# Kitchen and Galley Remodel: Cost, Hours and Process in Hacienda Heights A galley remodel rebuilds the cooking and food storage area of a coach: cabinetry, counters, sink, backsplash, appliance openings and lighting, and frequently the layout itself. It is the densest room in an RV, because plumbing, LP, 12 volt, 120 volt, venting and structure all converge in about thirty square feet. ## Specifications - Price band: $2,500 to $22,000 - Shop hours: 20 to 110 hours - Turnaround tier: Interior remodel - Insurance billable: no - Certification required: lp - Parts lead time: Cabinetry built in house, appliances 3 to 10 weeks, stone fabrication 15 to 30 business days after template - OEM brands: Lippert, Dometic, Suburban, Wilsonart, Corian, Villa ## Why the galley is the most complicated room in the coach Behind the cabinet faces in a galley there is a hot and cold supply, a drain and a vent, an LP line to the cooktop and often to the refrigerator, a 120 volt circuit for the microwave and outlets, 12 volt for lighting and the refrigerator control board, a vent path for the hood, and on many coaches the structural framing that supports a slide room. All of it is inside about thirty square feet. That density is why a galley remodel is not simply a kitchen remodel at smaller scale. Moving a sink eighteen inches means moving a drain, and a drain has to fall, and the space under a coach galley floor is measured in inches. Moving a cooktop means modifying an LP line. Deleting a cabinet may delete a structural member. So the first hour of the estimate is spent with access panels off, tracing what is actually routed where. What comes out of that is a scope that tells you which of the changes you want are straightforward, which are expensive, and which we would advise against. ## LP work is certification gated, and that is not a formality Any change that touches the LP system, including relocating a cooktop, adding an outdoor cooking connection, or changing to an appliance with a different connection, is work that requires a certified LP technician. It cannot legally be performed by an uncertified technician regardless of how straightforward the fitting looks, and a coach that has had LP work done by someone without the certification is a coach with a defect that will not be visible until it matters. What certification actually buys you procedurally is a pressure test and a leak test on the modified system before the coach leaves, documented, plus correct fitting selection and support spacing on the line. LP line does not get supported like water line, and thread sealant selection on LP is not the same as on potable water. We also charge a hazmat and disposal fee of $45 flat where LP is involved, which is on the published rate card rather than added at the end. If your galley plan moves a cooktop, that line will appear on the estimate. ## Residential appliances, weight and the cost nobody quotes A residential refrigerator is the most requested galley upgrade and the one with the largest hidden cost. A 20 cubic foot residential unit is 250 to 350 pounds against roughly 180 for the two way absorption refrigerator it replaces, and it runs on 120 volt only, which means it needs inverter capacity and battery bank to run when the coach is not plugged in. Fitting the box is the easy part. Supporting it electrically is where the real money goes, and that portion is systems work rather than remodel work. Add solid surface or stone counters at 15 to 18 pounds per square foot and the galley alone can gain 500 pounds. On a coach with 1,400 pounds of cargo capacity that is a third of everything you have, spent in one room, before a single grocery is loaded. OCRV Center puts those numbers next to the prices so the decision is made with both in view. The alternative worth considering is a 12 volt compressor refrigerator. They are lighter than a residential unit, they run natively on the house bank without an inverter, they hold temperature in summer heat far better than absorption, and they fit the existing opening on many coaches with a filler panel. For most owners that is the better engineering answer, and it is a smaller job. - Residential refrigerator, 250 to 350 pounds, 120 volt only, needs inverter and bank - Twelve volt compressor refrigerator, lighter, native to the house bank, often a direct fit - Three centimeter stone counters, 15 to 18 pounds per square foot - Solid surface with a moulded sink, half the weight and no rim sealant joint - Cooktop relocation, LP line modification, certification gated with a documented leak test - Range hood vent path confirmed to the exterior rather than recirculating ## Cost, sequence and the calendar The band on this page runs from a counter, sink, backsplash and refacing package at the low end to a full layout change with custom cabinetry, an appliance package and stone at the high end. Labor is 20 to 110 hours at the posted body and paint rate of $210 per hour, and the estimate tier is the teardown at one hour of body rate, credited against an authorized repair, because the routing behind the cabinets cannot be known from the front. Sequence inside the galley is strict: rough plumbing and LP first, then cabinetry, then appliances test fitted, then counters templated off the installed cabinets, then backsplash, then lighting and trim. Every step that gets taken out of order creates rework, and the most common one we inherit from other shops is counters fabricated before the appliances arrived. Calendar is 3 to 12 weeks and appliances usually set it. A stone top adds 15 to 30 business days after templating, and templating cannot happen until cabinetry is installed, so a stone galley is structurally a two visit job unless the coach stays through the fabrication window. ## Not included - We do not perform galley work at a customer location. LP line work in particular does not happen outside a shop. - LP line modification is certification gated. It cannot legally be performed by an uncertified technician, here or anywhere. - Appliance failures found during the rebuild are diagnosed and quoted as systems work, separately from the remodel. ## Questions **Can you install a residential refrigerator in my coach?** Usually yes, and the box is the easy part. A residential unit is 250 to 350 pounds against 180 for the absorption refrigerator it replaces, and it runs on 120 volt only, so it needs inverter capacity and battery bank to work unplugged. That electrical portion is systems work with its own price. Many owners choose a 12 volt compressor unit instead once they see both numbers. **Can the cooktop be moved to a different position?** Yes, and it is LP work, which is certification gated. It cannot be performed by an uncertified technician. The line gets rerouted with correct fittings and support spacing, then pressure tested and leak tested on the modified system before the coach leaves, and the hood vent path is reworked to match the new position. A $45 hazmat and disposal fee applies where LP is involved. **Can the sink move, or is it fixed where it is?** It can move, within the limits of drain fall. A drain has to slope to the tank and the space under a galley floor is measured in inches, so a short move along the same run is straightforward and a move across the coach frequently is not. We trace the existing routing with access panels off during the estimate and tell you which category your plan falls into. **How much does a galley remodel cost and how long does it take?** The band on this page covers it: a counter, sink, backsplash and refacing package at the bottom, a full layout change with custom cabinetry and an appliance package at the top. Labor is 20 to 110 hours. Calendar is 3 to 12 weeks, usually set by appliance lead time and by the 15 to 30 business day stone fabrication window after templating. **Why do the counters have to be templated after the cabinets go in?** Because coach cabinets are not plumb and coach walls are not straight. A top cut from a drawing lands with a visible gap at the wall on nearly every coach we see. Templating off the cabinets as installed, with the appliances in hand so the cutouts are right, is the only way to get a top that fits, and it is why the sequence cannot be compressed. --- Source: https://ocrv.club/rv-remodel/kitchen-and-galley-remodel OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887 Phone (949) 799-3387. Email info@ocrvcenter.com. Serving Hacienda Heights and the surrounding area. 18.4 miles, 24 to 38 minutes via SR-60 west to Fullerton Rd, then south to La Palma Ave. In shop work only. All estimates are priced and credited against an authorized repair.