I'm not familiar with this particular model. Is it supposed to be integrated. If so, then the gap at the top looks ugly and should get fixed. And the fact that the doors are proud of the cabinet isn't that good either.

On the other hand, if this fridge was only ever intended as built-in, but not as integrated, then things might be as good as it gets. The hot air needs to vent somewhere. And the doors need a special type of hinge that allows recessing.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/1920s-two-family-outside-davis-sq-traditional-kitchen-boston-phvw-vp~8392607

https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-traditional-kitchen-atlanta-phvw-vp~189363

Examples on house that might help.

It's hard to tell from just those photos if this is a flaw or is something easily fixable. It would be good to know/see what the clearances are all around.

1. The larger gap at the top could be due to clearance issues if there are hinges on top of the refrigerator.

2. The cabinet opening may have been intentionally made a little higher than the dimensions of the refrigerator to allow for height adjustments. You may be able to reduce the gap if all four legs of the refrigerator adjust, and there is no clearance issue at the top.

3. The cabinet opening may have been intentionally made a little higher so that you have flexibility if you ever need to replace that refrigerator as dimensions vary somewhat among manufacturers.

4. The cabinetmaker may have messed up slightly.

Similar situation with my remodel. Ended up being a calculation error and as a result incorrect choice of top cabinet. This was remedied with a taller cabinet and filler strip. Not optimal, given what I paid for appliance and cabinet but it is barely detectable.

Watch the video below. Pause, or you will have to watch the beginning ten times, The gap is same as the stainless beneath it. The look is sold as "integrated" , meaning you have a cabinet panel option...........it is NOT "integrated" as Sub Zero refers to integrated. Your panel has no more gap than it would without the cabinet panel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmviy7FYNgI

Thanks all - makes sense. My issue is the builder has previously installed the same fridge and the gap is minimal (if it exists at all).

Hopefully it can be fixed by adjusting the legs.

You have a built in, not a fully integrated model. The difference is the gap, vs a completely invisible fridge.

I get that, but what's frustrating is the Jenn Air website shows the fridge as completely integrated with no noticeable gap at the top. Maybe I was misled by the marketing and should've just gone with Thermador or SZ, but too late now.

Which is why this is so frustrating. Everything else they've done has been great and now the fridge just looks like it doesn't fit.

For reference, here is the model the builder did with the same fridge. It's side by side vs. french door, but it still looks much more finished with smaller gaps.

Does anyone have any guidance on what specifically I need to ask them to do to remedy this?

https://www.houzz.com/photos/18-fall-batc-parade-of-homes-luxurious-rambler-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~128152476

It appears you didn't give us the model number of the refrigerator which is indicative of a lack of attention to detail. If you want something specific, it is necessary to look at the manufacturer's specific and detailed information or visit a store that has it on the sales floor. Terms like built-in, paneled and integrated are marketing terms with no standard definitions.

This is the model: https://www.jennair.com/refrigeration/built-in-refrigeration/pdp.JF42NXFXDE.html

My SZ is fully integrated into inset cabinets. The cabinet had to be 25” deep for it to be flush.

When the refrigerator and panels were installed I had a gap problem at the top as well. The appliance guy adjusted things on the bottom and it closed the gap. Is your refrigerator leveled already? Can it be raised further?

Your specs say builtin but further down it says fully integrated. So which is it? Or can it be either? Did you have a kitchen designer that can help you out here?

PS..the only place I think it looks bad is the top gap. Otherwise I think it’s very nice.

The "name" of this model is "42" BUILT-IN FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR" but the description includes: "this bottom-freezer refrigerator offers a fully flush, fully integrated design," which sort of leaves them an out if "built-in" and "integrated" mean two different things.

It's just a panel ready fridge. :) " Inegrated' in this case, simply means you're not seeing a frame around the panel. Basically? It's built in. Call the contractor back, see if any adjustment can be made to close the minimal gap. If not? Stop staring at it. In two weeks neither you nor anyone else will be.

The differences between panel ready, built-in, and integrated are somewhat fluid. Part of it depends on the manufacturer, part of it depends on the skill of the cabinet maker. As a first approximation, an "integrated" appliance should be entirely indistinguishable from a regular cabinet. If you had a guest visit you, they should be 100% unable to locate where you are hiding your fridge without them opening cabinets and looking inside.

A "built-in" typically does look a little different from a regular storage cabinet, but it still looks as if it's part of the overall cabinetry. It shouldn't be too jarringly different. Minor differences are OK. For instance, if your cabinets had overlay doors, then it might be OK if the fridge's overlay isn't 100% in-plane with the cabinets. Also, handles wouldn't necessarily look the same.

A "panel-ready" appliance doesn't make many promises as to how it looks. It's really up to the cabinet maker to decide whether they can hide it, or whether it'll always obviously look like an appliance with a panel attached to the front.

In practice, these different categories aren't quite as clear cut. And a good cabinet maker can make a "built-in" almost look like an "integrated" unit. A poor cabinet maker would achieve the opposite, though.

Personally, I like a good "built-in" look. I don't really like the idea of 100% obfuscating the location of the fridge. But of course, to each their own.

1st world problem.

Isn't that what this website is all about? A hot-plate and a $5 pot is perfectly adequate to make food. Everything else is a 1st world problem. What's wrong with that?

1st world problem.

That really isn't a very nice thing to say on a forum dedicated to home design, decor, etc. :-(

Any post -- anywhere on the planet -- that doesn't aim to solve world hunger, poverty, and human rights violations could be dismissively labeled "1st world problem."

There's no reason why those of us with 1st world problems shouldn't try solving them. Problems are problems, let's aim for perfection! :-D

Looks good!

Adjusting the feet at the bottom was going to be my idea. Looks better and still should maintain the required airflow space. Congrats on your problem solving! (and hope you are off the ledge.)

Ha - I am off the ledge, thank you. I ended up pushing it in another inch to make everything flush given the doors were designed to accommodate that, and I'm really happy.

Thankfully the wonderful appliance expert at Ferguson I worked with was able to talk me through what to do.

Andrew...looks great. And wow, those floors! Beautiful.

Andrew, Good to hear all is well now.

Although not integrated, I had the similar dilemma even though I selected the refrigerators, ordered a trim kit, designed the cabinets, despite, due to the cabinet manufacturer limitation, had to opt for shorter top cabinets resulting in a 2” gap above the top trim and about 3/4” gap on both sides; I felt I’d figure it out later. At additional and significant cost, I ordered several pieces of 3”x3/4”x96” cabinet trim; I completed the trim around the trim job last weekend. Looks perfect and original. Took me a few months to get around to doing it but unpacked my miter saw and a bunch of other tools last week and got the job done. Feel proud knowing I have not lost my woodworking skills. Before and after

Andrew Walker, I'm glad I found this discussion. We also were misled by the marketing language describing the fridge as integrated.

I wouldn't mind a gap because I can't help but think that the recent trend of smothering the fridge might have something to do with shortened life expectancy of the appliance.

Heck, I would go so far as to cut a vent in the bottom of the upper to allow for more hot air to rise away from the refrigerator.

Andrew, can you contact me? I just put the money down on this exact fridge and have spent eternity discussing at length this exact thing you had going on, it’s too detailed for me to cover here but if you would contact me via my email I would very much like to discuss with you.

My email: itsagreatday@sasktel.net

Thank you,
Charlene

divachar-

It's not wise to post your email address on a public forum like this. You can have people contact you privately using this site's messaging system as long as you have that option checked in the email settings for your account here. [Go to your account; select "Advanced Settings"; and enable the option that lets people contact you.]

And delete your email address.