We had a 4-3/4" gap between the top of our refrigerator and the bottom of the cabinet above it. It was "filled" with a 4-1/4" piece of 3/4" filler.

Before filler:

After filler:

HTH!

What's your space from floor to cabinet? If it's 72" that's a good thing. If it's more that that, then she probably goofed. More and more refrigerators are 71"to 72" tall nowadays. I always tell my clients that I'll leave 72" unless they want it lower (for a future taller refrigerator). I also will always provide a horizontal filler, if anything, to hide the unfinished cabinet bottom.

We used a piece of light rail to fill in the gap b/c it was just the right size. Have your KD oder a piece of 3" filler to close the gap for you.

I don't think the space is needed for ventilation. I have a stand alone CD monogram fridge and I don't have any space above mine.
I'd ask for a piece of trim. I think they should supply it for you to cover the space.

Also, I don't think that's a good place for cookie sheets- way too hard to reach.

right. it shouldn't be a big deal to have a piece of filler installed similar to the picture above.

we're having our GC put the filler on a hinge so that we can store trays, cutting boards, etc, up there, but when it's closed, it'll look flush.

Having extra space between the frig & cabinet is a good idea for a couple of reasons--better ventilation for the frig and more options when you need to replace it. So, if it was a mistake, it is a happy mistake. I'd either leave it open or use a grill rather than a solid filler because the vented hot air needs a way to get out of the enclosure.

I've seen several almost new frigs on CraigsList for sale because the owners moved to a new house & their newer frig is too tall for the space designed for older frigs.

We used an extra piece of filler. My husb. cut it down and made a perfect piece (idea from this board - thanks so much!!) What a difference it makes. If you have nothing left over to use get them to get you a piece.

oh for gads sake...tell the kd to show you in the specs book where the gap is required (i'd read it first myself to be sure....but then i worked with lawyers so i'm neurotic about that stuff...oh wait...who am I talking to?) and then suggest they fess up the mistake and order the trim and you'll begrudgingly accept it with a dinner gift certificate to your fav restaurant heh heh

i am being harse because people who cover mistakes with totally bs lies tick me off to no end. its like being called an idiot to your face if this really isn't in the spec book on the fridge (it likely isn't) how about a respectful "oh dear you're right! thats an error....how can we fix it?

i'm often grumpy enough to expect the right cabinet and make them reorder, but only when i'm treated with so little respect. they're lucky you're a nice gal :oP

You do not need space above for ventilation. I've got a ventilation grill at the bottom of my year old KA SxS. However, I did leave space above mine and it will be filled in with a trim piece. I was advised at a high end kitchen showroom to do myself a favor and make sure my opening was 72" tall. My current fridge is not. Then replacing my fridge in the future wouldn't be a big deal - I could just pop off the trim piece if needed. My trim piece is not on yet, but I think I'll still be able to see the hinges on top. My GC held up the trim piece to show me today and it looked nice.

LG does recommend to keep the refrigerator 'a proper distance from adjacents (sic) items.' The graphic they show suggests one inch.

Here is a link that might be useful: LG Owner's Manual

The upper cab is 72 7/8, and the fridge itself is 69 3/4. I emailed her the spec sheet, and overall I've been impressed with the way everything fits so far, and she made a big deal about wanting the fridge to fake a built in look (ordered me a side panel that I didn't really want...what happened to my backbone?). IOW, the more I think about this, the more I think she messed up.

Boysrus, that's exactly what I'm thinking -- a later owner can just pop the trim piece off (that is, if they don't just take a sledgehammer to my beautiful kitchen...uh, we hate blue granite and don't understand what the PO was thinking there).

I think the filler piece is a great solution. I plan to do exactly the same thing on my cabinets, but on purpose. The 'fridge I have selected is a little smaller than most. I am having my cabinet guy make the space to accomidate a full sized refrig, and then to fill the space with finished boards, attached to the side of the refrig cabinet with small "L" brackets so I can easily remove the filler pieces in case I ever get a bigger refrigerator.

Our contractor said he isn't going to put a filler piece in at the top because there are also gaps on both sides, and he said it would look stupid to have the filler at the top and still have side gaps. (We're using our 5 year old fridge in that space.)

I'm wondering what our options are for that space - any ideas? We haven't moved the fridge in yet, so I don't really know what it's going to look like.

How big are the gaps on the sides?

All modern fridges require at least two inches above, behind, and below the fridge. The air is vented in a circle around the fridge from top-to-front-to-bottom-to-back-to-front, etc. with significant gaps above and below the fridge. Builtins usually cover this gap with grates supplied for above and below.

The 30" Freestanding Liebherr manual says:
"Unit Venting
DO NOT restrict the air flow. Air flow must be
provided for the unit to operate. The factory air
vents provide 31 square inches (200 cm2) of air
flow. If you are replacing the factory air vents with
an overlay, the air flow must be the same or greater
than the factory air vents."

And later:
"A gap of at least 2 inches (51 mm) depth must
be provided behind and along the entire width of
this unit to ensure sufficient ventilation. The area
of ventilation above the unit should be at least 18
square inches (116 cm2). The greater the area the
more economically the appliance will run."

Covering the top gap will reduce the efficiency of the refrigerator. Have a look at the Installation part of your manual....

See my post on the Appliances forum....

Janet

Here is a link that might be useful: Related post

Way too high for cookie sheets. We keep vases, paper towels, cookie cutters, and odds-and-ends up there.

If you do add the filler: Another way to get use out of the space - like the hinges that Ed suggested - is to use metal (not plastic, they break) clips to attach your filler. (We have that style of clips to hold the frame around our microwave.) Then you can keep a rarely-used tray or platter up there in the dead space.

no they don't janet. thats like swaying that all stoves require three inches of clearance around them. some do, some don't. each has its own specs.

if you look at the fridge posted above, you can see that the manufacturer built the front with an air gap behind it (look right at the top) so this one can be integrated quite a bit.

i have very different specs for all three of my fridges, and read them prior to purchase so i'd know what would work. in this case....there's NOT a call for a 3+ inch gap.

If she used standard sized cabinets, I don't think she messed up at all. You'd either have 72 7/8 or 69 7/8". I would prefer the larger space. True, she should've consulted you though. Many of the ref's that I see require a 1" space above the refrigerator.

If you got custom cabinets....then I can see your point that she messed up.

Kompy

We have a filler board as buehl showed because our current fridge is less than 72". It provides the finished look while making it easy to replace the fridge with a taller one without having to rework our cabinets. If the KD had ordered the cabinet 3" taller, it would have locked you in later. Closing the gap with a filler is better and perhaps that is what your KD planned. Ours planned for the filler but that and another little bit of trim got left out of the initial order and had to be ordered later.