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21.5" wide beverage center for 24" opening?

10 years ago

Hi, I'm building a wet bar in the basement and the contractor left a total of 84" for my future under-counter appliance, bar sink base and regular base cabinet. I would like to put in a stainless steel beverage center that will hold a few cans of soda, some beer, maybe an extra carton of milk and extra veggie that I can't fit in my regular kitchen fridge. Wine isn't a big concern so temperature of between 34F-50F would be fine. The thing is I can't spend a ton on this appliance, under $500 would be great. Wanna cheat a little bit and get a free-standing version. The cost is less than half. I can open up the wall to the left back side of this mini fridge since it's connected to an unfinished storage area, so venting in the back shouldn't be an issue. But the free-standing ones seem to all come in around 21.5" wide, like this Kenmore or Frigidaire:

http://www.kenmore.com/kenmore-4.6-cu-ft-beverage-center-stainless-steel/p-04699283000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2

http://www.lowes.com/pd_36_0__?productId=3262661

I wanna to keep the opening a standard 24" in case in the future I need to replace it and use a standard model. How should I deal with that the 2.5" gap in the 24" hole?

Any other question regarding overall design: should wall cabinets and base cabinets generally line up? My current plan is:
Base: 24" beverage center + 36" bar sink base + 24" base cabinet
Wall: 24" regular + 36" glass door + 24" regular

Any advice would be appreciated!

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Comments (3)

User
10 years ago
You've got to leave ventilation space/gaps on the sides if the unit isn't a built in. Beverage fridges do NOT keep food safe temperatures. Fine for drinks. Not for milk or other organic edibles than need refrigeration.

You've got to have at least a 3/4" end panel and 1 1/2" filler to support the countertop at the end of a run next to an appliance hole. The filler is there to create the L shape that will add strength to the support. You also don't need a 36" sink base for an itty bitty bar sink. You might want to add in some drawers for things like corkscrews or citrus zesters or other bar tools.

I'd arrange it so that one of the cabinets formed the end support needed for the fridge area. Something like a 9" pull out pantry, a 24" space for the fridge, an 18" sink base, a 24" drawer base, and another 9" pull out.
snowang
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks! Your design would be very attractive. I was trying to cut cost down with only two base cabinets. Wanna achieve a similar look to this: https://www.houzz.com/photos/needham-bar-traditional-home-bar-boston-phvw-vp~109768-Bar-traditional-kitchen-boston.

My original design is in the link at the bottom.

The L shape is a bar height half wall with 20" wide countertop. The L corner is cut off on both sides to accommodate a bar stool but I can't draw it out. The outside and inside of the half wall will be trimmed with moulding in a similar style of the cabinets. I don't have cabinets planned for the inside of the L because of lack of space and budget.

I plan to use Conestoga RTA cabinets and the current quote is $2500 for just the full wall side. Their TW-10 door and ebony colourtone paint looks similar enough to my inspiration picture.

Any idea where to find a 24" stainless steel or black mini fridge that won't break the bank? I've checked out GE, KA, Maytag, Uline, Perlick, Electrolux and all are way over my budget.

Here is a link that might be useful:
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snowang
Original Author
10 years ago
Got the Kenmore 21.5" beverage center. The price just dropped another $80. With shopdiscover 10% total was about $280. I will put two filler pieces on either side in the front, and build out some support framing on the side and back for the countertop. Open up part of the side wall for ventilation.

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