Fridge shopping - size. need opinions.

8 years ago

I am shopping later this week for stainless appliances. Would love to gut the kitchen but doubtful that will ever happen. My current fridge is 33” wide. I am going to get a counter depth. Between the actual cabinets I have 36” with the exception of that little strip of counter has 1/2” overhang. Should I knock that piece of counter off and the wider fridge? Or leave the spaces on side of fridge?

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Flo Mangan

8 years ago

A counter depth refrigerator has a good bit less cubic ft so by keeping width roughly the same you will loose a lot if space. You also need space for the doors to swing open enough so drawers can be removed for cleaning. So, not a simple situation. Can you get a professional to come to your home and figure out what the best overall solution would be. The counter depth units also are generally taller so upper cabinets you currently might have would be impacted as well.

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Comments (14)

Janet Mmm
Original Author
8 years ago
It’s just that 1/2” in the way
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Janet Mmm
Original Author
8 years ago
It’s just that 1/2” in the way
felizlady
8 years ago
I would not place a range next to a refrigerator. That little piece of cabinetry is the buffer zone you need.
Take accurate measurements of the actual space available for your new refrigerator and buy one that fits.
Janet Mmm
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you Flo! I pulled the fridge out and measured everything. My cabinets on either side are 25” deep and 24 1/2” deep and the counter depth fridge without doors is 24 3/8” deep and assuming I can’t go all the way pushed to wall the guy at the store said it will work. Hopefully he was right. Worse case I guess they’d have to take it back. My current fridge sticks out so far everyone says it needs to be counter depth.
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Flo Mangan
8 years ago
No offense to the person selling you a refrigerator but did that person come and measure at your home? If not, just a salesperson. Did the height get taken into account? I see a cabinet above your existing unit. Does the current unit have a icemaker? If so, is the connection recessed into wall so unit can be inserted full 25”? It’s the details that count here.
Janet Mmm
Original Author
8 years ago
I’m just not sure who I’d have come out to measure? I do have a ice-maker and the coil is just behind my current fridge so that I can pull out to clean under there. I have 72” height to the bottom of the cabinet above and most seem to be 70” high. Maybe I should get the 33” wide counter depth and lose the extra space.
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Flo Mangan
8 years ago
I would go to the store you are buying from and look at the refrigerator you are considering. Open the doors/drawers and assess how much room would be required to pull drawers out to clean. That should help you know if it will work in your space or not. What i wonder is would you have to pull it out for clearance purposes as much as standard refrigerator. That would be funny. And you would loose interior size.
Janet Mmm
Original Author
8 years ago
Yeah, I wonder that too. The one I have now is not as deep as most new ones. Without the doors I’m at 30” pulled out 2” from wall so I’m really only saving about 4” but a standard depth I’d be adding depth to what I have now. With stainless having those grey sides I don’t want to see more of it sticking out.
Janet Mmm
Original Author
8 years ago
Yeah it’s a train wreck in there
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Flo Mangan
8 years ago
Yea quite a challenge. Just go and measure. Take a notebook and measuring tape with you. Sketch and take photos of units you like and come home and see what those measurements are like in your room.
pdjh
8 years ago
I feel your pain! We have ordered a new counter depth fridge to replace our old white one. They are so much wider and taller than those white ones of yesteryear. I found the choices for counter depth ones to be fairly limited. They all seem to be at least 36” wide.
Janet Mmm
Original Author
8 years ago
Yes - I have found only 2 that are 33” wide so far and a couple 30”. I really think I’m gonna knock off that piece of counter to get the 36” size. I hate all the stainless stoves now too. They all look like a pain to keep clean with those big grates I wish they had nicer white appliances and I’d just keep white.
pdjh
8 years ago
Remember to check the height too to be sure it fits under your upper cabinets.