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sean_westbrooks

I need opinions

Sean Westbrooks
3 years ago

I’m in the process of remodeling my kitchen. Nothing too dramatic. I’m just replacing the current cabinets with some better quality ones and adding more cabinets. I’ve got my heart set on a panel ready refrigerator, but they’re so expensive. The wall that I want to put it on isn’t very wide, it’s a little over 7’. I ideally wanted a 30” refrigerator, but I’ve found two really good deals on a 24” and a 48” refrigerator. My question is do you think the 48” will be too big for the wall. I also want to put cabinets around the refrigerator for more storage. What would you do? I’m doing ikea cabinets with semihandmade fronts. Thanks

Comments (45)

  • MilwaukeeHCMom
    3 years ago

    How many people are in your household and how much food do you need to refrigerate? I would suggest finding a fridge that will function well for your cooking and fresh food storage needs.

  • AMS
    3 years ago

    Which wall are you putting the fridge on - the wall in the first photo, such that the fridge will cover the heat vent in the floor? Sorry if I'm misunderstanding, but if that's the case and it is a standard depth fridge (30+ inches) and you intend to flank with cabinetry, I can't picture how your cabinets will work in the corner where the mini fridge is now. It could get tight - and the space between the fridge/cabinets and the counter with the sink in it will be quite tight. Do you have a kitchen drawing/plan you can share?

  • PRO
    Patricia Colwell Consulting
    3 years ago

    You could do the 48” with 2x 15” pantry cabinets . but if you put the fridge on that wall then your counter where the sink is will need to be shortened of the walkway will be too small. BTW we work best with a to scale floor planof the whole space with measurements clearly marked and all windows and doorways too. The heating vent will need to figure into your design. IMO if you do not need a48” fridge then don’t get it and whatever fridge you choose it will need to be counter depth if you want cabinets around it so the fridge looks built in.

  • live_wire_oak
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    You’re not putting a fridge on that wall. Too much interference and clearance issues with the other cabinet run. Which takes up 27” of the 48”. No fridge there.


    And why is your island in the middle of the walkway with insufficient aisles around it? And the sink shoved all the way to the end with no landing space at all? No electrical?


    You need to back up and start over with a measured layout. There’s some doozies here. Bad ones. Unsafe ones. Three steps back before one forward. Maybe five steps back, actually. That won’t pass inspection. Your ideas for the tiny space are much grander than the physical space can support. Consequently you have overstuffed it, and failed at the most important part of this. You didn’t consult a measuring tape, and you failed to plan appropriately. That must be addressed, or all of this is a waste of money and effort. It will have to be torn out.

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    A picture from far enough back to show the whole space would help as well

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    Is the hood centered over stove opening?

  • felizlady
    3 years ago

    The hood does not appear to be centered over the stove slot.
    You can’t put a fridge or anything else over the floor vent, but you may be able to move the vent.

  • Shannon_WI
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    “You can’t put a fridge or anything else over the floor vent, but you may be able to move the vent.”

    Agree. Also if you don’t have a fridge where the air register is, and have cabinetry there, you could put a register in the toe kick area, and just add a small amount of ductwork so that the air will emit from the toe kick instead of the floor.

    Re the fridge; you are making your life way more difficult than it needs to be. Choosing between a 24” fridge and a 48” fridge doesn’t make sense. That size difference is tremendous, and it’s like asking do I need the Toyota Yaris or the Toyota Sequoia. You say you want a panel-ready fridge - where are the panels coming from since you appear to be doing your kitchen cabinetry piecemeal? They have to fit the fridge precisely. And as you pointed out, panel-ready fridges are expensive. A 24” fridge will fit almost nothing. Have you learned nothing from the quarantine about the need for fridge space? Give yourself a break and get a 36” counter-depth fridge with stainless steel doors. What is on the wall to the left of the hood wall? - the photos don’t show it. Maybe the fridge can fit there.

    It could be that you need to do as Live_wire_oak advised - back up and start over. I have been on this forum for years, but this is the first time I’ve seen a kitchen begun, and mostly installed, without any planning first where the fridge goes.

  • Sean Westbrooks
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Sorry everyone, I didn’t show the whole space clearly. I’m aware I will need to move the vent and possibly the light switch as well. I think the 48” will be too large, but I also feel the 24” will be too small. I’ve attached some more pictures as well as an inspiration picture of how I want to build the cabinets around the refrigerator. I also put the measurements of the kitchen too. Thanks to everyone who have commented!

  • Sean Westbrooks
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Here is a better picture of my kitchen

  • Sean Westbrooks
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    just to clear somethings up, I bought the house with this kitchen already installed. Im removing all of the cabinets out of the kitchen and starting ove. I’m going with ikea cabinets and semihandmade fronts. I’m just purchasing the appliances first.

  • traci_from_seattle
    3 years ago

    If you put a fridge on that left wall won’t it almost completely block your entrance into the kitchen? It doesn’t seem there is enough room between the end of your peninsula and what would be your fridge and surrounding cabinetry.


    What‘s on the other side of that left wall? Could you steal that space and recess your fridge into that wall? You couldn’t have the surrounding cabinets though.

  • live_wire_oak
    3 years ago

    What you want DOES NOT FIT the space you have. You can’t ignore the corner and shove a fridge in there. There’s just so much designed wrong here. You have to start over. The baby goes out with the bath water on this one.

  • katinparadise
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Do you have the ability to move plumbing? Do you have extra flooring? What budget are you working with?

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    Why would you replace this kitchen?...

  • herbflavor
    3 years ago

    Keep the kitchen . Move the floor register down to wear the pet food dishes were shown . You can patch in to cover the old register opening. Not hard . Get a 30 in standard fridge and put it against the wall that it is not tiled . Get a piece of ikea butcher block and put a little counter back in the corner . Out of the way spot to tuck canisters, basket of pot holders etc . 30 in fridge will allow you to walk thru w minimal pinchpoint. Put a little floor mat if the patched area on floor bothers you . The corner spot on side of fridge can be a blessing as it is out of sight. Why rip out the kitchen?

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    Are you keeping the countertops?

  • Sean Westbrooks
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    If I do the 24” refrigerator the depth is 22 1/2”. I think I don’t have enough room between the peninsula and the wall I want to put the refrigerator on. I was thinking if I left like 2’ on the end of the wall for clearance, but I’m not sure how that would look. I’m just upset because I feel like it’s so much wasted space, I don’t know what to do with it.

    The counter tops are going, that’s the very least I would do to the kitchen. I don’t like them and I want to go with white quartz countertops.

    The reason I want to replace the kitchen cabinets is because they are not very well made. Most of the doors are crooked, and they aren’t very big. I cannot fit a lot of things inside them.

    Looks like I’m going to have to rethink my design. It just doesn’t visually appeal to me to put the refrigerator right next to the stove, but it doesn’t look like I have an option.

  • Sean Westbrooks
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    To answer another question, on the other side of the wall is the laundry room

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    Now ...it is more clear that you want a full re-do...i would suggest the possibility of removing the peninsula in favor of an island...center the stove more so you have enough space for a bigger refrigerator on the end....and maybe with a stacked washer and dryer in the laundry room ...you can add a pantry there

  • remodeling1840
    3 years ago

    Sean, there is a thread on here called New to Kitchens? Read me first. I spent nearly a year planning my kitchen, doing research, making lots of scale drawings and putting notes on the drawings. Luckily you have cabinets to use in the meantime. I set my budget and put lots of ideas in my idea book-noting what I liked and what I didn’t like. I visited appliance stores and lighting stores to get my hands on products. Get a notebook and make lots of notes, pro and con. Get a twenty five foot measuring tape and carry it when you go to appliance, tile, cabinet shops. I gathered paint chips and brochures. Keep in mind the fridge needs space behind it and the handles take space. Remember that a thirty inch drawer is NOT the interior, usable space in a drawer. That varies from company to company. Use drawers instead of cabinets because they are more accessible. Full extension, heavy duty drawer slides are worth every penny. Knowing I wanted a Thermador cooktop or range but needing to finalize my plans first, I bought as a temporary solution the cheapest range I could find. After I did my remodel, we donated the little cheap range to a veterans organization. All this planning resulted in a kitchen that we both love. It is truly a joy to cook there.

  • freedomplace1
    3 years ago

    I think Beth’s idea re retro fridge is a great one, and it does seem like that small nook may be best spot for refrigerator. If you have a garage or other room in house where you could put another fridge, that might work out very well... or even if you don’t use another fridge, it may work out fine. It’s nice to have a roomy refrigerator, but less space in refrigerator can really keep it more simple. Less clutter, less wasted food, etc.

  • Lisa T
    3 years ago

    I'm not following the math of your drawing. Your room width is 11' something, your peninsula is 3.98' (meaning nearly 4'?) and from peninsula to wall is 2' something (I'm assuming that is your walkway?). That doesn't add to the 11'. Maybe some clarification there.
    A u-shaped kitchen could work with your inspiration picture if you can move that plumbing.
    The trend of full wall tile is beautiful, and eliminates a lot of storage.
    A new kitchen is always exciting.

  • thinkdesignlive
    3 years ago

    Did you say you had extra flooring for patching? That will really open up the possibilities for you. If not then sticking with the same layout and improving cabinets and counters makes sense. Or, if you go with the retro fridge and keep the cabinets maybe there is a way to rework the laundry room wall in order to recess a tall cabinet hutch on that drywall wall.

  • thinkdesignlive
    3 years ago

    Kind of like this recessed cabinet(which could be just 15” deep depending on wall/laundry room constraints)

    https://www.houzz.com/photos/updating-a-traditional-georgian-home-traditional-kitchen-dc-metro-phvw-vp~2392675

    This would take in depth study of what’s in the wall there, and how to configure the laundry (stacked w/d potentially relocated on wall, etc).

  • grdnbeth
    3 years ago

    If you recess the fridge into the laundry, you won't have to patch the floor and can get a stackable W/D in laundry room

  • mama goose_gw zn6OH
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    You have plumbing in the shared laundry wall, so you could move the sink and DW over there and have any size fridge you want. That would mean giving up the seating, but it would reduce the footprint of the kitchen. Would that leave enough space for a small table, or do you have a table nearby?

    I drew the fridge on the end, but you could have a side-loading pantry, or ROTS pantry cabinet facing the living area.

  • Sean Westbrooks
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Ok, so I may be able to recess the cabinets and refrigerator into the wall. From the wall to the opening for the laundry room is about 32”. The wall in the laundry room is built out for the hookup, so from that wall to the opening is about 23”. That’s a difference of about 9”. The wall isn’t load bearing I checked in the basement, there is nothing underneath the wall, and I’m almost positive it’s not holding anything above it. The laundry room is a little bigger than it appears in the picture, so I’ve added more pictures of the space. I’ve also added more pictures to show what I mean with the walls.

    Also to clear somethings up, the peninsula is a little over 7’ in length and the space between the end of the peninsula and the wall is about 4’.

  • Sean Westbrooks
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Here are more pictures of my space

  • Sean Westbrooks
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    I’ve got a Samsung stormwash dishwasher in black stainless steel, I haven’t installed it yet.

  • katinparadise
    3 years ago

    I was thinking the same as others that a U shaped kitchen would be a much better choice for your space. You have a dining area right there and the peninsula with overhang and stools actually makes that too small. If you eliminate the peninsula and go with the U shape, you have room for a good sized dining space and don't really need an island or peninsula.

  • Lisa T
    3 years ago

    You could very well do your inspiration wall with a U shaped kitchen. That design does lose space in corners, but imo more than makes for the lost corner space with full wall cabinets.

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    The only problem with U shape is...that leaves plumbing in center of open kitchen

  • katinparadise
    3 years ago

    The plumbing could be moved to the side wall. OP said he is on a basement so it shouldn't be particularly complicated to move the sink and dishwasher plumbing.

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    I was under the impression the poster wanted to avoid extra cost where possible..plumbers don’t come cheap .....according to the pix there will be very little added counter or cabs on the right wall in the U shape layout...an island will add a long run of under cabs or drawers as well as adding more counter on the left if he extends into the room as far as the peninsula does now...

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    Too bad the sink is so large but very little effort to move it a short way to center better on the island...not leaving too much exposed flooring as well...

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    With the added plus that the fridge door will be more accessible with nothing in front of it

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    And less re-positioning

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    I am now wondering where that little cubby is located ....with the red jug in it?

  • felizlady
    3 years ago

    You seem to be considering a 24” wide fridge or a 48” wide fridge. How many people live there? I have a 36” refrigerator which works well for two people. I have a second (30”) fridge in the service porch for extras or when I am cooking for company or guests staying with us. A 24” fridge is barely large enough for one person and a 48” fridge is large enough for a family of five.

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    Another point is if you shop for things in bulk (like at Costco)you will most likely need a separate freezer

  • marylut
    3 years ago

    2 important notes about fridge placement. 1. Fridge needs enough clearance to fully open door so crisper drawers can be pulled out and shelves can be removed for cleaning. 2. Fridge works more efficiently the further it is from hot cooktop and oven. If you are buying IKEA cabs why don’t you get their kitchen planner to assist you so you avoid costly layout and materials mistakes. Most kitchen planners have professional relationships with tradesmen and can get discounts.

  • Sean Westbrooks
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    I live alone with my two small dogs. I don’t have a partner or any children.

    The little cubby is in the laundry room. If you’re looking directly in the laundry room, it’s immediately to your right.

    I really like the peninsula and don’t want to lose it. The last house I loved in had very little counter space and I hated it. I’m going to have the shared wall inspected to see if there is enough room to recesses the cabinets and refrigerator into the wall several inches so that there will be enough clearance when entering the kitchen.

    I’m going with inspire kitchen design to help me design the kitchen. The closet ikea store to me is over 2hrs away, and they also help with things beyond just the cabinets. I’m not that worried about the floors either. The floors are just lamented flooring and I’ll be swapping them out for vinyl plank flooring. My dad knows how to install them, he did his house.

    I’m hoping it will be as simple as cutting the square out, framing it and done. But if it’s too complicated or it won’t give me enough room, I’ll just have to put the refrigerator next to the stove.

  • btydrvn
    3 years ago

    That little cubby looks perfect for a pantry...and staying with the peninsula will work with the exception that the sink is really in the wrong place ...even switching it with where the dishwasher is planned will be better..that way you have a little counter space on each side of the sink ...