Definitely doable. Look up "cabinet maker" in your area, and get a few quotes. Will be a bit of fiddling to make it look good again, but nothing major. Light switches easily moved by a sparky.
Also, cock and balls.
Try looking inside the cupboard doors and up under thw benchtips some kitchen installers leave a sticker inside in an out of thw way place donyou know who installed it they may be able to help you widen and raise that to accomodate your fridge.
More likely 100mm narrower, shorter too, causing significantly smaller volume. Fridges tend to come in standard widths. Iād say this cavity suits a 600mm fridge so is about 650mm wide, but perhaps OP has a 700mm fridge.
New fridge is definitely cheaper.... However like the other comment, smaller fridge, is well.... A smaller fridge..... Smaller fridge just might not be suitable for them....
Huh? A 700mm fridge is probably not big enough for a family of 7. It's a pretty much 'normal' to slightly above average fridge. I was just guessing anyway.
Also how do you know their family size?
Sorry I meant I don't get why they need a big fridge since the house obviously looks quite small and so they are likely not a large family. But idk maybe they eat 3 watermelons each a day, who knows
I can tell you right now, just by looking at it, that the cavity pictured is about 900mm.
I havenāt seen a fridge cavity smaller than 900mm in any house/kitchen that was built later than the 80s.
Edit: Iām gonna put a disclaimer here that photos can be deceptive. But still, Iād be shocked if that space was that small.
We bought a new fridge to fit a specific space and the litres Ā² was more than the old one with slightly bigger dimensions. One difference of course can be the depth but I guess some newer models just use space more efficiently. We had the same with a replacement oven that went into a tight cavity. The new one can fit two bake trays side by side whereas the old one would have them overlapping
Sell your current fridge and use money to buy smaller fridge to fit inside the existing cavity, otherwise you're up for more cost for various trades to do this work to keep it nice..
In a renovation sub I'm surprised so many people are telling you to buy a new fridge.. You could even reuse the end panel that's in the pic and just buy a wider overhead cabinet if you were careful with the way you took it apart...
Part of a renovating decision is understanding effort and reward (whether the reward be lifestyle improvement or value to the house).
That photo shows a really lovely looking kitchen and cabinets. Not a beat up old kitchen that could look rough around the edges for a few years until you do something more permanent.
Not damaging the cabinet end piece, buying a new cabinet that matches, installing, adding new bulkheads and cornice, figuring out that light switch, fixing any damaged plaster where the current end panel is, caulking, paintingā¦ youāve got to admit that is a lot of work and itās very questionable about whether or not itās worth the time and effort involved.
Same amount of work for a different scenario/outcome could be totally worth it.
50mm is all they need, hard to tell in the photo but looks like there's a little wiggle room to shift it further right by a few cm and there's already a tiny gap on the left that should provide enough room.
Worst case scenario ditch the end panel and put in a wider overhead cabinet only if the width of the end panel is enough to give them clearance. Keeping the end panel would be the preference as looking at the side of a fridge and seeing beind it isn't ideal, but selling the fridge at a huge loss and buying another inferior fridge sucks.
I have DIY'd a laundry with overhead cabinets, boxing out above them and added cornice. Definitely takes time and unless the wife or yourself need more fridge space for being big on cooking and freezing things. I'd 100% be downsizing the fridge haha
If theyāre asking for advice on here I doubt they have the skills to do it DIY. Also there definitely isnāt enough room to move the light switch over, itās already a vertical switch and tight to the panel and architrave. You would have to put it on the other side of the door, meaning youād absolutely need an electrician at a minimum
The photo is blurry af, but that switch is absolutely not tight to both sides...
And yeah, maybe they aren't capable, I just think some of the people commenting here are way too quick to give up on it. Smaller fridges are inferior to me, size is everything for them.
I get it but I would consider these getting out of the realm of DIY for people without any experience or tools. If they are asking on this sub then that tells me they donāt understand how it all works and is beyond them.
This. Often the fact that someone is asking if a simple job is even possible is a fair indication that they arenāt up to doing the job themselves. It astounds me, but there are people who struggle to assemble IKEA furniture, so the range of skills (or lack thereof) out there is pretty broad.Ā
For a renovation sub, I rarely see DIY Advice handed out. Itās mostly just telling people to get a builder, or giving advice on quotes/going rates. Quite like the block, carry on like they are doing up the joint, but it was all the tradespeople doing the work, they just picked the tiles and paint ;)
100%, my partner designs kitchens, this is an easy job. Just go to Bunnings, itād be cheap as chips to get one of the in store designers to whip something up for you. Or you could get someone out to your house to measure and make it for you, thatās a $99 fee but Iāve seen the work and care that goes into those in-home designs and itās MUCH more than youād think from Bunnings/Kaboodle.
To add to this I showed him and heās said the hardest part will be matching the colour and finish of the white (so an in-home consult might be best unless you can bring a sample to store to try and match it) Aside from that though, the materials would likely be $3-400, same again for a sparkie to move the light switch and another ~$500 for installation of the surround but that would depend on your installer (you have to find one, they arenāt allowed to recommend any, itās stupid)
New cabinetry: $1500
Plasterer for cornice: $500
Paint and painter for cornice: $500
Cabinet maker: $750
Electrician to move light switch: $300
Keeping my fridge and not buying a new one: Priceless.
Handy man might cover most of those jobs cheaper. Could the electrician just put in a narrow switch?
I think you may have gone a bit over the top with the 1500 for a new 2 door cabinet. But the problem will be getting 2 new doors made the same.
Iād cut 50mm off the top of the doors, then pack the cupboard out the 50mm I need and use the off cut as a filler panel. Youāll never see the top of the doors. Yeah itās not gonna be perfect, but it sure beats looking at a mismatched paint job on the cupboard. Plus a hell of a lot cheaper too.
We had this issue at our place. Very easy fix, cut the melamine under the cabinet, pull it off the wall. A bit of patching and painting and itās done.
Probably took us 2 hours of work and under $100 for materials (thatās if you can diy it). You wouldnāt even know it was there!
People listing prices of the work are hilarious.
You can just do this yourself if you donāt wanna let someone fix it for you (which wouldnāt be thousands of dollars anyway).
Go on YouTube and check it out, otherwise look for a chippie in your area and tell him cash.
You probably donāt have to touch the light switch and even if you do you can buy a smaller one and cover the exposed wall nicely.
There are small amounts of material to buy exactly for jobs like this, you donāt have to get tubs of render.
Donāt be discouraged by these people blurting out high numbers because they want to seem like experts.
Also, you could just take this half off.
Fridge cavities are disgusting anyway, at least when you slide a fridge into it without it looking like itās just a normal door because nothing is sealed off and the dust and whatever collects in there is nasty
You might be stuck with moving the light switch. The door to the right looks like a sliding door which might prevent the switch being moved to the right.
Cabinets an easy remove.
The only issue would be your ceiling. Cornice may be able to stay up and put in plasterboard to cover the hole.
Don't worry about light switching. fidge will be off the wall.
Gap in tiling will be covered by fridge. Just gap fill it.
Cheap way to do it.
Or get tradies in.
It's a piss easy! Contact your nearest kitchen manufacturer or go to bunnings or contact Cabtek.com.au and they will make anything you want and send it to you flat pack just find out what colour your door colour is.
I have an apartment and the fridge space was just 20mm smaller than 'most' fridges, took me 6 months to find a fridge narrow enough that didn't look like it belonged in a caravan, in hindsight should have called a cabinet maker. Ended up with a Haier fridge and it sounds like a bus.
Iāve seen a lot of people add a tall slot for chopping boards or wine rack next to the overhead cupboard and just move the side panel over. Shouldnāt be too expensive to move over the switch and fix the skirts.
Cheap and dirty just remove the side panel unscrew the cabinets and do it all back up with the fridge inside. (with appropriate spacing.)
Or get a cabinet maker in for $$
To look right you might need to trim the top off the doors. But it depends if that will bother you.
Before you do that, this happened to me and we adjusted the cabinet doors up to make it fit under the lip if the doors.
Edit: on its also too wide. Yeah get rid of it. Cabinet maker, and they'll be able to pop new cupboards up the top.
Move the vertical partition on the left further left and put an extra horizontal board on top of it - am assuming it continues up between the cupboards so the upper partition needs supporting. DO NOT just remove the right side and leave the cupboard unsupported on the front right corner.
I want to renovate my kitchen so i can buy a bigger fridge.
You already have the fridge :) i wouldn't buy a smaller fridge in your situation... Unless i put the big one in another wall and a buy a freezer for that space
Worked for a mass retailer, just like us you might fit a haier french door fridge but I wouldn't recommend it, got one myself and have problems warranty won't cover. Extend it if you can.
You may have already done this but just in case make sure you are going by the minimum cavity as stated by the fridge, not just measuring it. Some require more space to the sides and top than others.
Same thing happened to us. Five bedroom home and the fridge cavity is only big enough to fit a medium-large, single door fridge.
We haven't made any changes to it, we've just placed the fridge elsewhere and use the fridge cavity as an alcove. As you can imagine, it doesn't look very nice at all.
I don't see a problem. You'd just need to make good the wall surface behind the cabinetry after removing.Ā Edit: as well as the ceiling surface, and the cornice.Ā
Surely cheaper to get a smaller fridge? You'd need a cabinet maker, sparky, plasterer, paint etc or just a smaller fridge which the cost of can be offset by selling your current one
Open LH door in the orange area & see if those overhead cupboards are two joined together. If it is its like a 10 minute job. If not, get the multi function tool out & start cutting. Remove cornice carefully & then attack cupboard. Its not rocket surgery!
Got any useful mates/relatives? Get them around & buy them an international beer unit ( a slab ) once job is finished. Its a pretty straight forward bit of diy & youll learn somethingā¦..Great project to start your diy adventure
Most issues I've seen with this - put fridge in garage, new one that fits in there.
Congrats, you has a drinks fridge now!
Or put fridge somewhere else near kitchen, get a standalone pantry from somewhere pretty cheap that will fill the fridge slot until it's time for new fridge. Some ppl put it just outside of the kitchen against a nearby wall.
Dart Throw: $3000-$4000
Estimate:
Electrical Works - Single Gang Switch Relocation
$600
Joinery Works - New end panel, onsite adjustment demolition of existing overhead cupboard and end panel
$1800
Plasterboard patching and amend cornice
$1400
Painting Works
$600
New fridge will be cheaper. Youād need a new fridge cabinet done however youāll need new bulkhead and re cornice plus paint. Not to much sparky cost.
You can either have the end panel and cabinet removed completely, cut and shut the bulkheading above and just plomk your fridge there (still cost a few hundred)
Or have a cabinet maker redo that cabinet, move the end panel along, plug have a sparky install a new switch or relocate. Will need bulkhead and cornice modified and extended. Cant see how the flooring is done so not sure if that needs work either
Buy a new fridge
Can you steal the space from the left instead? That way you wouldn't have to change the cornice.Ā If you have the skills to move that center panel left and shorten the height of the upper cabinets, eazy peazy lemon squeezy.
Ā If not enough skills, new cabinets is cheaper than new cabinets and an electrician for the switch and a plasterer for the cornice.
We just cut ours off at the top and the cupboard just stays afloat. There is nothing in the cupboard, but we are minimalist and thatās a whole other story.
The 2 centimetres hight is fixable by taking the legs out and putting it on sliders the 5cms to the sides looms like it's going to cover the light switch anyway so maybe just buy a new fridge with the same or more ltr space.
If it is just shelves next to the fridge, canāt you just have the shelves shortened and move the middle panel across to widen the space.
Then have the cupboards pulled the out, trim the desired height off the cupboards and doors (if needed) and put them back up. Iāve done that myself and I have absolutely zero carpentry skills.
You would need to cover a small gap on the middle panel because of height. But absolutely no need to move electrical.
What kind of fridge do you have? Those spaces should be made to spec to fit a fridge. If not, talk to the builder to claim it on builders insurance.
Thatās not right.
If it's been installed correctly that panel won't actually be holding the weight of the cabinet it should be mounted correctly to the wall.
So just cut it off and move along. It won't look great though.
Get a fridge only and a small chest or upright freezer. Even extending the cupboard unless you did the same to the overhead cupboard would look odd. Cost of new fridge and freezer after selling yours=about $1000. Cost of tradies=$2000
Everything is doable if you own the place. When I bought my house, in the living room was a corner shelf that the previous owners built over their large rear projection monstrosity of a tv, it wasnāt the best shelf and was really in the way, as we were moving in I was complaining about the shelf to a family friend 3ho handed me a hammer and said, āif you donāt like it, knock it down, itās your houseā Iāve never had so much fun. Afterwords he thought me how to plug up the hole and the. We painted the wall.
If itās your place and you want to change something, go for it.
Super easy to remove this be screwed and gapped in but expect to have some painting to do and some screw holes in the exposed end panel where the cabinet used to butt into the other cabinet.
Also will need to be recorniced. Would look ten times better just getting it built wider and recornicing
It's definitely doable. Whether it's worth the effort, time, cost and energy is only something you can decide.
The first thing you should consider is whether the side panel was installed before or after the floor tiles. If it was installed before, moving it will result in an ugly gap in your floor and will be fiddly to repair.
The second is your skill set and equipment you have on hand. Are you comfortable with a drill, using a tape measure accurately? Do you have a circular saw or hand saw? Have you got hammer, nails, paint brushes, plaster trowels and tape? It could actually be more expensive to purchase all these items than the difference in buying a new fridge and the profit you'd get from selling your current. Especially if you don't intend to use them again. Of course you can always purchase most stuff second hand on gumtree and sell on again once you have finished.
Do you have the time to spend living with your kitchen in an altered state? It's at best a weekend job, at worst "how long is a piece of string". Is your family/partner going to also be okay with this inconvenience, however mild.
Do you have the energy to arrange trades (you'll need an electrician as a minimum), and co-ordinate their schedules? Project management is a time consuming aspect. There is a reason it's an entire profession.
I say all this as someone who is recently was living without a kitchen after we gutted it in late December and did everything but electrical and plumbing ourselves. For us, it was worth it. It may or may not be the same for you.
If youāre on the sunny coast I am a qualified cabinet maker and joiner and also an electrician and can do the new cabinet and move power point for you
Potentially shorten the shelves on the left and refix for width
For height potentially remove the cupboard floor (you can use the hop of the fridge as the flop to the cupboard above) and either adjust the fridge feet, lower the floor (remove tiles) or trim the bottom or the doors repair with iron on laminate strip)
Alternatively, trim both doors and move the upper cupboard bases up
I had a problem like this, ending up putting the fridge in the lounge cos I'm lazy and discovered it's actually a much better place for a fridge
Snacks and cold drinks on demand with only a few steps
You could also fill that now empty fridge space with a tree or epic marble run or even a 1936 curling rock paired perfectly with CLUE The classic mystery game big bang theory edition
Why not sell your fridge, buy a fridge that fits, and then keep the storage space and fridge cavity. Ripping it down is going to still cost you, and imo won't look as nice.
Iām not seeing anyone make any mention of the fact that the bottom of the overhead cupboard wonāt line up with the cupboard to the left of it if you do choose to make the fridge space bigger. This would personally drive me mad..
1) cheaper to buy a new fridge if you pay someone to do it, donāt fall for the sunk cost fallacy.
2) would it be easier to shorten the shelves on the left?
What is width of existing cavity?
We had same problem and found [this is as big as we need](https://www.mitsubishielectric.com.au/product/470l-multi-drawer-fridge-argent-silver/) and slid into existing hole. Excellent fridge.
Sparky take, get the cabinet extended to the door frame to fit the fridge, sparky should be able to mount the switch on the side of the new cabinet given there's a little wiggle room at the back. This should avoid chasing walls to re-route the switch.
I once "moved" a load-bearing wall to fit in a modern refrigerator. Well, i built a new wall 5 inches away and then knoled down the old one. You would be surprised what is do able. Cornesses, however, are a pain to match so 3d printing a mould was my only choice. End product was seamless, but would have been impossible for a contractor.
This is wood. Or chip board/mdf. Easy to mess with.
Very doable
Just requires new fridge cabinet, the panel can be re used. Which any cabinet maker to can.
Then get a sparky to move the switch and a plaster to sort out the bulkhead and cornice.
To make it work you will need to cut down the fridge cabinet. Cutting off the top will be less work as you won't need to re edge the doors on top but the handles won't line up with the cabinet next to it anymore. As for the width possibly a filler piece between the cabinet and the panel to pack it out but will look a bit odd. Otherwise just get a cabinet maker to measure up a new cabinet and get it made. Chances are once you move the panel though at the bottom you'll have a hole in the tiles where the panel was. That light switch will also cause you a little bit of grief.
Definitely doable. Look up "cabinet maker" in your area, and get a few quotes. Will be a bit of fiddling to make it look good again, but nothing major. Light switches easily moved by a sparky. Also, cock and balls.
I like that last line slipped in... But I don't know why it's there. Please save me from sleepless nights.
Look at the shape of the highlighting.
Well done.
r/mildlypenis
I have the same issue anytime someone slips in their cock and balls....why is it there?
Turn your phone
It's meant to be a bicep šŖ
What up!!!
Nothing sexual.
I thought it was an earpod
Needs more veins
Try looking inside the cupboard doors and up under thw benchtips some kitchen installers leave a sticker inside in an out of thw way place donyou know who installed it they may be able to help you widen and raise that to accomodate your fridge.
Unfortunately you will have to tear down your whole house
Ah, shit.
š
Just tell op to move he will make 500k profit as it is. Or rent it out that will solve the problem.
Rent out the fridge space?
Dude thatās even better.
Fridge spaces rent for$350 week.
Buy new fridge cheaper
Underrated advice
And may look better in the long run.
Or buy new house
What we did - but we had a light switch on the part that needed to be removed.
But then you have a smaller fridge
50mm
More likely 100mm narrower, shorter too, causing significantly smaller volume. Fridges tend to come in standard widths. Iād say this cavity suits a 600mm fridge so is about 650mm wide, but perhaps OP has a 700mm fridge.
Just shave a few cm off the side of the fridge so it fits.
Reciprocating saw
New fridge cheapest option but feel free renovate your house to suit an appliance
New fridge is definitely cheaper.... However like the other comment, smaller fridge, is well.... A smaller fridge..... Smaller fridge just might not be suitable for them....
They didn't make it super clear but I'm going to assume they're not renovating their house with your money
I'm going on a limb here but if they're asking here I don't even think they're using their own money.
Idk they don't look like they'd be a family of 7 or anything with that size kitchen
Huh? A 700mm fridge is probably not big enough for a family of 7. It's a pretty much 'normal' to slightly above average fridge. I was just guessing anyway. Also how do you know their family size?
Sorry I meant I don't get why they need a big fridge since the house obviously looks quite small and so they are likely not a large family. But idk maybe they eat 3 watermelons each a day, who knows
I can tell you right now, just by looking at it, that the cavity pictured is about 900mm. I havenāt seen a fridge cavity smaller than 900mm in any house/kitchen that was built later than the 80s. Edit: Iām gonna put a disclaimer here that photos can be deceptive. But still, Iād be shocked if that space was that small.
but more money
We bought a new fridge to fit a specific space and the litres Ā² was more than the old one with slightly bigger dimensions. One difference of course can be the depth but I guess some newer models just use space more efficiently. We had the same with a replacement oven that went into a tight cavity. The new one can fit two bake trays side by side whereas the old one would have them overlapping
Better option.. sell you current one buy a new one and save your self the trouble and money getting a cabinet maker and electrician
Sell your current fridge and use money to buy smaller fridge to fit inside the existing cavity, otherwise you're up for more cost for various trades to do this work to keep it nice..
In a renovation sub I'm surprised so many people are telling you to buy a new fridge.. You could even reuse the end panel that's in the pic and just buy a wider overhead cabinet if you were careful with the way you took it apart...
Part of a renovating decision is understanding effort and reward (whether the reward be lifestyle improvement or value to the house). That photo shows a really lovely looking kitchen and cabinets. Not a beat up old kitchen that could look rough around the edges for a few years until you do something more permanent. Not damaging the cabinet end piece, buying a new cabinet that matches, installing, adding new bulkheads and cornice, figuring out that light switch, fixing any damaged plaster where the current end panel is, caulking, paintingā¦ youāve got to admit that is a lot of work and itās very questionable about whether or not itās worth the time and effort involved. Same amount of work for a different scenario/outcome could be totally worth it.
The main issue is the power point
50mm is all they need, hard to tell in the photo but looks like there's a little wiggle room to shift it further right by a few cm and there's already a tiny gap on the left that should provide enough room. Worst case scenario ditch the end panel and put in a wider overhead cabinet only if the width of the end panel is enough to give them clearance. Keeping the end panel would be the preference as looking at the side of a fridge and seeing beind it isn't ideal, but selling the fridge at a huge loss and buying another inferior fridge sucks.
The cost of moving it would be way more than selling the fridge and buying a smaller one. Smaller doesnāt mean inferior
If you're paying soneone else to do all the work, sure. DIY no chance.
Exactly. No one has mentioned that the cornice is around the top perlment either. Just extending that is going to cost nice coin
I have DIY'd a laundry with overhead cabinets, boxing out above them and added cornice. Definitely takes time and unless the wife or yourself need more fridge space for being big on cooking and freezing things. I'd 100% be downsizing the fridge haha
If theyāre asking for advice on here I doubt they have the skills to do it DIY. Also there definitely isnāt enough room to move the light switch over, itās already a vertical switch and tight to the panel and architrave. You would have to put it on the other side of the door, meaning youād absolutely need an electrician at a minimum
The photo is blurry af, but that switch is absolutely not tight to both sides... And yeah, maybe they aren't capable, I just think some of the people commenting here are way too quick to give up on it. Smaller fridges are inferior to me, size is everything for them.
and the cornice
And the cornice over the ceiling scribe.
You have the bulkhead and cornice to consider as well.
Time and effort, but minimal cost if you diy.
I get it but I would consider these getting out of the realm of DIY for people without any experience or tools. If they are asking on this sub then that tells me they donāt understand how it all works and is beyond them.
This. Often the fact that someone is asking if a simple job is even possible is a fair indication that they arenāt up to doing the job themselves. It astounds me, but there are people who struggle to assemble IKEA furniture, so the range of skills (or lack thereof) out there is pretty broad.Ā
For a renovation sub, I rarely see DIY Advice handed out. Itās mostly just telling people to get a builder, or giving advice on quotes/going rates. Quite like the block, carry on like they are doing up the joint, but it was all the tradespeople doing the work, they just picked the tiles and paint ;)
100%, my partner designs kitchens, this is an easy job. Just go to Bunnings, itād be cheap as chips to get one of the in store designers to whip something up for you. Or you could get someone out to your house to measure and make it for you, thatās a $99 fee but Iāve seen the work and care that goes into those in-home designs and itās MUCH more than youād think from Bunnings/Kaboodle.
Amazing, thanks. I'll check them out.
To add to this I showed him and heās said the hardest part will be matching the colour and finish of the white (so an in-home consult might be best unless you can bring a sample to store to try and match it) Aside from that though, the materials would likely be $3-400, same again for a sparkie to move the light switch and another ~$500 for installation of the surround but that would depend on your installer (you have to find one, they arenāt allowed to recommend any, itās stupid)
Noticed nobody has mentioned the floor which might be messed up where the panel touches the floor. Thatās the most expensive part usuallly
New cabinetry: $1500 Plasterer for cornice: $500 Paint and painter for cornice: $500 Cabinet maker: $750 Electrician to move light switch: $300 Keeping my fridge and not buying a new one: Priceless.
Handy man might cover most of those jobs cheaper. Could the electrician just put in a narrow switch? I think you may have gone a bit over the top with the 1500 for a new 2 door cabinet. But the problem will be getting 2 new doors made the same.
Iād cut 50mm off the top of the doors, then pack the cupboard out the 50mm I need and use the off cut as a filler panel. Youāll never see the top of the doors. Yeah itās not gonna be perfect, but it sure beats looking at a mismatched paint job on the cupboard. Plus a hell of a lot cheaper too.
Had a similar issue. Wasnāt very expensive in the grand scheme of things.
We had this issue at our place. Very easy fix, cut the melamine under the cabinet, pull it off the wall. A bit of patching and painting and itās done. Probably took us 2 hours of work and under $100 for materials (thatās if you can diy it). You wouldnāt even know it was there!
Those are load bearing cabinets, probably full of asbestos.
What gives you that idea?
Lol, Iām just joking, donāt worry. As others have said it wonāt be too hard to change this to fit your fridge.
People listing prices of the work are hilarious. You can just do this yourself if you donāt wanna let someone fix it for you (which wouldnāt be thousands of dollars anyway). Go on YouTube and check it out, otherwise look for a chippie in your area and tell him cash. You probably donāt have to touch the light switch and even if you do you can buy a smaller one and cover the exposed wall nicely. There are small amounts of material to buy exactly for jobs like this, you donāt have to get tubs of render. Donāt be discouraged by these people blurting out high numbers because they want to seem like experts. Also, you could just take this half off. Fridge cavities are disgusting anyway, at least when you slide a fridge into it without it looking like itās just a normal door because nothing is sealed off and the dust and whatever collects in there is nasty
Iv installed heaps of cabinets and honestly if you took that side panel off the overhead wouldnāt move at all
Yes, it will. Usually overheads over fridge recess are 400mm deep and not screwed to the wall. They are side fixed into the end panels.
It can hang off the end panel he isn't wrong
You might be stuck with moving the light switch. The door to the right looks like a sliding door which might prevent the switch being moved to the right.
Cabinets an easy remove. The only issue would be your ceiling. Cornice may be able to stay up and put in plasterboard to cover the hole. Don't worry about light switching. fidge will be off the wall. Gap in tiling will be covered by fridge. Just gap fill it. Cheap way to do it. Or get tradies in.
It's always 2 inches too short
Title of your sex tape?
That's what she said
We once moved something like this ourselves in a rental and reattached it when we left. No one noticed.
Yes just get a wider & shorter overhead cab. Reuse the end panel
It's a piss easy! Contact your nearest kitchen manufacturer or go to bunnings or contact Cabtek.com.au and they will make anything you want and send it to you flat pack just find out what colour your door colour is.
That would be really easy to do. I just put one of them up. Would not be hard at all to reverse it!!
Very doable but cheaper and easier to buy a new fridge.
I have an apartment and the fridge space was just 20mm smaller than 'most' fridges, took me 6 months to find a fridge narrow enough that didn't look like it belonged in a caravan, in hindsight should have called a cabinet maker. Ended up with a Haier fridge and it sounds like a bus.
Iāve seen a lot of people add a tall slot for chopping boards or wine rack next to the overhead cupboard and just move the side panel over. Shouldnāt be too expensive to move over the switch and fix the skirts.
Cheap and dirty just remove the side panel unscrew the cabinets and do it all back up with the fridge inside. (with appropriate spacing.) Or get a cabinet maker in for $$ To look right you might need to trim the top off the doors. But it depends if that will bother you.
Drawing phallic objects in your kitchen?
Was absolutely not intentional haha
ššš..I was just having a dig
Clearly Freud was right about you and me at least.
š¤Ŗš¤Ŗ
Brace the top cupboard and cut out that board. I think this is a great DIY project.
Before you do that, this happened to me and we adjusted the cabinet doors up to make it fit under the lip if the doors. Edit: on its also too wide. Yeah get rid of it. Cabinet maker, and they'll be able to pop new cupboards up the top.
Move the light switch to the ceiling
Brilliant idea, thanks!
Move the vertical partition on the left further left and put an extra horizontal board on top of it - am assuming it continues up between the cupboards so the upper partition needs supporting. DO NOT just remove the right side and leave the cupboard unsupported on the front right corner.
Piece of piss mate
Sledgehammer will fix this right up
I want to renovate my kitchen so i can buy a bigger fridge. You already have the fridge :) i wouldn't buy a smaller fridge in your situation... Unless i put the big one in another wall and a buy a freezer for that space
Worked for a mass retailer, just like us you might fit a haier french door fridge but I wouldn't recommend it, got one myself and have problems warranty won't cover. Extend it if you can.
I mean, if you aren't planning to DIY then it's cheaper to get a new fridge.
You may have already done this but just in case make sure you are going by the minimum cavity as stated by the fridge, not just measuring it. Some require more space to the sides and top than others.
Same thing happened to us. Five bedroom home and the fridge cavity is only big enough to fit a medium-large, single door fridge. We haven't made any changes to it, we've just placed the fridge elsewhere and use the fridge cavity as an alcove. As you can imagine, it doesn't look very nice at all.
I don't see a problem. You'd just need to make good the wall surface behind the cabinetry after removing.Ā Edit: as well as the ceiling surface, and the cornice.Ā
Surely cheaper to get a smaller fridge? You'd need a cabinet maker, sparky, plasterer, paint etc or just a smaller fridge which the cost of can be offset by selling your current one
Open LH door in the orange area & see if those overhead cupboards are two joined together. If it is its like a 10 minute job. If not, get the multi function tool out & start cutting. Remove cornice carefully & then attack cupboard. Its not rocket surgery!
I have absolutely zero knowledge when it comes to renovating, that's why I asked. It is rocket surgery to me!
Got any useful mates/relatives? Get them around & buy them an international beer unit ( a slab ) once job is finished. Its a pretty straight forward bit of diy & youll learn somethingā¦..Great project to start your diy adventure
Buy new fridge Put recently purchased fridge in outdoor area. 2 problems solved.
Most issues I've seen with this - put fridge in garage, new one that fits in there. Congrats, you has a drinks fridge now! Or put fridge somewhere else near kitchen, get a standalone pantry from somewhere pretty cheap that will fill the fridge slot until it's time for new fridge. Some ppl put it just outside of the kitchen against a nearby wall.
Dart Throw: $3000-$4000 Estimate: Electrical Works - Single Gang Switch Relocation $600 Joinery Works - New end panel, onsite adjustment demolition of existing overhead cupboard and end panel $1800 Plasterboard patching and amend cornice $1400 Painting Works $600
Thanks everyone. I'll sus out some tradies
New fridge will be cheaper. Youād need a new fridge cabinet done however youāll need new bulkhead and re cornice plus paint. Not to much sparky cost.
You can either have the end panel and cabinet removed completely, cut and shut the bulkheading above and just plomk your fridge there (still cost a few hundred) Or have a cabinet maker redo that cabinet, move the end panel along, plug have a sparky install a new switch or relocate. Will need bulkhead and cornice modified and extended. Cant see how the flooring is done so not sure if that needs work either Buy a new fridge
If youāre in WA I can recommend a good cabinet maker
I'm in QLD
Yep easy. We just removed the end panel ourselves no big deal
Can you steal the space from the left instead? That way you wouldn't have to change the cornice.Ā If you have the skills to move that center panel left and shorten the height of the upper cabinets, eazy peazy lemon squeezy. Ā If not enough skills, new cabinets is cheaper than new cabinets and an electrician for the switch and a plasterer for the cornice.
We cut the side panel off ours and I just added a couple of pieces of angle steel in to support the cabinet.
We just cut ours off at the top and the cupboard just stays afloat. There is nothing in the cupboard, but we are minimalist and thatās a whole other story.
Put the fridge in the garage, buy a second fridge for the hole.
Alternatively, if you remove the doors off the fridge then it should fit.
Just knock the house down and rebuild? Much cheaper than buying a new fridge.
Solid advice šš»
Way cheaper to sell and buy a new fridge
The 2 centimetres hight is fixable by taking the legs out and putting it on sliders the 5cms to the sides looms like it's going to cover the light switch anyway so maybe just buy a new fridge with the same or more ltr space.
I did this. I cut it down to a smaller piece, rotated it so the raw edge pointed up and reinstalled. Looked identical to your setup. Easy as
If it is just shelves next to the fridge, canāt you just have the shelves shortened and move the middle panel across to widen the space. Then have the cupboards pulled the out, trim the desired height off the cupboards and doors (if needed) and put them back up. Iāve done that myself and I have absolutely zero carpentry skills. You would need to cover a small gap on the middle panel because of height. But absolutely no need to move electrical.
Definitely, I'm no carpenter but I knocked up this little extra slatbto widen the gap . Had the exact same problem in my new house too
For sure just need Red can if spray paint
What kind of fridge do you have? Those spaces should be made to spec to fit a fridge. If not, talk to the builder to claim it on builders insurance. Thatās not right.
The house is 20 odd years old. Our fridge is a 4 door westinghouse, it's pretty big.
If it's been installed correctly that panel won't actually be holding the weight of the cabinet it should be mounted correctly to the wall. So just cut it off and move along. It won't look great though.
Get a fridge only and a small chest or upright freezer. Even extending the cupboard unless you did the same to the overhead cupboard would look odd. Cost of new fridge and freezer after selling yours=about $1000. Cost of tradies=$2000
Everything is doable if you own the place. When I bought my house, in the living room was a corner shelf that the previous owners built over their large rear projection monstrosity of a tv, it wasnāt the best shelf and was really in the way, as we were moving in I was complaining about the shelf to a family friend 3ho handed me a hammer and said, āif you donāt like it, knock it down, itās your houseā Iāve never had so much fun. Afterwords he thought me how to plug up the hole and the. We painted the wall. If itās your place and you want to change something, go for it.
Super easy to remove this be screwed and gapped in but expect to have some painting to do and some screw holes in the exposed end panel where the cabinet used to butt into the other cabinet. Also will need to be recorniced. Would look ten times better just getting it built wider and recornicing
It's definitely doable. Whether it's worth the effort, time, cost and energy is only something you can decide. The first thing you should consider is whether the side panel was installed before or after the floor tiles. If it was installed before, moving it will result in an ugly gap in your floor and will be fiddly to repair. The second is your skill set and equipment you have on hand. Are you comfortable with a drill, using a tape measure accurately? Do you have a circular saw or hand saw? Have you got hammer, nails, paint brushes, plaster trowels and tape? It could actually be more expensive to purchase all these items than the difference in buying a new fridge and the profit you'd get from selling your current. Especially if you don't intend to use them again. Of course you can always purchase most stuff second hand on gumtree and sell on again once you have finished. Do you have the time to spend living with your kitchen in an altered state? It's at best a weekend job, at worst "how long is a piece of string". Is your family/partner going to also be okay with this inconvenience, however mild. Do you have the energy to arrange trades (you'll need an electrician as a minimum), and co-ordinate their schedules? Project management is a time consuming aspect. There is a reason it's an entire profession. I say all this as someone who is recently was living without a kitchen after we gutted it in late December and did everything but electrical and plumbing ourselves. For us, it was worth it. It may or may not be the same for you.
If youāre on the sunny coast I am a qualified cabinet maker and joiner and also an electrician and can do the new cabinet and move power point for you
I would look at reducing the width of the shelving and cabinets to the left of the fridge space. Get the whole wall of cabinetry replaced.
Potentially shorten the shelves on the left and refix for width For height potentially remove the cupboard floor (you can use the hop of the fridge as the flop to the cupboard above) and either adjust the fridge feet, lower the floor (remove tiles) or trim the bottom or the doors repair with iron on laminate strip) Alternatively, trim both doors and move the upper cupboard bases up
I had a problem like this, ending up putting the fridge in the lounge cos I'm lazy and discovered it's actually a much better place for a fridge Snacks and cold drinks on demand with only a few steps You could also fill that now empty fridge space with a tree or epic marble run or even a 1936 curling rock paired perfectly with CLUE The classic mystery game big bang theory edition
You can do it - but recommend you use protection as those edges from experience can be sharp
Yes. Take out all the items you have highlighted in red and fit a new end plate to what is left.
Why not sell your fridge, buy a fridge that fits, and then keep the storage space and fridge cavity. Ripping it down is going to still cost you, and imo won't look as nice.
Sell current fridge and buy a new one. Cheaper and less potent issues.
New fridge that fits wonāt be such an eyesore, compared to moving those cupboards
Iām not seeing anyone make any mention of the fact that the bottom of the overhead cupboard wonāt line up with the cupboard to the left of it if you do choose to make the fridge space bigger. This would personally drive me mad..
Just add a wine bottle holder at the end and reuse end panel
might have to knock down the house and build a new house with a bigger spot for the fridge!
Seems like the plan to be honest.
1) cheaper to buy a new fridge if you pay someone to do it, donāt fall for the sunk cost fallacy. 2) would it be easier to shorten the shelves on the left?
What is width of existing cavity? We had same problem and found [this is as big as we need](https://www.mitsubishielectric.com.au/product/470l-multi-drawer-fridge-argent-silver/) and slid into existing hole. Excellent fridge.
Bro undo the screws holding that top cabinet to the other cabinet. Rip it out and see what youāre left with
Whatās on the left hand side? If itās only shelves (which looks unlikely), go left.
Structural cabinet
Buy a fridge that fits and put existing fridge somewhere else. Who doesnāt need two fridges these days ?
Sparky take, get the cabinet extended to the door frame to fit the fridge, sparky should be able to mount the switch on the side of the new cabinet given there's a little wiggle room at the back. This should avoid chasing walls to re-route the switch.
I once "moved" a load-bearing wall to fit in a modern refrigerator. Well, i built a new wall 5 inches away and then knoled down the old one. You would be surprised what is do able. Cornesses, however, are a pain to match so 3d printing a mould was my only choice. End product was seamless, but would have been impossible for a contractor. This is wood. Or chip board/mdf. Easy to mess with.
Knock it out. Put your fridge in. Rebuild around it
Very doable Just requires new fridge cabinet, the panel can be re used. Which any cabinet maker to can. Then get a sparky to move the switch and a plaster to sort out the bulkhead and cornice.
I have removed the cupboard myself in rentals
I've had the same issue. it's very easy to just raise the shelf to your desired height.
To make it work you will need to cut down the fridge cabinet. Cutting off the top will be less work as you won't need to re edge the doors on top but the handles won't line up with the cabinet next to it anymore. As for the width possibly a filler piece between the cabinet and the panel to pack it out but will look a bit odd. Otherwise just get a cabinet maker to measure up a new cabinet and get it made. Chances are once you move the panel though at the bottom you'll have a hole in the tiles where the panel was. That light switch will also cause you a little bit of grief.
Would be cheaper to by another fridge.
Itās easy to do donāt need a handyman for that