Refrigerators have EXPLODED!!!

[ilovepcot]

My lower back just can't take any more bending and digging round in the bottom of my fridge. And everything I need seems to be in the vegetable bins.

I found several *gorgeous* bottom freezer mounts that will be perfect...crushed or cubed ice on the door, filtered water...you get the picture. Well, it's been 19 years since I went looking for a new one, and they *EXPLODED* when I wasn't looking.

I've discovered I have to rip out kitchen cabinets above the fridge area just to get one in. Now DH has to decide how to "redo" the area above the fridge to "blend in" with the rest of the kitchen cabinetry. Then there's the problem of the "newer and better design" sticking out way past the kitchen cabinets!!! Not only are they taller...they're much deeper, too!!!

Anyone else encountered this when attempting to buy a new fridge? If so, what did you do?

 

[WDWfan36]

It's never happened to me but .

Refrigerators scare me. I think I have refrigeratorphobia

 

[bekkiz]

We had to buy a new fridge for our new house, and there was very few that fit the hight and width dimensions.

We found one that did (a bottom freezer, LG) but it comes out so far past the cabinets! It is totally the focal point of the kitchen because it's so huge.

 

[Barb D]

Our new one fit height-wise, but we had to switch models to get one narrow enough and the one we got does stick out beyond the cabinets. But it has french doors on the top, so at least the door doesn't swing out as far.

I love ours. It's a GE Profile.

 

[ilovepcot]

The LG and GE Profile both have models we like. But yes, *sticking far out* into the room worries me. I hate the thought of the fridge being the focal point and taking over the whole room.

 

[CEDmom]

We're in a brand new house but I don't think the space for our new frig in any bigger than in our old house. We have a bottom freezer french door style one from Sears - it's a Kenmore. I just looked it up and it's 70" high, 32 deep - w/o handle and 36 wide. It's pretty much cabinet depth which is what we needed.

 

[ilovepcot]

We're in a brand new house but I don't think the space for our new frig in any bigger than in our old house. We have a bottom freezer french door style one from Sears - it's a Kenmore. I just looked it up and it's 70" high, 32 deep - w/o handle and 36 wide. It's pretty much cabinet depth which is what we needed.

I'd gladly trade places with you here! I only have 66" of height space and my counters are a mere 24" deep! Any new fridge is going to be taller and deeper than my space. See what a mess we have!

 

[moniot]

I saw a home renovation show once where they actually cut out the wall behind the fridge so they could recess it. Now this would only work if it was not on an exterior wall and the room behind it had a "blank wall" and not like a bath tub or something.

Mine sticks out 7" beyond my counter top and is at the end. It doesn't look bad and it has never been in the way. I love my huge side by side but if I had to replace it I would go with the bottom freezer and the french doors on top with ice and water through the door.

 

[Beth76]

What's above your fridge space, freestanding cabinets? If so, then you can just pull those out and mount them a few inches higher than the rest. I've seen this done several times over ovens (to fit an under-cabinet microwave). It looks fine. I have nothing above my fridge, but mine does stick out 7-8 inches past my cabinets. It's at the end of the cabinets with nothing on the other side, so it doesn't really make a difference.

I was in someone's house that was only a few years old. Their fridge actually stuck out a few inches in front of the door to the garage. I couldn't believe that a house that new wouldn't have planned for a bigger fridge and I would have been extrememly ticked off if that was my house.

 

[ilovepcot]

What's above your fridge space, freestanding cabinets? If so, then you can just pull those out and mount them a few inches higher than the rest. I've seen this done several times over ovens (to fit an under-cabinet microwave). It looks fine. QUOTE]


Perfect plan, except...the yo-yo who remodeled the kitchen, probably back before I was born, failed to run all the wall material behind this area!!! Yeah, always something!

 

[Brier Rose]

This won't help you much since I can't remember which refrigerator I looked at , BUT, at Home Depot the other night I looked at one that had the option of regular depth, or a more shallow model for the purpose of making it look more built in.

The more shallow model was a couple hundred dollars more, but it may be worth it if you needed one that didn't stick out so far.

Sorry I can't remember which one it was, but wanted you to know there are some out there.

I'm sure I'll be in Home Depot again some time this week, I'll try and remember to look, and write it down this time!

 

[disneymac]

My sister ordered a "cabinet depth" refrigerator when they redid their kitchen last year. Cost a little more, but it looks great.

 

[Beca]

I second the "counter depth" fridge. We have one and LOVE it!!



Beca

 

[Chattyaholic]

We had to get a new refrigerator a year or so ago, after our 30-year-old one died a horrible death: Our smoke alarm went off in the middle of the night, we could smell the electrical-smoke-type smell but could not find where it was coming from. Called 911 and the fire department came and spent an hour or so trying to find it as well, they finally had to call a bigger dept. to bring their thermal imaging machine out, found out it was the refrigerator motor gone bad!! It was a scary experience, but glad it was something simple in the end!

Then, when we went to get a new one, we were very limited on what we could get.

I would love a side-by-side with water/ice through the door, but those are way too big for the space so had to get a "regular ol' frig."