We’re doing a refacing of our kitchen, and, coincidentally, our 20 year old 36” Monogram built-in fridge just went out. So, our mini remodel just became more complicated…..

We would love to ”plug and play” a new Monogram built-in without replacing this particular section of cabinetry. The specs for the model we want (ZIP360N french door model) call for a cutout of 24D x 35.5W x 83.5-84.5H. The cabinetry currently housing the old fridge (model ZIC360N) appears to have a cutout of 25D x 36.5W x 84D (from what I can measure on the outside). So, our cutout is slightly bigger than required. It’s not perfect, but the fridge seems to fit in there okay without any terrible gaps. For current models, the ZIP360N and ZIC360N require the same cutout dimensions.

My main question is - do you think I can go ahead and buy the new Monogram under the assumption (hope? prayer?) that it will fit into our current cabinetry like the old fridge does? I’m mostly concerned about the depth (24” vs. 25”), because our cabinet refacer can always add trim or something to fill any width gaps. Is it okay if the cutout depth is deeper than specs require? If not, do you think we could build out the back wall an inch to decrease the depth while keeping the current cabinetry? Other complication is that the floors under the fridge/cutout are unfinished, so we need to cover up 25” of unfinished floors. Building a new slightly shallower cabinet surround would require floor work that we VERY much want to avoid.

Like I said, the current fridge seems to be working fine with less than perfect cutout dimensions, but I have no idea what’s going on behind the fridge. It’s becoming clear that the prior owners majorly DIYed this kitchen….

Thanks in advance!