Friday, July 03, 2009

If The Fridge Don't Fit You Must Acquit

As the delivery date of my new refrigerator got closer and closer I became less and less confident that it was actually going to fit.
As it was, in making the measurements I’d neglected to take into account the baseboard, though I did realize that on Sunday when I was buying the refrigerator and picked up a pry bar to remove the baseboard.
(I ended up removing more than I’d intended when I did so, but that’s neither here nor there.)
Still, I’d measured the opening as being something over 35 inches wide, and the refrigerator was 35 and some fraction of an inch, so I thought I was safe.
In subsequent post-purchase measuring, though, I found the opening to be exactly 35 inches.
D’oh.
Turns out I wasn’t the only one who was wrong; despite what the sticker said (I believe it was 36 and three eighths or something like that), it was exactly 36 inches wide.
I told the delivery guy that I’d “figure something out” and to just hook it up and leave it where it was, as, after all, while it stuck out like a sore thumb, there was still plenty of room to maneuver around it and I could live with it in the meantime.
The meantime ended up not being very long, as in the afternoon I stopped and picked up a circular saw and set to work on shaving off an inch or so of the countertop.
Amazingly enough I didn’t cut off any fingers or anything (and the only damage I did to the countertop – hey, something bad had to happen; I am Jon, after all – was easy to cover up), and, after cleaning up the sawdust I was able to slide the refrigerator into place.
Mostly.
Not everything in the house is as even as it ought to be, so while at the top of the refrigerator there’s a gap between it and the wall, on the other side the top is getting caught on the edge of the cabinet.
(Having one of us tilt it while the other pushes it further into the opening is likely to be our next project when Scott gets back.)
Still, it’s much less obtrusive than it had been, so overall I’m pleased.
Here are some pics:




You can see where the top catches on the edge of the cabinet in the back. You can also see my recipe box covering up the damage I did to the countertop. Meh; I'm going to get new countertops eventually anyway.


So the inside is a little on the barren side, but in fairness it has a much higher capacity than my old one, and I haven't actually gone grocery shopping this week.


I want to push it back in a little further, but even as it is it isn't too much of a sore thumb.

Update: I did it! I pulled it out slightly, then tilted it it and gave it a shove.*

*Yes, I know how dirty that sounds.

1 comment:

Merlin T Wizard said...

That's what she sa...

Oh, you already covered that.

Well, carry on then.