I don't think there is an easy answer to this one...it looks like you would have to completely redo the upper cabinets or get a new fridge. A $400 restocking fee is steep but I don't think you have any other options. Did you go into the store and talk to the manager about the fee?

What is your husband's solution?

Fridge doesn't fit, it has to go back, or you could sell it on Craigslist or eBay and start over, as long as you don't lose more than $400 on it.

We bought it online. There's 100 fee plus a 10% restocking fee.

The husband wants to cut the bottom cabinet but I'm against it.

I didn't think of selling it thanks. Husband says we won't find another that cheap.

are there any adjustable feet on the fridge by any chance?

you could try looking on craigslist for others, or to sell yours. also they sometimes have slightly damaged, but brand new, pieces with small dents.

A carpenter could shorten the cabinet or remove it and replace it with a smaller one - unfinished so it could be painted to match. Maybe the space could hold a wine rack?

Forgive my ignorance, but if you cut the bottom of the cupboard off won't that render the cupboard completely useless?

jhmarie, that seems like it could end up costing more than the $400 restock fee though.

Too bad the fridge didn't arrive damaged...

It depends on the situation. I see the crown at the top and this may make it difficult to remove - or not. My carpentry is limited, but I have pulled a couple of cabinets apart and put them back together. The kitchen companies through the home center stores often sell the brand cabinets unfinished also - and there might be a close match - or not. If the fridge stays, the cabinet has to go.

Yes heri-cles - that was what I was thinking of.

Site built cabinets like that can't be deconstructed and rebuilt. Someone should have taken out that tape measure to see that a modern fridge wouldn't work before deciding that painting those old cabinets was going to be an acceptable band aid refresh. Because it isn't.

Modern appliances won't fit without a good chunk of change getting spent in remaking that whole wall. That is the curse of site built single piece cabinets. But if you don't do that, no modern sized appliances will fit.

This is where you start to realize that new IKEA cabinets would have been a much better value in the long run. And it's still not too late for that now.

are you SURE it's one piece? I can't see the left side of the cabinet but most cabinets are not one piece. I'm guessing that the cupboard above the fridge is attached to the cupboard to the left of the fridge. Just have to find out how/where they attach. Most cupboard are attached with screws. Find where they attach, unscrew them, and just remove the cabinet above the fridge if you have to.

Once removed, if your hubs or you are handy you could get out a hand planer and start shaving down that upper cabinet. Worst case scenario it won't work and you can go without a cabinet; lean a nice piece of art on top of the fridge or something. IDK just throwing out ideas.

Site built cabinets don't even have backs. There are no ''cabinets''. It's just one big faceframe with the wall showing through inside, some thin ''sides'' at one end, and that is it. No adjustable shelving, because the rigid shelving provides structural stability to keep it from collapsing. And that's why no one makes them that way any more.

A lot of my business is altering things to accommodate new appliances. I just sleghammered drywall off studs to shoehorn a refrigerator into a space. I could probably alter the cabinet, but it's going to cost more than $400.00, believe me.

We had this happen when we moved our refrigerator with us . We got a carpenter to shorten the cabinet. We had flat panel doors so that was ab easier fix for the doors. You might need to leave off doors . I would call in a carpenter to see what could be done and get an estimate.

Geez so many variables. Is your cabinet a separate unit? Does the cabinet go all the way to the ceiling with trim over it or is there a gap at the top of the cabinet between the ceiling and the cabinet with the trim hiding that gap? When you ordered your fridge, was the height provided by the company including the metal protrusion at the top of the fridge? Or was the height minus it? In our area a carpenter charges $75.00 an hour just for labor, materials are on top of that. That is probably around 4 hours of work. Don't know if cabinet problem could be solved in that time. My advice: send the fridge back. Get another one. I know your husband is proud of the hunt for the deal, but I don't think anyone would be impressed with your fridge sitting in the middle of the kitchen, or placed in an inconvenient area of usage. This is the life of remodeling. Everyone runs into it, common man, designers, architects, engineers. I feel your frustration, have been there.

We had a similar problem.Our huge fridge was delivered right while we were moving in, and only my FIL was there to help. He took a tool and shaved off the portion of the cabinet causing the obstruction until we could slide it in. Not a great solution, but we made it work. Good luck.

How far off is it? Maybe they could shave some wood off the bottom of the cabinet if it's less than an inch. I'd also Check the feet perhaps they can be adjusted.

We had the same problem. My husband cut the bottom of the cabinet and Inset a new bottom. We took the doors off. Works fine for us

Keep in mind that even if you get it to fit physically, you may have to allow extra clearance above for ventilation/cooling. Check the owner's manual for information on the required clearances and be sure to add them when deciding what to do.

I cut one of my kitchen cabinets and shortened it by 18 inches when I bought this house. It's completely unnoticeable (but I'm a handy kind of guy). Then I ordered new doors.

Shave and sand it until it fits. Also check the feet on the fridge. Make sure they are screwed all the way in.

We once sawed a notch in the header above the stairs so we could fit the box spring up the stairs.

We do what we have to do.

I do agree to check on ventilation.

We had the same issue, the darn hinges made all the fridges an inch or to high to easily slide in. My husband shaved down the bottom frame of the upper cabinets- worked great!

Your new fridge also looks like it might be too deep. Is it counter depth? It's going to stick out in the room if it isn't counter depth.

Yes that is right but counter depth are usually even taller, aren't they?

Yes we made sure to get a counter dept fridge they are much more expensive

Another possibility would be to remove the tile ( if your kitchen has tile) under the fridge area

C'mon, Heri_cles: You never, ever, ever...really...ever store wine above a refrigerator! It's too warm! That's why people put bread dough up there to rise. Wine needs a cool place.

Wine and spices need cool storage. When I see built-in spice racks next to a stove, I just roll my eyes.

Do you have photos showing the cabinet bottom from below? How much room do you need?

I think at this point you need to call in a couple of carpenters in your area and see if what solutions they can offer. If at the end of the day it cost less than $400 then do it but if it's more then you have to weigh the cost of a new fridge with the restocking fee of this one.

Thanks my husband refused to let me call in carpenters he and his dad wanted to do it

Dishwasher is slightly slanted because it wouldnt open all the way with fridge

Well he did it, and it looks like you've got the fixings for a nice celebration ;)

I don't understand the dishwasher slant however...

The door was to close to fridge to be able to open on the right side

thanks

That tight clearance just shortened it's life. Your DW will have issues with the pump over time because it's out of level. Sorry, but you need to fix the problem here, not the symptom. Those old cabinets need replacing. And darn soon if you do t want to have wasted money on those appliance purchases.

Haha sometimes you just have to throw in the towel! Hopefully your husband and FIL can get it done and everyone is happy

At this point, he should have left the hinges in the same place on the face of the cabinet and made new holes on the door, this way you don't see the holes. Other than that nice hack job!

This is such a common mistake. So much so that after reading it many times on Houzz, I actually paid for and ordered my new fridge 5 months before install. I printed ALL the dimensions and took them to the Kitchen Cabinet shop where I ordered my cabinets and said "Here - you figure it out and it better be right". Sure enough the only measurement they screwed up, they ordered the upper 3 inches too tall. Cost them a $2500 refund to me because my carpenter had to sit around and wait 4 weeks for the replacement to come in. Even all the prep work and foresight didn't help. But, it fits now and love it.

Aarf Riesche:

Too bad your kitchen shop didn't have an experienced installer. That three inches would have screamed to someone who installs a lot of kitchens the second it was put in place.

Aarf Riesche - I'm curious about the color of your island. What color/brand is it? How do you like it with your slate appliances? Thanks!

how often do you use the stuff in the vabinet above your fridge? I'd remove those cabinets and keep square baskets (or something) on top of the fridge for storage

I wish I had read comments here before today. My new fridge was delivered earlier today but it didn’t fit the opening. I just had my cabinets re-done, but now we are an inch too short.

You mean the refrigerator 1” to tall?
What type of cabinets you have framed or frameless? If framed do you have full overlay doors or partial overlay doors?

Yes, I meant to say the refrigerator is 1” too tall. And yes, I do have full overlay doors.

It would probably be easier and less expensive to get a different fridge than to alter the cabinet and doors.

Thank you so much for your response.

Olubunmi, we went through this recently. Were you able to measure in person before buying? I ask because the height given online for our new fridge was wrong. I must have gone back to the appliance store at least 3 times to measure and be sure there was enough clearance for the hinges on top. There was but barely. There’s enough room to slide a piece of paper between the fridge hinges and bottom of cabinet face frame.

Just wanted to say my SIL had a problem with the height of her new fridge. As mentioned in the old comments here from 6 years ago, she had a carpenter come to “adjust” the cabinet face frame (or whatever you call it) so the fridge would fit. He did a beautiful job and you’d never notice. You might check and see…Joseph Corlett could also have a good point.

What @Joseph Corlett, LLC said: or order a smaller cabinet for above and use a filler if the space is too large.

Olubunmi Ogunnowo-Ayedun:

some fridges, once delivered, can't just be returned w/o incurring cost for return and restocking. (if yours can, great! go that route)

you didn't post a picture of your cabinets, so no way of knowing what can be done there.

You could modify the cab above the fridge (a carpenter or cabinet guy can do that) or, ditch the whole thing and get a complete fridge surround custom made and painted to match. 100's of ways to do this. here are a few examples

obviously this isn't painted yet. but you can see how it was built