Before I get started, I say in many videos,
I think counterdepth refrigerators are an inexpensive way to improve the look
of your kitchen, especially an existing kitchen.
You don't see the textured sides.
However, in this video, I want you to understand there are three
main problems to counter-depths, and how you can incorporate a larger,
standard depth refrigerator and still have a good looking and functional kitchen.
As an added bonus, you'll learn a bit about some basic kitchen design as well.
The first major issue to counter-depth is capacity.
You may be storing more since the pandemic
and counter-depths do not hold as much because you're reducing the depth.
It's important to understand the critical dimension for
refrigerators width. Every refrigerator is
made to fit a cabinet, in this case 36 inches,
not the other way around. So you can only add capacity
by increasing or decreasing height and depth. Most regular depth refrigerators are
between 26 and 28 cubic foot, with 30 cubic foot being the largest. 30
cubic refrigerators have a depth of over 35 inches.
Counter depth refrigerators are usually 20
to 23.8 cubic feet with a depth of about 28 inches.
24 to the door to cover the sides, plus the door itself. That's a big
difference. But what does that mean for actual storage?
The shelf is reduced from 17 to 20 inches in a standard depth to 13 to 14 inches
in a counter-depth. A chef's pan 16 inches deep and some larger platters could be
deep as well, so it's not possible to store these larger
pans and platters and a counter-depth refrigerator.
So size in counter-depth could be an issue.
I always recommend bringing in odd shaped pans to your appliance store when buying
a dishwasher, you should consider the same when buying a refrigerator to see if it'll fit.
You would think that a counter-depth
refrigerators with less capacity would be less expensive.
However, the opposite is true.
Not only are you losing space in your refrigerator, you're paying more for it as well.
The difference of price can be as much as
hundreds of dollars or more, depending on the brand.
For GE its $530 less to buy a 26 cubic foot at $2499
than a 23 cubic foot counter-depth
at $3,029. For Samsung, their signature Four door Flex refrigerators are $3,999
for a 22 cubic foot counter-depth
yet it's $200 cheaper for a much larger 29 cubic foot.
LG is the most reasonable,
their 22 cubic foot counter-
depth at $2,699,
is only a $100 more than their 26 cubic foot $2,599.
But again, you're paying $100 more for four less cubic feet.
In terms of price for a
refrigerator, you can always buy a less
expensive, less featured refrigerator in full depth only. In counter-depth
you're always buying the most expensive model.
Every brand has more configurations and feature options in standard depth.
For example, KitchenAid Signature five door refrigerator is
only available as a standard, not counter-depth refrigerator.
You also find that in addition to larger cubic footage and lower prices,
there are twice as many models
for standard versus counter-depth refrigeration.
The main attraction to a counter-depth refrigerator is not seeing the less than
attractive textured sides and a large refrigerator protruding in your kitchen.
What you can do,
especially in new construction, is to build the cabinet out.
Normal cabinet is 24-inches deep.
You can have the cabinet built to match
the added depth of a standard refrigerator.
You see this a lot in higher end kitchens when you want the counter depth to look
even shallower as an integrated refrigerator.
If you have a larger kitchen or pantry,
you can put your refrigerator off to the side where larger cabinets won't
protrude out too far into the space. In basic kitchen design,
you want the most used items like the sink,
stovetop, and dishwasher in the middle, so you're only a step or two from each.
That's not true for a refrigerator.
You're only in your refrigerator a few times a day.
A refrigerator does not need to be centralized in the middle.
You have more design options when you think about it that way.
It's easy, especially in the existing space.
You won't see the sides and it is seamless to the cabinet.
Your kitchen will look better. Counter-depth
refrigerators are also great options in smaller galley style kitchens.
They also work well
in kitchens that have the refrigerator or islands positioned in the middle.
You have more space between
the refrigerator and the island and a counter-depth.
If you need a larger counter-depth,
you can buy a taller one, so it's 23.8 cubic feet.
However, you'll pay much more for that size anywhere from $3,000 to
$4,200 dollars.
There are several reasons to consider a counter-depth refrigerator.
In some instances, it is the only option to achieve that neat or seamless look.
Although counter-depths do improve the look
of your kitchen, you can buy much larger refrigerators for the same or less.
Just think about how you use your refrigerator.
You do have options to incorporate
a larger unit in your kitchen plan while making it look good
aesthetically.
If you want more information, download our
Free Refrigerator Buying Guide with profiles of all the brands,
plus buying strategies and other tips to save you time and money.
Almost 1 million people have read a Yale guide.
Thanks for watching.