I would figure out a better solution, such as adding a refrigerator in your garage, underneath a cabinet, in an office or bedroom, or whatever.

Post the whole layout. The garage door may be movable down some. Mot just downsized.

It can’t be moved

that is the only wall to the garage.

when you get a newer fridge you will note the storage and organization will be better than the existing side by side. Go shopping for 36 in model fridges with features . I would stick with 36 inches of fridge and all that money saved from the reframing..new door..labour ...put into a superior fridge model. a win-win.

Get a 36" fridge-only column and put freezer drawers elsewhere.

Idk, it doesnt seem like much on paper but think about what you use that door for. Bringing out the dogs (could be a bit tight), Taking out the trash, those bags can get bulky, Carrying in you your Costco haul ( all those unwieldy boxes). How much finger crushing against the door frame are you willing to endure? lol Theres probably a ton of advantages to not downsizing that door. The question now becomes, how do I get more refrigerated storage. We have counter depth fridge/freezer columns but because of the depth issue, we keep bigger stuff and over stock in a garage fridge, as other have mentioned, probably something to consider. You say you are remodeling so that opens up plenty of opportunity to fit the larger fridge w/o narrowing the door. Can you post an accurate plan of your kitchen and give a few of the people here a stab at layout? Theres something to be said about fresh eyes. Good luck w your remodel.

You need to show the ENTIRE kitchen, and the ENTIRE new plan for the "remodel" with dimensions. Not an aerial view done up.dolled up from the computer. The actual cabinet plan with appliances.

The passage to garage is but one part of a larger "puzzle" You will get far better answers..........with better information.

When you post? Include the adjacent areas...... family room , dining etc. Don't start a new thread, simply add MORE information to this, in a comment.

Agree with the put another fridge elsewhere idea. I think the 2” in that door will be sorely missed. Also, keep in mind that your soffit above the current fridge matches its size.

As before............where's the WHOLE thing?? "Elsewhere" is a function of where and why . Mystery meat as posted : )

Our attached garage required a self-closing fire-rated door. Your local code may dictate what you can do.

I would stick with the larger size door. When you start taking things into or out of the garage it might become an issue with a 30" door.

In addition to the daily trips in and out that door, will you be able to get your new refrigerator and furniture in and out of your house?

I have a 32" door into the garage; I wish it was 36". No way would I downsize it to 30". Less than 32" may not even meet code in your location. Depending on code, touching that door may actually even require you to upsize it to 36".

A 36" fridge with bottom freezer would be an improvement over that side by side. That would be my first choice. Second choice would be all refrigerator in the house & a freezer in the garage. Or move SXS to the garage.

Other observation is, looking at how the door wall and kitchen wall are framed, I am doubting that you can gain an extra 6" for the larger fridge anyway. A downsized door gains only 2". And you can't cheat the framing where the wall turns a corner. I suspect that the math is not in your favor.

Don't narrow the door. My door is 36" and even at that size it can be difficult to move some things in and out of the house.

Yeah, that side-by-side is the problem in my book. I had one when we moved into this house and hated it--got a new top fridge, bottom freezer and it works WAY better.

If ref space is of utmost concern, you would be better served to leave the door as is, capturing 12" from the 12" base cabinet and put a smaller upper cabinet, then insert a 48" refrigerator.

But you haven't provided a larger picture or plan to advise on the door location.

Hi everyone

thank you so much for your advice. i will keep the door as is. I will prob just do a 36” in over under fridge freezer. might add some drawers or mini fridge somewhere else but hate to give up all that under counter space if turns out i dont need it and they are so expensive. an extra unit in the garage might be the best solution

i did not post my entire layout brcause we have gone around and around on it and this is really the only place for the fridge — i appreciate the offer to look at it with ”fresh eyes” though.

Suzanne, I don't know where you are located or your climate, just be aware there are only a couple of refrigerator-freezer combos that will run reliably in winter without making an adjustment to them (adding a small heat wire behind the thermostat, kits avail). My climate is mild, my garage unheated other than the rare occasion DH will turn on heat on his side. We have only a handful of overnight freezes and I cannot trust the freezer compartment in the garage refrigerator from about Nov until Mar each year. The refrigerator portion works fine.

If the model in your kitchen now is old enough, there is a chance it would work OK in your garage, the older models didn't have a problem but you will find the new units are not OK in a garage that will be dropping under about 40F...just don't want you surprised.

Built in fridges like you currently have do not necessarily have greater capacity than freestanding models of the same width. Check that out as well.

I agree with others that your fridge might be better placed elsewhere and you should consider that. And nooooooo don't shrink the garage door!

Building Code requires a door to a garage be 36" wide and fire-rated steel. If the contractor that you mentioned is filing any permits with your city, I am guessing that the current door could be "grandfathered in". But if you make any changes to it, the new door would have to be 36" wide. Just a heads up so you are prepared for this eventuality.

Edited to add: I've done some searching, and it looks like the 36" width requirement is for my locality, and may not be the same for yours. It is best you ask your contractor, or do an online search to see if there is a 36" width requirement for your garage door.