So long as the walls are not load-bearing walls and there is no electricity, plumbing, or HVAC running through the wall you wish to demolish then it could easily be a DIY project. If there are any of the other situations present, you might want to consider hiring a professional. If you do go DIY, watch a boatload of youtube videos about framing, installing drywall & taping/finishing drywall before you begin.

Thanks, I'll run it by my husband. He's great with this sort of thing but most of the time he just doesn't want to go there. Gotta twist his arm. I needed to know how big of a deal it is. Thanks... any other opinions would be appreciated!

before you 'go at it' decide if having a second fridge in the basement and the one that came in the kitchen meets your actual needs. its a project that sure could go south....and what about the height difference too.

Why not post a picture of the space so we can see if there are any other options that pop into mind .. Many little projects can easily end up being major overhauls -- that would cost more than just buying a new refrigerator that fits in the space (I get that you love your old one, but sometimes one thing doesn't justify blowing a budget for a new one)

This fridge does meet my needs, but I don't care... my "old" fridge was brand new. Fridge of my dreams. It's spent its first 3 years of life in my basement. :(

In case you wonder, that speck to the right of the door is a fake ladybug. :)

how are you thinking of fixing the lack of height? just remove the upper cabinet?... i understand why you are tempted to do this, i'd advise you to have your talented husband do an exploratory from the basement or from inside the pantry to see if there is any HVAC ductwork, wires, or plumbing going up inside the pantry wall that you'd need to rerout. if its all empty then you can think on how you'd fix the upper cabinet (at what price...anything/everything can be done for a price).

I'm not sure I would put the work into fixing the fridge issue without addressing the lack of countertop between the stove and fridge....I'm sure you probably don't want to spend a fortune on a big remodel. I wonder if there's a economical way to fix both?

Okay I'll get to twisting (his arm, that is)... yeah I'll totally sacrifice the cabinets. Whatever. I don't even remember what's in them! It's unfortunate; the kitchen had a complete overhaul a year before we moved in but it really needed a different configuration.

rocketjcat, I've thought about that a LOT but there's nothing I can do without chopping out the granite. The counter continues around the corner to the left and right away there's the dishwasher and sink. The kitchen is practically ALL countertop (and windows) except for that one spot.

I can't believe you spent the money on a new fridge but you can't use it. Husbands can be unusual characters. My husband wanted to remodel our hall bath (which is the one I use) and I wanted to replace the contractor grade tub in beige with a white one. So he says, "you can't take the old tub out because it's in there tight with the drywall." Well, this didn't make sense to me but I've realized that sometimes if he doesn't want to deal with something or he's not entirely sure about how to do something he will say it can't be done. So, I just keep bugging him and gently asking him to explain why it can't be done. The bathroom is beautiful with new tub and vanity and it's perfect. Like you, it took me about three years to convince him. Good luck. It can be done.

I bought the fridge while we were still in our other house. It didn't occur to me that it might not fit in the next house.

Yup that's exactly what I deal with. When we were first married I waited for him to go on a business trip, and just as soon as he was out the door I broke out the hammer and knocked out a wall so he'd have to make me a linen closet when he got home. Worked like a charm. LOL... where's my hammer? ;)

You're right. Took me awhile to figure it out.

I would not attempt this as a DIY. unless the Y part of the equation involves experience with drywall and carpentry. It is just a mess and you will need to buy or rent tools.

Don't forget you will have to repair the flooring and ceiling where the wall once stood.

I agree with others, remove the pantry in it's entirety if you can and replace with cabinetry and yield some space for a counter on the right of the range and space for the fridge of your dreams.

I would sell both refrigerators and then use that money to buy one that fits perfectly. Easy and most cost effective.

Cut the wall inside the pantry and see if you don't have anything running through the cavity. If there is nothing there remove the door casing leg and the head molding on the inside wall cut sheetrock from the door to the ceiling and remove that portion of the sheetrock. Move the ref out and take the top cabinet off above it.

Remove the corner framing and move closer to the door and do the same for the bottom plate and wall studs... Re-sheetrock in and out, tape, sand and prep walls for painting. Install back the trim and paint. Re-install upper cabinet and order a wider filler to paint the gap or make your own filler and paint matching your cabinet, or order a new 36" cabinet and voila you're done. Or hire a local carpenter they can do that in a few hours and a day or so prep or paint the wall... with quick drying compounds this can be accomplished quickly.

Here is an example to give you an idea how to do this

Good luck

heidibo I love your hammer story. It's why I asked for a sawzall for Christmas (and why my husband didn't want to get me one). Sometimes they just need a little push to go forward on a home improvement.

Also had come up with the same solution as mentioned above -- change the space to have the refrigerator go where the current pantry is, and do a floor-to-ceiling cabinet (no counter) next to the stove. In addition to allowing you to use your dream refrigerator, you will be getting a boost in energy efficiency. Putting a "cold" appliance next to a "hot" appliance makes both work harder and is almost always avoided.

Haha, I did get a sawsall for Christmas! But I agree I wouldn't tackle my cabinet redo idea on my own...but GN builders idea for a less invasive solution might be a diy if you're handy. I have done things like that on my own, (with our carpenter on speed-dial!).

@CJB You would definitely need a sawzall for this job... When it comes to remodeling, Sawzall is like American Express, "don't leave Home without it" LOL

I was not trying to discourage the DIY, just to suggest how to determine whether you've got a simple project (closet wall with zero utilities & an easy peasy job that even I would tackle) or a more complicated one (utilities running through the wall you want gone -- which can involve you + plumbers and electricians and/or heating contractors), to a one where an engineer and probably only professionals should be involved (load-bearing wall). Knocking together a stud wall is not complicated -- it just takes some confidence, supplies, and good measuring skills. Drywall is messy, but very very straightforward & even a beginner mud job can be fixed with enough sandpaper. :-)

Do you have a wider shot of the full wall with stove and fridge and pantry? It looks as if a cabinet is above the stove -- so there might be a cascade effect if you start pulling the upper cabinets out.

Wow you guys, this is awesome; all your responses! Okay... so take out the pantry and put a counter with cabinets next to the fridge! Of course!! That's what should have been done in the first place. Even without my dream fridge predicament, the stove and fridge shouldn't be side by side. The previous owners must have REALLY wanted a pantry. I almost didn't buy the house because of that.

Thanks for the diagram up there. If the job's all planned out already maybe he won't mind just doing the work. Planning it (imo) is the worst part. And yes, the Y in DIY could build a whole house if he had the time and inclination. He's got every tool in the book. That's partly why I married him. ;) But if I can't get him to go for it, I guess buying another, smaller dream fridge will suffice. Still doesn't eliminate the fridge/stove proximity.

Alrighty then... wish me luck with the old man! Thanks, everyone!

Lynne, there's a shelf over the stove. Not sure what was there before but I don't think it was that. It could get pretty complicated though, I'll agree with that. That would be partly why he doesn't want to get into it.

GN you make it sound so easy... what should it cost to hire someone for that? Or the other idea... putting the fridge where the pantry is with counter/cabinets where the fridge is now?

It is pretty easy especially when not dealing with bearing walls and in your case 95% that wall is not (I would double check if you decide to go ahead to make sure there is nothing else above). With that said with only 2 partitions to remove and some patch work. If you remove the closet and you add base cabinet and upper cabinet you will have to add 1 or 2 receptacles depending on the wall space you have. If you put a pantry cabinet, you don't have to do any electrical work. What is the size of the front wall where the door is, from the corner to the wall. Let me know and I will lay that corner out so you can see it both ways with cabinets and with a cabinet pantry. You can take another picture of that entire wall to give me an idea what else is there besides the ref. If not I will just do the corner for you.

The wall with the pantry door is 40" wide. I see your point about the electrical work; I don't think that would be a problem at all. I'd readily give up the pantry for a countertop. Butcher block! Hold on I'll get a picture.

If the fridge moved right, could we just finish off the bottom of that top portion of the pantry and slide the fridge in right under it? Then we wouldn't have to disturb the ceiling?

Omg I think that really could go the way of the linen closet!!! I wonder if he has any business trips coming up...

your fridge is deeper than your pantry.... whats to the right of the pantry that the fridge will block? (sorry...)

and will your Dream Fridge door open all the way with the cabinet thats across from your pantry (sorry again).

and is the aisle deep enough to place your dream fridge before you roll it back in its new home. (more sorry..... didnt see all these possible constraints til the last picture...)

Yeah I was just noticing that. There's nothing to the right of the pantry, that's good, but if the door of the fridge was open you'd have to wait for it to close before you could walk into the kitchen. sigh...

Heidi, here is a few images with the counter and with the pantry.

Good luck I hope it helps!

Dangit! I think I'll just move. bring my refrigerator with me. Hey GN, is there a way I can make the fridge space wider without disturbing the moulding?

Wow you did that fast. Thanks, those look great!

LOL... how did you know that was my fridge??

I like GNBuilders' drawings, but I'd slide the fridge a foot or two to the right, put counter and cabinets between it and the stove, and then have a single strip of narrow pantry to the right of the fridge. It's worth blocking the walkway with your (half-width) door occasionally to get two bad things about this kitchen fixed!

Oh yeah, duh... it's just a half door! And you know, I'm always putting things from the fridge on the stove momentarily. It's either that or the floor. :/

I'm very glad I asked for help here!!

Yes, measure the dream fridge and make sure the door clearance is ok. (You can't walk into my kitchen either if the fridge door is wide open, but it doesn't bother me) I would slide it over to the right a little. Just make sure the right hand door will be able to open fully without hitting another cabinet, or the remaining section of the pantry wall.

Okay! It's definitely not a problem how far the door opens. It's 45" from the back of the fridge to the edge of the open door. The pantry door opens to 50"! So what I really want to know is if I can do this without disturbing the moulding. Chop out the pantry to the height of the fridge and add butcher block and cabinets between the stove and fridge.

You can do that also but you end up with very narrow cabinets and counter space, they will be useless...If you don't mind using that opening and push the fridge to the wall you will end up with a nice counter space on the side of it and that would work much better.

You would have to use 3" filler on the wall side near the fridge so you don't have an issue with opening the door... the width of the filler will depend on the fridge style, sometimes you can use 1 1/2" wide panels on each side and install your cabinet between the panels and that will work... in any case you have plenty of room, you just make the cabinet near the stove smaller.

Wow! Been away with the flu. Here's another idea for getting hubby to get to work: Very calmly tell him you are getting bids to have a contractor come in. That really bugs my husband because he knows he can do the job for a fraction of the cost. Tell him it's either that or you'll start doing it yourself!

oooo I like that. Maybe I should take one more picture... there's no wall to the right of the pantry, well, just the one that makes the pantry. Idk if that matters.

I'll have 30" leftover to use for counter/cabinets if I push the fridge over to where the right door frame is.

GN, those last diagrams look exactly like it should be. Normal.