages set out to the approved plan.

This is where a small kitchen recovers the most function. Drawers instead of low shelves, vertical dividers for trays and boards, and cabinetry that runs to the ceiling rather than stopping short.

08Worktops, splashback and lightingTemplated worktops, reflective or glass splashback, and layered lighting including under-cabinet and toe-kick.

Light finishes and reflective surfaces genuinely read as more space. Under-cabinet lighting removes the shadow line that makes a narrow worktop feel narrower.

09Appliances, fit-off and inspectionAppliances set, hardware fitted, silicone and trim completed, inspections closed out.

Counter-depth and panel-ready appliances are set last and are the point where a few millimetres of earlier setting-out either pays off or does not.

ProjectSection 04 of 15

A fixed footprint, reworked.

Completed compact kitchen · South Florida

Compact remodelled kitchen with navy cabinetry, a white quartz peninsula and stainless appliances — 01The remodelled kitchen, looking across the peninsula

Galley counter run with an undermount sink below a window and navy wall cabinets above — 02Sink run below the window, wall cabinets above

Quartz peninsula with a waterfall end panel beside the navy base cabinet run — 03Quartz peninsula with a waterfall end

Range wall with a stainless chimney hood set between navy wall cabinets — 04Range wall and chimney hood

Project RecordSection 05 of 15

What this kitchen changed.

The plan

A compact kitchen with the working runs held tight and a peninsula picking up the worktop that a full island would have cost in aisle width. The sink sits under the window on one run and the range opposite, which keeps the two busiest zones apart without stretching the walk between them.

Storage density

Cabinetry runs full height rather than stopping short of the ceiling, and the base units are drawer stacks rather than low shelved cupboards — the single change that most reliably makes a small kitchen feel bigger to use, because nothing is stored behind anything else.

Light and surface

Navy cabinetry is balanced by a light quartz worktop and a reflective splashback, with under-cabinet lighting removing the shadow that makes a narrow worktop feel narrower. The waterfall end on the peninsula finishes the run rather than leaving a cut edge.

Fixtures and hardware

A brass pull-down faucet over an undermount sink with a drying insert, brass bar pulls across the fronts, and an integrated dishwasher that keeps the run unbroken. Small kitchens show hardware more than large ones do, because you are always close to it.

Tall refrigerator and cabinet run at the end of a compact kitchen — 05Tall run at the end of the kitchen

TypeCompact kitchen remodel, fixed footprint

LayoutWorking runs with a peninsula

CabinetryNavy full-height runs, drawer-stack bases

WorktopLight quartz with a waterfall peninsula end

FixturesBrass pull-down faucet, undermount sink, integrated dishwasher

LightingRecessed, under-cabinet and pendants over the peninsula

ImageryGenuine Elbaz Construction project photography

Presented asOne completed kitchen, photographed in a single visit

StandardsSection 06 of 15

In a small kitchen the plan is the product. Finishes decorate a decision that was already made.

Six things we hold to on a compact or galley kitchen.

01Durability

Built for a room used hard every day

A small kitchen concentrates wear into fewer surfaces. Worktop material, drawer runners and hinge quality matter more here than in a kitchen with twice the run length.

02Design

Layout tested before anything is ordered

We test the plan against how you cook — where you put shopping down, whether two people are ever in there at once — before cabinetry is specified.

03Function

Reach beats capacity

Storage you cannot reach is not storage. Drawer stacks, pull-outs and vertical dividers put everything within one movement.

04Planning

Building rules before design is fixed

In a condo we confirm what the association allows on plumbing and scheduling before a layout is committed, not after.

05Craftsmanship

Small rooms show every millimetre

Scribes, filler widths and reveal lines are visible in a compact kitchen from a metre away. They get set out, not fudged.

06Quality control

One contractor, one set of inspections

We hold the permit, coordinate the board package and close out the inspections.

South Florida adds three constraints a small kitchen has to design around: block construction limits which walls can move, condo master-association rules often fix the plumbing stack, and coastal humidity makes cabinet construction and finish quality a durability question rather than a cosmetic one.

Close view of a navy cabinet door with a brass bar pull and quartz worktop edge — 06Cabinet face, brass pull and worktop edge

Detail & StorageSection 07 of 15

Where the function actually comes from.

The same kitchen, closer in. In a compact plan the detail decisions — drawer stacks, worktop runs, lighting, hardware — are what the room is judged on daily.

Overall view of the compact kitchen with pendant lighting over the peninsula

Overall view with pendant lighting

Cooking zone with the range, hood and adjacent navy cabinetry

The cooking zone

Brass pull-down faucet above an undermount sink with a drying rack insert

Brass faucet and undermount sink

Worktop prep zone between the sink and the range, with under-cabinet lighting

Prep zone between sink and range

Drawer stack and integrated dishwasher

Wide view along the peninsula with pendant lights and the sink run beyond — 12Along the peninsula, wide view

Storage strategyFull-height runs and drawer stacks instead of low shelving

WorktopLight quartz, waterfall end on the peninsula

SplashbackReflective surface to bounce light along the run

LightingRecessed, under-cabinet and pendant layers

AppliancesIntegrated dishwasher, stainless range with chimney hood

MaterialsSection 08 of 15

The choices that buy space.

In a fixed footprint these six decisions do most of the visual and functional work.

Cabinet finish

Light-toned or high-gloss fronts

Reflect more light and read as more spacious than dark matte finishes in a small room. Darker colours work where the lighting and worktop compensate.Balance a dark front with a light worktop and splashback.

Full-height cabinetry

Runs carried to the ceiling

Recovers vertical storage that would otherwise be wasted wall, and removes the dust ledge and visual break of a short run.Use the top tier for what you reach for least.

Appliances

Counter-depth or panel-ready, 24in deep

Frees real floor and worktop space in a galley aisle. Panel-ready fronts keep the run visually unbroken.Check door swing against the aisle before ordering.

Splashback

Reflective or glass tile

Adds light bounce and apparent depth along the length of a narrow run.A continuous surface reads longer than a patterned one.

Lighting

Recessed, under-cabinet and toe-kick LED

Under-cabinet lighting removes the shadow line that makes a narrow worktop feel narrower; toe-kick lighting visually lifts the base run.Layer it; a single ceiling fitting flattens a small room.

Storage systems

Drawer stacks, blind-corner pull-outs, tray dividers

Replace low shelving where things get stored behind other things. This is the highest-value cabinetry money in a small kitchen.Prioritise the cabinet nearest the range.

Provenance note: the photographs on this page are genuine Elbaz Construction project photography of one completed compact kitchen, taken in a single visit. The layout drawings in section 11 are illustrative diagrams we produced, not photographs of this kitchen.

ProcessSection 09 of 15

Nine stages, one contractor.

Consultation

How you use the kitchen, what fails about it now, and what the building allows.

Measured survey

The room measured properly, with services, stack position and panel capacity recorded.

Layout study

Two or three plans tested against real use before any finish is discussed.

Specification

Cabinetry, worktop, splashback, lighting and appliances fixed in a written scope.

Approvals

Condo or HOA package submitted where required, in parallel with the permit.

Permitting

Building permit with plumbing and electrical where the scope calls for it.

Demolition

Existing kitchen removed with protected routes in occupied buildings.

Rough-in and cabinetry

Services adjusted, then cabinetry set and levelled to the approved plan.

Worktops and fit-off

Templated worktops, splashback, lighting, appliances, then inspection and closeout.

PlanningSection 10 of 15

Approvals, in the order they happen.

Measured survey

Existing dimensions, ceiling height, window and door positions, and the location of the plumbing stack and electrical panel.

Structural check

Which walls are load-bearing. In block homes the exterior and central walls usually are; in condos walls are frequently shared or structural.

Building rules

Condo and master-association restrictions on moving plumbing, work hours, freight elevator access and contractor insurance requirements.

Association submission

Plans, insurance certificates and contractor details submitted to the board or management company for approval before work begins.

Municipal permit

Building permit application covering the work, with plumbing and electrical sub-permits where the scope requires them.

Electrical load

Confirmation that the existing panel can carry the new appliance circuits, and an upgrade path where it cannot.

Review comments

Plan review comments answered and resubmitted. Normal, and the most common reason a start date moves.

Inspections

Rough plumbing and electrical, then final. Each called at the right stage.

Closeout

Final inspection signed off, permit closed and warranty documentation handed over.

Requirements differ across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach and between individual condo buildings, and they change. A like-for-like replacement and a layout change are not the same submission. We will confirm what your address and your building actually require — and we will not promise an approval date, because no contractor controls a plan reviewer’s or a board’s queue.

LayoutsSection 11 of 15

Four ways a small kitchen gets planned.

Drawings, not photographs. The layout decision is made before any finish is chosen, because in a fixed footprint it governs everything that follows.

Galley

Two parallel runs with a 4–6ft aisle. The most efficient plan that exists for a long, narrow, enclosed room.

One-wall

Everything on a single run, usually with a parallel dining or living space. Suits studios and narrow condo kitchens.

L-shape

Two adjoining runs and an open corner. Often better than a galley where the kitchen opens onto a dining area.

L with peninsula

An L run extended by a peninsula, adding worktop and seating without the aisle a full island demands.

Pass-through

An opening cut in a non-structural section, bringing light and connection at a fraction of full wall removal.

DecisionsSection 12 of 15

What moves the number, and what moves the date.

We do not publish kitchen prices, because cabinetry level, worktop material and how much the services move drive the total independently. These are the drivers.

What moves the number

Layout change

Keeping sink and range where they are costs far less than moving either. In a condo, moving them may not be permitted at all.

Cabinetry level

Construction, drawer runners, hinges and internal storage systems. This is usually the largest single line.

Worktop material

Quartz, natural stone or solid surface, plus edge detail and whether a waterfall end is included.

Appliance specification

Counter-depth and panel-ready units cost more than standard-depth equivalents.

Electrical scope

Added circuits, panel work and layered lighting.

Building constraints

Condo protection, restricted hours and freight elevator scheduling add labour time.

Existing conditions

Out-of-square walls, uneven floors and previously undocumented plumbing.

Change after order

Cabinetry is made to the approved plan. Changing it after release is materially more expensive than changing it before.

What moves the date

Association approval

Board or management review, on the building’s own schedule.

Permit review

Jurisdiction queue and how cleanly the submission is drawn.

Cabinetry lead time

Made to order once the plan is signed off.

Worktop templating

Templated only after cabinetry is set and levelled, then fabricated.

Appliance availability

Panel-ready and counter-depth models are more often back-ordered.

Inspections

Rough and final, each has to pass before the next stage.

Bring to the first call

Whether you own or the building has an association, and its name.
Whether the kitchen is enclosed or opens to another room.
Rough dimensions, or photographs of each wall.
Whether two people ever cook in there at once.
What fails about the current kitchen — storage, worktop, light or flow.
Whether you want the appliances panel-ready.

CompletionSection 13 of 15

The finished kitchen.

Cabinetry set and levelled, worktops templated and fitted, lighting layered, appliances in and inspections closed. Genuine photography of a completed Elbaz compact kitchen.

A measured survey before any layout is proposed.
Two or three plans tested against how you actually cook.
A written scope covering cabinetry, worktop, lighting and appliances.
One contractor holding the permit and the board package.

Completed compact kitchen remodel with navy cabinetry, quartz surfaces and brass hardware — 13The completed kitchen

Questions, answered.

Layout, condo approvals, storage, appliances, permits and cost drivers.

Can you make my small kitchen feel bigger without knocking down walls?

Usually, yes. Light or high-gloss fronts, a reflective splashback, layered lighting, full-height cabinetry and a genuinely optimised layout make a measurable difference with no structural work at all.

I live in a condo — do I need HOA approval?

Almost always. Most South Florida condo and co-op buildings require plan submission, proof of insurance and board or management approval before work starts, and many restrict moving the plumbing stack regardless of what the ideal design would want.

What is the right aisle width for a galley kitchen?

Generally 4 to 6 feet between the two runs — enough for one person to work comfortably and for a second person or an open appliance door to pass without the space feeling cramped.

Galley or L-shape for a small kitchen?

It depends on the proportions and whether the room opens to another space. A true galley is most efficient in a long, narrow, enclosed kitchen; an L-shape usually works better where the kitchen opens onto a dining or living area.

Do I need special appliances?

Standard-width appliances often still fit, but counter-depth 24-inch units frequently make more sense in a small footprint because they give back floor and worktop space that standard-depth units take.

Is a full remodel worth it, or should I just reface?

If the layout already works and the cabinet boxes are sound, refacing gives a strong result for less. If the layout itself is the problem — poor flow, wasted corners, not enough reachable storage — a full remodel focused on the plan is the better investment.

Which storage changes make the biggest difference?

Drawer stacks instead of low shelved cupboards, full-height cabinetry, and blind-corner pull-outs. Those three consistently deliver the most usable gain relative to cost in a small footprint.

Would a pass-through help instead of removing a wall?

Often, yes. A pass-through brings light and connection at a fraction of the structural cost of full removal, and is frequently possible where full removal is not.

Can I stay in the property during the work?

Usually, though you will be without a kitchen for the working period. In condos we plan protected routes and scheduled elevator access so the disruption stays inside the building’s rules.

Do you handle the condo board package?

Yes. We prepare the plans, insurance certificates and contractor documentation the building asks for and submit them alongside the municipal permit.

Why Elbaz.

Licensed general contractor

Certified building contractor, licence CBC1265280, bonded and insured.

Layout first

We test the plan against how you actually cook before specifying a single finish.

Condo experience

Board packages, insurance certificates, restricted hours and freight elevator scheduling handled as part of the job.

Local experience

Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach — 104 municipalities, each with its own review process.

One point of contact

Cabinetmaker, worktop fabricator, electrician, plumber and building department coordinated by us.

Quality control

Every inspection called and attended, with corrections owned rather than passed along.

Communication

You are told what is happening and what is next, including when a board has not come back yet.

Financing

Financing options available through our partners.

Proof & ReadingSection 14 of 15

What South Florida homeowners say.

Reproduced verbatim from our Google Business Profile. Nothing here has been edited, merged or rewritten.

Redid my whole bathroom and kitchen. Great service - Great quality - very quick - very professional !! Highly recommended!

Adir DavidovGoogle review

They are amazing! Very professional. Met my exact requests with so much patience and knowledge. They renovated my whole house and the whole process was such a breeze. I highly recommend them!

Lee MoraliGoogle review

We hired them to renovate our investment property and they provided exceptional quality service for an affordable price!

Shir PartushGoogle review

Amazing experience with the entire company! They did a great job in my house for some work that needed to be completed, and I am extremely happy with the result. Super professional & great service. I highly recommend Elbaz Construction.

Mia ZafraniGoogle review

After I've been Looking for a good company to renovate my house , I found those guys! These people are super professional super honest super Fast !! Don't hesitate to Rent their service! They are number one!!

carmit cohenGoogle review

I highly recommend them for home improvement. They renovated my master bathroom and a few upgrades for other guest bathrooms. They are very professional, courteous and transparent. They are great at communicating and finding ways to streamline the work. Sean has impeccable project management and customer relationship management skills. Very pleased with the work!

Omri BGoogle review

Small footprint.No wasted inch.No wall moved.

A layout problem before it is a finish problem.

What a small-kitchen remodel covers.

A fixed footprint, reworked.

What this kitchen changed.

The plan

Storage density

Light and surface

Fixtures and hardware

In a small kitchen the plan is the product. Finishes decorate a decision that was already made.

Built for a room used hard every day

Layout tested before anything is ordered

Reach beats capacity

Building rules before design is fixed

Small rooms show every millimetre

One contractor, one set of inspections

Where the function actually comes from.

The choices that buy space.

Nine stages, one contractor.

Consultation

Measured survey

Layout study

Specification

Approvals

Permitting

Demolition

Rough-in and cabinetry

Worktops and fit-off

Approvals, in the order they happen.

Four ways a small kitchen gets planned.

Galley

One-wall

L-shape

L with peninsula

Pass-through

What moves the number, and what moves the date.

What moves the number

What moves the date

Bring to the first call

The finished kitchen.

Questions, answered.

Why Elbaz.

Licensed general contractor

Layout first

Condo experience

Local experience

One point of contact

Quality control

Communication

Financing

What South Florida homeowners say.

Further reading.

Service Areas

Tell us about the room.

What happens next

Thanks — that came through.

Small footprint.
No wasted inch.
No wall moved.