fridge panels installed...too late to remove, cut and re-install?

13 years ago

This is the part of kitchen renovation that is frustrating. Our kitchen remodel includes fridge panels. The panels were installed, along with the cabinet on top, and the crown moulding on top of that. But it looked too deep for the fridge...and sure enough, it is about 4" deeper than the depth of the fridge from back (incl. water line) to front (sans doors). So the contractor didn't think to cut it before installing, and our cabinet people didn't tell us/them it needed to be cut.

Now the contractor is saying it's too late to do anything, that 4" is not a big deal, that the fridge needs room in the back to breathe anyway, blah blah. But it's a big deal to my wife who thinks it sticks out too much in our already small-ish kitchen (15x10) and the 4" would go a long way.

I'm not sure what to do...is it really too late to take it out, cut it down and re-install? Should I just deal with it??? Should I pay the contractor to fix this? Ugh. I hate when stuff like this happens...

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Comments (6)

texaskitchentoo
13 years ago
It's never too late... well unless the flooring is in.

Did you have drawings? What do they say? Fridge panels seem to come in 24 and 30" widths depending on your base cabinets. Sounds like they ordered 30" instead of 24". It would be a lot of work but could be done. If the floorinf is already worked around the panels then it may be a lot more impact. Is your fridge counter depth?
colickyboy
Original Author
13 years ago
The drawings don't actually say. There's no elevation drawing with that panel displayed and measured. The flooring went in first, then the cabinets on top of that. The fridge is 29" deep and the fridge panel is 4" longer, so ~33" deep.

Is this the contractor's fault b/c it's standard procedure and they should've known? Is it my fault for not knowing to tell them it needed to be cut? Is it the cabinet people's fault for not pointing that out in the drawing that it would be need to be trimmed to size?
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Hi Folks I know it was literally years ago but I just wanted to chime in and say what a great discussion thread this is/was. So many claims are made by sellers and "makers" - for what it's worth, I am going the opposite direction with my project for our own home. I am building new doors that will look like 1930's commercial chiller units, with big hinges and handles as well as adding several personal touches to the whole lot, like refashioned Chrysler wings emblems etc . The two fridges I am using are a liebherr wine/freezer unit and a Jenn Air Alaska model - see attached link and click on AA kitchen project .... might cause some heart palpitations for some, but perhaps a smile for others. BTW In one of my designs I overcame the issues around the toe kick by replacing the floor under the fridge with an insect proof perforated metal grill ... still strong enough to take the fridge and enabled cool air to vent up from the underfloor. Of course, we live in a temperate climate so this may not be an option for N. America. best wishes from Kilmore, Australia Steve Ansell Here is a link that might be useful: Steve Ansell
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I've only seen one flush inset in person. I did think the door was harder to open, and it was limited to a 90° swing. It was possible to remove the shelves and drawers but not at all easy. I don't know if it was the same exact model, though, and it was about eight years ago. Perhaps yours is a bit different. Do check to be sure. For an icebox, look, however, you don't need flush inset. Most of the old iceboxes had partial overlay doors, so you'd just need it to be big enough to hide the framing of the fridge. If you have the fridge stepped back a little so that the installation frame is recessed a tad behind the cabinet frame, you might still have trouble opening past 90°, but I think it could be made partial overlay so that you'll get a wider, if not full, swing. If the grill needs a vent channel or something, it can be hollowed out of the back of the panel where it won't show. Hm... but it just occurred to me that if your panel is thick, like on an old icebox, that might also impede the width of the door swing. For your precise design, talk to SubZero about what's possible for the good functioning of the fridge, then to your cabinetmaker/carpenter about how to make it.
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bbtrix, You're right about what I left out. I should have included the opposite wall in my posted layout but idk how to indicate a stud-bay pantry and pull-down table in floorplanner. I guess I could just put in a couple of lines with a note. We were still planning to do something like that, although maybe a narrow table with a stool underneath instead of a pull-down table (even though it would technically be in the way of traffic, we can deal with something that protrudes 12" or so). We probably can't do an under-cab MW just yet, as my youngest would probably spill stuff/burn himself, but in a couple years we could do that. I do want a few hooks and a place to put a couple pairs of shoes, but our front is our "main" entrance, or at least it's where we store more stuff. When we come in the back door, we are supposed to bring our shoes to the front, although we don't always do that (me too, not just the kids). We also have a closet and storage baskets in the front, so everything is *supposed* to be carried there. What hangs in the back is my apron and a few fleeces/windbreakers (and snow pants to drip/dry when we have snow but that's been sparse lately). So we need a little space for that, but not a ton. Sometimes I hang my purse in there out of reach of the cat, who finds the leather straps just right for chewing. That said, I am intrigued by the idea of the wall table on that *back wall* under the window in the next plan. If we did that, we could then use the space next to the stud-bay pantry for coats & shoes. And I didn't even know that Ikea made a fold-down table. I like the sound of a $40 table a lot better than a custom one. I wonder if I could put some fun contact paper on it so the whites wouldn't clash. That second layout is close to what I thought was The One, but several people here talked me out of having the fridge along that opposite wall next to the DR door. Even one of the people who originally suggested it changed her mind. Strong words were used. lol. I think I have officially abandoned that one. But this definitely gives me more to think about. Thank you so much!
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That should have been a 27” MW cabinet, with a 27” trim kit for your built in MW. And a 27” base below. But lots of stock lines don’t offer 27” cabinets, so that might not have even been possible. In that case, 24”. cabinets and not doing a built in MW should have been done. Right now, redoing that and cutting down/eliminating fillers is the only choice. It’s a bad design from a bad cabinet seller, and worse installers. No installer worth his salt wouldn't have cut down those fillers when he first realized the panel was hanging in the breeze. Only a hack would have moved forward and installed crown on top of that deficiency. They should pay for the redo. It shouldn’t have a dime coming from you to fix that. I hope you have a counter depth fridge, because that’s much too narrow a clearance even with a counter depth. It actually needs a built in there to not block traffic.
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palimpsest
13 years ago
Its really the cabinet people's fault for not specifying, imo. If you left it, one thing that it would give you flexibility with is if you ever got an even deeper fridge, you still wouldn't have the sides hanging out.
nkkp
13 years ago
It would be a real pain to do, and you might need a new stick of crown (it could be damaged in the removal) but it certainly is possible. Have you checked the spec's on your fridge; most need atleast 1" of clearance. Of course, on the other side of things, the handle and door will stick-out infront of the panel taking additional floor space so you may want to cut the panel.
User
13 years ago
Did you supply your particular fridge's specs to your KD? Because the depth of fridges are all over the place, unless you supplied the specs, and requested that the alcove be designed for that fridge only without any consideration to future replacement issues, a KD would usually design the spot for a generic "full depth" refrigerator, or most common denominator. 32" fridge panels will work for that by pulling shallower fridges forward a bit. "Standard" fridges are getting deeper all the time, and some are now 37" deep overall, making a deep enclosure more universally workable than a shallow one.

If you both supplied the fridge's specs and indicated that you wanted the alcove built for that fridge alone without regard to any future replacement issues, then the fix would be on the KD.
colickyboy
Original Author
13 years ago
We did specify our particular fridge's specs to the KD. However, we didn't specify one way or another about being just for this fridge or being future-proof.

fridge panels installed...too late to remove, cut and re-install?

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fridge panels installed...too late to remove, cut and re-install?

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