When we drew up plans for renovating the basement, I told our contractors I wanted to install a compact under-counter fridge in the basement's mini kitchen. I figured I could just shove in a standard compact dorm fridge, which can be found for as little as $150 new. I just wanted a fridge big enough to store basics for houseguests as well as water and fruit and milk for the kids while they hung out in the playroom. Boy was I in for a surprise…
Turns out that undercounter fridges are ridiculously expensive — starting at about $1,000! Why? Well, I did a little research; unlike standard freestanding dorm fridges, which vent heat out the back, proper built-in fridges are vented out the front. Like all appliances, refrigerators expel heat — and if you want the fridge to fit snugly with the adjacent cabinets, you need the heat to come out the front. If I were to use a standard dorm fridge I would need to ensure a 2-5 inch clearance on each side for proper ventilation.
So, my cabinets and countertops were installed and there was this empty space waiting to be filled by a compact fridge. But my budget was maxed out and there was no way I could afford a $1,000 built-in refrigerator! So, my contractors, A&C Contractors, decided to try a short cut. They would get a narrow cheap white fridge and ensure there was space around the back area where the heating coils were located. They installed a thin piece of white plywood above the fridge to close the big gap between the fridge and the countertop. We tested the fridge out this week and it does not seem to be overheating and works fine. While it does not look perfect, as a legit built-in would, it is a great placeholder until I stumble across a fabulous deal on one of the more pricey undercounter models!
Sure, the special undercounter fridges vent out in the front, but why on earth does this fact make them $800-plus more expensive than the basic compact fridge? Hmmm.
(Images: 1. My basement kitchen/Catrin Morris 2. A true undercounter built-in compact fridge, which is flush against the cabinets and countertop, from McClurg.)
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Why are they expensive? Because the manufacturers know that there is a market of people who really, reeeeeeeallly, reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally want that under-counter fridge and will pay $1,000 for it.
How strange. I couldnt tell you the last time I had a full sized fridge...I cant believe wee ones are so expensive in America, seems a bit backwards.
I recently bought one of these fridges for $199 on a great sale (they go on sale all the time). Even the 4.4 cu feet stainless steel models are less than $300. Where do you guys find these fridges, are they diamond plated?
$1,000 for an undercounter fridge is a racket. But your contractors' solution is fairly common, if you think about it like you would a dishwasher. Dishwashers are frequently not totally "built in" either, and have filler pieces to separate the sides from the cabinets or wall. I think the solution looks great.
I agree that spending $1,000 for a "perfect" refrigerator in a basement kitchenette (itself a luxury) wouldn't be my top priority. I do know, however, that my regular fridge has required dimensions for clearance around the sides AND the top.
Frankly, the framing around the fridge looks a little slap-dash to me. Could the contractor have, at lease, centered the fridge in the opening? I might have sacrificed the marble counter for Formica in order to work in that fridge. Otherwise, a better solution would have been to install a vent (either with just a cut-out in the marble or a cut-out covered by a cool metal grate) at the rear of the counter to allow that hot air to flow up, and then fit the cheap-o fridge tightly into that space. You would have to slip the fridge out a couple of times a year to dust the coils, but I think overall it would have looked better.
I don't really understand the solution either. Essentially, you just shoved a dorm fridge in there with the recommended clearance....
@designgratislondon - It's about supply and demand. Compact fridges are more commonplace in Europe, so the prices for them are lower. Manufacturers have to sell fewer of them to justify production and make a profit. In the US, full size fridges (ranging from 16 cubic feet to enormous) are much more popular than undercounter fridges, and so the price on the smaller fridges is higher.
@BenTrovato - Are you talking about an undercabinet fridge like the poster originally wanted, or the freestanding ones you can buy and keep in a dorm or office, like she ended up buying instead? From what I can tell after a quick browse of the Best Buy website, the poster is correct in that the vent location seems to make the difference. Compact fridges on the Best Buy site were priced many hundreds of dollars apart and the one thing I could discern was that the $1,200 fridge was the only one venting out the front.
The title of the post seems a little misleading, if only in that the poster didn't do the EXACT same thing she wanted to do without the $1,000 price tag. But it IS accurate in that she achieved her basic goal, which was to install an undercabinet fridge.
I agree that the solution could have been better executed, but for what it is (a freestanding dorm-style fridge put underneath a counter) it looks good. I think she could have gotten a better looking fridge, or a larger fridge to fill the space, but otherwise I don't think it's necessarily misleading.
@Pi - I understand what you are saying about venting out the front to prevent the rear from overheating. The front vented fridges are expensive and not worth it IMO. In my experience, the basement is usually cool and has not posed a problem. In the case that the area you want to use it tight and runs hot you can then build a duct from the back and feed it around with a custom fan (they're only a few bucks). Many contractors know how to do this and it would maybe cost $100-$200 for a well finished job. If it was me, I would spend $200 on the fridge, $200 on custom duct/fan shooting around the front and $200 for finishing around the fridge to make it look high end. Under $600 is definitely doable but after reading the article I understand what you are after and it is a good solution.
I was thinking the exact same thing. That fridge " big enough to store basics" is just a normal fridge here. I guess they really do supersize everything in the US.
People - what's with the anger? The poster did indeed get around her problem, albeit in a way that seems strangely offensive to you.
I see no problem with the solution. If you have $1K to blow on a built-in mini-fridge for a second kitchen, go for it. If you don't, you need to plan for a back-venting fridge. Let's be grateful for the warning and leave it at that.
@BritishMummy - Indeed they do. I have a fridge that I don't like (looks wise) but works well and is one of the smaller full size fridges that companies offer. It's hard for me to find something new that isn't huge. I think in the last few years, a lot of Americans have moved toward smaller fridges, though few people have fully embraced the smallest undercabinet sizes.
I don't have any strong opinions on the installation itself, but personally I am very grateful for this post pointing out the risks of a back-venting fridge in an enclosed space! I've never looked into it, wouldn't have thought of it, and might have had a nasty surprise someday if I wanted to install one.
I like posts like this, because even when I don't "get" the renovation or installation, I often learn something about risk/reward that I can store away for later.
That's sooo true!! I live in Greece and remember that 2-liter-bottles of refreshments were sold at a really-really cheap price, because noone bought them...they were made for the US market and wouldn't fit into the doors of a normal european fridge!!
I must have misread the authors post because for the life of me I can't understand the intense anger people are showing. I think the fridge looks nice and its always useful to be reminded of simple low-cost solutions.
Yowsers! I've just checked a few websites here in the UK and I can find a number of models around the £120 mark (approx $210)!!
Think the outcome is great tho...
I think the dorm fridges are terribly energy inefficient. Maybe that has changed in the last few years. Is the $1000 fridge a better fridge in that it's also more energy efficient? Do you have something like Green Demolitions near you? They take donations of luxury kitchens (when people rip out perfectly fine $50K kitchens because they want white cabinets instead of brown oak) and sometimes manufacturer's overstock. I would bet they have the type of fridge you want, either new or gently used, for a great price.
I lived in the Netherlands and fridges there were considerably smaller as well. But people tended to grocery shop daily or at least every other day. In the states where most have a car you can do your shopping for a week all in one go. When you're doing your shopping by bike or on foot you tend to not be able to carry as much. The two of us have a full sized fridge as well as a deep freezer because I buy meat in bulk from the farmer and I cook most things from scratch so need more space.
@Rainarana - I'm of two minds on this. On one hand, I like having fresh ingredients and being able to use what I have on hand so it creates less waste. On the other hand, I absolutely hate having to go to the grocery store every few days. And I find that when you grocery shop more often, you can't plan meals as well because it's all based on what you can carry. A big bag of potatoes is heavy, and unless that's the only thing you're eating, you'll have to carry more than is practical for biking or walking.
I ran into this problem a few years ago as well. I designed a bar-fridge into my kitchen island just for beer and wine storage. I'm Canadian, and for some reason the ONLY regular bar-fridge with specs that allowed for a tight fit was available on the American Home Depot website ($149). However, when I went to order on the Canadian site, the installation manual was different and required 4+ inches of space on all sides! Confusing, General Electric, very confusing. It was also $300 on the Canadian Home Depot website.
Anyway, I DID find a great solution: even though the front venting versions from manufacturers like GE, Sub Zero, etc. were $1500+, a little company called Magic Chef manufactured a great sized stainless steel version for $499 (also at Home Depot Canada). I stalked it for a few months and it eventually went on sale for $449. It looks great, keeps drinks cool (not for perishables, mind you) - but don't expect any energy star rating. I'll go ahead and make the assumption that it'll be cheaper on your side of the border as well.
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/58-cuft-178-can-beverage-cooler/908463
I think it looks fine as is and was a very good solution.
Perhaps the difference in European and American fridge sizes sheds some light on the obesity problem here in the U.S. (I've often thought of this when walking through the Costco parking lot, watching people load up their cars.)
I was thinking the same thing as Steph12 - this does not really seem like it allows air to circulate around the fridge if the space is basically closed up, even if there are several inches on the sides. I think a better solution in a similar setup would be to not place the fridge in the middle of the cabinets, but rather at the end so that the counter could go over the top, but the side could be left open - to allow air to actually circulate. That exchange of heat for cool in the tubing on the back is how a refrigerator refrigerates. I know it's too late for this particular project, but for future designers of kitchens, something to keep in mind.
Well, yours is cute too!
I visited my sister when she was in Switzerland for a year; her fridge was this wee thing (probably about the size of a dorm fridge when you get down to it, though) raised up off the ground and embedded into a wall of cabinets like an oven would have been. The grocery store was like 2 blocks away, so shopping daily wasn't a problem. I don't really want to buy food every day, though, and I like buying something and pondering my options before committing to meals. I like cooking, but I don't like doing that every day, either, so I tend to have leftovers that I eat for a while, which also takes up space. And the freezer was rather tiny, so you can't store frozen dinners for those days you don't feel like cooking and have run out of leftovers.... :(
(Also, the bucket for my ice cream maker would never fit in the freezer, sigh.)
ANYWAY.
@SkippingDaisies
How do you know the OP's fridge is not centered? The front of the fridge is not flat, so I think it probably just looks deceptive in the photo.
Also, re: the economics of this type of fridge in the US, are most appliances not manufactured, for example, in China? In which case they can sell to any market (and it seems like there would be a market in Europe as well), so it doesn't seem like it should cost more to make them because they "need" to make fewer of them due to low demand. After they're made it's just a matter of putting them on a container ship, no? The only risk seems to be overestimating the market for them in the US and not being able to move units here, but it seems like there shouldn't be a real reason to price them so highly aside from just being able to. OTOH, nicer full-size fridges cost this much too, so maybe the question is "why are dorm fridges so cheap" rather than "why are undercounter fridges so expensive". (Granted, that doesn't necessarily explain Europe.)
Hmmm...and how would this work if you wanted to install a small dedicated (frost-free) freezer unit under the counter? Or small upright one at end of counter (next to wall, as someone suggested)? Would you have the same type venting restrictions/cautions? Anyone know?
That's really interesting, in my studio apartment I had a regular ol mini fridge under the counter top (definitely didn't have the 2.5" all around and never had a problem... I hav since gotten a larger free standing fridge and use the space underneath for storage and such.
That's really interesting, in my studio apartment I had a regular ol mini fridge under the counter top (definitely didn't have the 2.5" all around and never had a problem... I hav since gotten a larger free standing fridge and use the space underneath for storage and such.
That's really interesting, in my studio apartment I had a regular ol mini fridge under the counter top (definitely didn't have the 2.5" all around and never had a problem... I hav since gotten a larger free standing fridge and use the space underneath for storage and such.
Wow. I posted a comment which stated very blandly that this is not truly a solution (these were the actual words used). Comment was deleted. Apartment Therapy officially scares me now.
ha, totally agree with SkippingDaisies. It's expensive because people want it. I wouldn't spent 1000$ on a fridge IN MY BASEMENT.
To everybody who doesn't seem to understand the basic economics of supply and demand, the same thing happens with 18" dishwashers. I have a small kitchen and don't want a 24" dishwasher because that's six inches that can go towards a storage cabinet in a kitchen where that makes a HUGE difference. How much does a basic white 24" dw cost? mmm - I probably could pick one up for 300 USD but when I priced basic 18" white dw - about 1000 USD!!
I can even get a really nice stainless steel 24" dw for 600 USD... and 18" stainless steel dw for 1200 usd... However, looks like I will be paying that premium for that extra "less" six inches in a dw because it matters that much to me.
I however did some price shopping before I made an assumption about prices of unique sized (for the American market) appliances. (I too lived in europe for awhile and every place had a small undercounter fridge - none of those behemoths so beloved to Americans :)
All you had to do was lift the cabinets up a bit higher and since you are not cooking down there it shouldn't have made any difference if they were just 4.5 inches higher. That is what we did and with some simple 2x4s and an particle board kick plate.
When I first came to the US, the size of the fridges was a real revelation. In those days, just about everyone in the UK had an undercounter fridge and that was fine - even for a family of five.
We have a fridge now (with a small freezer above) which is about 500mm wide by about 1000mm high (sorry, after all these years I still can't do inches) and it's more than adequate for two people who cook lunch and dinner every day. At one time we had one of those mega-fridges and used about a third of it.
I think part of the reason is that in the USA we tend to keep things in the fridge that are kept in cupboards in Europe. Things like coffee beans, pickles, ketchup, eggs, potatoes, onions, breakfast cereals, jars of stuff like jam and honey, fruit, chutney, bread ... everything goes in the fridge in America.
To buy any new appliance at the lowest price, find the largest appliance retailer in your area. The larger appliance retailers always have a back room or outlet space, where they sell last-year's models. These come with full warranties, but they are often 1/2 the price of new--and they don't look appreciably different. (I would never buy a refrigerator or any basic appliance from Best Buy, just as I would never buy plumbing fixtures from Home Depot, but only from a plumbing supply house.)
Also, look for demolition companies in your area. They sell parts of homes before they take apart the home--it's a great way to pay little for appliances, flooring, lighting, etc.
Sounds like a total crock. Nearly everyone I know in Australia has their main fridge in a cabinet space in their kitchen and they all vent heat at the back. Nobody keeps them free standing out in the open unless they have a terrible kitchen.
lepidoptery, it doesn't work quite like that. Voltage and plug types are different in different countries, as are regulatory requirements. What might be an acceptable spec for the UK might not be acceptable in the US.
I don't get the $1000 compact fridge. We have people at work with compact fridges under their desks since most of the times the common area fridge gets really really scary.
A bit late to the party, but who uses refrigeration in tight locations? Restaurants! Buy a used under-counter restaurant refrigerator. They're around 28" deep, 30" high with casters, and they vent out the front. I bought a True TUC-27 for $175 used.
Why not put the cheap freestanding-under cabinet fridge at the end of the cabinet run and cut a rectangle size hole and then get a nice wire mesh panel. That way you have a decorative place to vent the fridge and you can still have it under counter. This actually saves alot of money and you get the benefit of under cabinet. Later on if you want to splurge all you need to do is get a new end cabinet piece. Also don't forget you need to have an electrician install an outlet below the cabinet top.