Kitchen cabinet issue

[KLF]

Wife and I are shopping for a new fridge now, our current one is about 15 years old, 19 cf, a little too small, probably not very energy efficient, and no ice maker. Here's a pic of our kitchen:

Problem: I took some quick measurements, there is only 68-1/2" clearance under the cabinet that is there now. Every fridge we have looked at now is either exactly that height or a bit taller, so nothing will fit. That is a 15" tall cabinet, so the top of the cabinet is right at 83-1/3", just 1/2" short of the standard 84".

I really don't want to re-mount that cabinet higher, it will look goofy with a step in the top edge. I guess I could try to find a shorter cabinet, but I have no idea on the brand name, nothing has any name or sticker on it.

Moving all the cabinets up a couple of inches won't work either, mostly because my wife is kinda short, she needs a stool to reach the upper shelves now. Plus the microwave ductwork won't line up.

Any suggestions?

 

[john_eckels]

I had the same problem. There was about an inch of overerhang from the the face frame and sides to the bottom shelf. I took the cabinet down and put it on the tablesaw and cut the bottom inch off, making it level with the bottom shelf. This gave me enough room to get the new refrigerator under it.

 

[haystax]

Yeah - that's your best hope. You could probably re-hang the doors a little higher and ghetto fab the bottom of the cab if you had to.

You should be able to get the specs or rough-in guides for most manufacturers online - maybe there is a fridge that you haven't seen yet.

FWIW - my Kitchen Aid french door style fridge is exactly 68 1/2" as well.

 

[DSRTRDR]

how much can you adjust the feet under the fridge down, or take them out altogether ?

 

[jjbodean1970]

rip some off the top and bottom of the cabinet and remount it higher

 

[KLF]

Ya, I thought about doing that, and it may be my best fix. I should be able to get almost an inch off each. I will probably have to put some cleats inside to stiffen the thing back up and get it re-mounted, but we don't use that cabinet often so it's not a big deal. Fortunately they left us scraps of all the wallpaper so I can patch the strip that will show. These are decent cabinets, not the best but way better than HD builder-grade stuff.

Thanks.

 

[zebrabeefj40]

Yer callin' your wife short?!

The real solution is to lower the floor in that spot ya know...

Or just take the cabinet down as you say you don't use it much. Then one of those SubZero fridges will fit. That would be



Nick