3 Reasons to Never Buy a Counter-Depth Refrigerator
3 Reasons to Never Buy a Counter-Depth Refrigerator
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In this video you will learn the three main reasons not to buy a counter-depth refrigerator. Then we will show you how to make a standard depth refrigerator look counter-depth. In the end you will know what kind of refrigerator is right for you.
There are several reasons to consider buying a counter-depth refrigerator and in some instances it’s the only option to achieve that neater, more seamless look.
However, they do have less capacity for a higher price and are less featured than standard depth refrigerators.
The main attraction to a counter depth refrigerator is not seeing the less than attractive textured sides and a large refrigerator protruding into your kitchen.
What you can do, especially in new construction, is to build the cabinet out. A normal cabinet is 24 inches deep. You can have the cabinet built out to match the added depth of a standard refrigerator, so it looks more like a counter depth.
Just think about how you use your refrigerator. You do have options to incorporate a larger unit in your kitchen plan while still making it look good aesthetically.
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Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:36 Capacity
1:54 Price
3:01 Features and Configurations
3:26 Solutions
4:28 Why You Should Buy One
5:00 Key Takeaways
If doing a rehab, consider building a reset fridge space from the kitchen into a bedroom. Any remaining dead space in the bedroom can be made into a small closet. I did this with our 9.5′ X 13′ kitchen in order to have a fully functional kitchen with kitchen table. Kitchen sink should always be at an exterior widow unless impossible to do. Stove, sink and fridge should be within a triangle space of each other. Do it right and never have regrets later.
I am for a CD fridge.. lesser volume = lesser energy consumption and food wastage = cost savings in the long run.. Also, a more spacious kitchen
I don’t see too many good comments for Standard Depth so I’ll add that after having a small fridge in the garage as a spare and a regular one in the kitchen, we looked online for various options and the main feature we focused on was BIG.
So we saw the Samsung French Door with beverage center Standard Depth fridge and compared it to counter depth and we decided to get Standard Depth. We are a family of 6 with 2 teenagers and 2 kids so we hardly ever leave anything behind. Plus, out fridge sits by itself in the corner of our kitchen which was just remodeled and trying to line it up with out counters was nothing we were ever worried about.
My wife especially is totally happy with our new 39 cu Samsung fridge!
I had my CD icemaker repaired; the unit came with the house. As soon as the technician saw the refrigerator, he said "wow" that’s a 2003 kitchen aid (he knew the model number), don’t ever sell it. A true appliance connoisseur.
I love my counter depth tiny refrigerator if it’s perfect in my house built in 1906 I think you generalize your titles too much
Good points that should be considered but I love my counter depth fridge. There are the obvious reasons such as it blends into my small kitchen better without taking up valuable space but my favorite is the depth, it’s so easy to keep organized and not have items get lost in the far back. I hate having to haul out armfuls of stuff just to get an item that was shoved behind. We are pretty conscious of food waste and only buy what we need for the week so a huge fridge isn’t needed.
If you’re building a new custom home why not just make the counter top deeper? My father built 3 homes this way and I have built 2.
Acting is close touch with the Builder/General Contractor and sometimes stepping in as the GC…takes some of your time but you end up with a bespoke home that you never really want to leave.
Too many people are playing “musical houses” and the only ones benefitting are Realtors!
It’s ridiculous!
All of that is good I just bought a fridge with a good capacity when they deliver it and couldn’t fit through my door I live in a condo and the door is too narrow so now I have to buy a confident lose the space just to get a fridge to fit through my door that’s why I have to buy a Cub Cadet I am losing storage space in the refrigerator but unfortunately that’s what I have to live with and there’s no way to solve this problem
Most people don’t need so much storage when their grocery store is minutes away. If you live farther away, then they make sense.
You explained 3 reasons to understand HOW counter-depth refrigerators are different than "standard" size. None of them are reasons not to buy one. Modern refrigerators are already significantly larger than they were just 40 years ago. So if you want to save on energy costs over the life of the refrigerator, CD is the way to go. Plus it just looks better, in almost any kitchen. (The reason CD refrigerators are more expensive is simple — they sell fewer of them, because in America, bigger is always considered better.) For a large family, a CD refrigerator may not be large enough. But if you’re just 2 or 3 people, CD is right-sized for most people.
8" of depth difference is not something to dismiss. Standard fridge is a gigantic appliance always in the way.
Being short, I find trying to change the water filter on my big fridge is horrible, I’ve had to have a friend come over to change it, the first time I had a service tech do it for $75 and never again. I’m switching to a counter depth
Purchasing a new refrigerator, I’d spend the most time figuring out brands and models that are A: repairable and B: have decent local service available. Our experience with Samsung had us living out of an ice chest for four months out of a year. We live in a good size metro area. Our refrigerator wasn’t engineered to be repairable and there’s no such thing as real "factory service" anymore.
Have you tried to find a standard depth Bosch fridge lately?
Who ever fills a refrigerator to compactly ?
We have a "one-butt" galley kitchen in our late 60’s home. Any remodel that would add square footage isn’t in the budget. We currently have a 26cu ft fridge but I’m looking at C-D models as a replacement. It gets cramped when the kids are over and use the kitchen. I’m also very tired of finding science experiments buried in the back. It’s wasteful, both in food cost and the cost to keep the larger space cool. Our biggest problem though, is height. The cabinet over the fridge is a hair less than 68" AFF. Not much to work with. I can remove the cabinet but I’d prefer not to have to. I find it interesting and frustrating that the older I get, the more difficult it becomes to find what I want to buy. My kitchen has no water on the side where the refrigerator goes but almost all current models have an icemaker build in. It would be nice if it were removable as it takes up space. I’m willing to pay more for quality but I don’t need nor want the extra features. End of boomer rant. ; )
I don’t know what a ‘chef’s pan’ is, but I just measured and a full size professional sheet pan is just under 18" deep. At the time we remodeled, neither Wolf nor Viking ovens could fit a full size sheet pan, however Blue Star does.
I have a counter depth refrigerator and love it. It doesn’t look like the monolith from 2001 in my kitchen. It holds everything I need and holds two weeks worth of groceries.
Help! I bought kitchenmaid krfc300ess counter-depth but it’s not delivered and think i should cancel order. I don’t know what refrigerator to put in space. The left wall is 35" deep and the counter to the right of the space is 26". The whole "kitchen" continues on to the right. This is not remodel just replacing refrigerator and i hate how it always sticks out past the left wall in order to open the door. 🙁
1) extra depth may increase capacity but not usability, because items shoved to the back of the fridge get lost and eventually expire without use, 2) I’ve never had a problem not fitting a tray in my fridge, 3) older places and small apartments have thin walkways and every inch counts for usability of the kitchen, so your thought it is the looks is way off base. It is about functionality.
You can give all the reasons you want: we have a counter-depth refrigerator because we didn’t have room for a regular one. And the great thing is that we’re no longer breeding 16 species of mold on the leftovers.
My kitchen is done. Fridge is a KA side by side counter depth 2003. I have no choice but to keep that depth. I have full standing freezer and full standing fridge in my basement to pick up slack and deal with big pans.
I really appreciate this. I would never pay more for less product. Some people are saying that standard depth fridges encourage food waste. But that’s a lifestyle issue, not the appliance’s fault. Stop overstocking your fridge with food you won’t eat. Problem solved.
For more than 50 years now all over Europe the fridges have been under counter because the houses and apartments are so small.
I have never heard of a problem with a fridge. In fact most appliances in Europe are much better designed, better looking, usually are always fully integrated and top notch energy efficient.
I had 1976 a fully electronic automated washing machine that was under counter and would heat the water up to almost boiling point. You would fill in detergent, starch and softener all at once in the beginning and just push the button.
When I came to the US I was shocked about the appliances. It was like comparing a tractor to a Mercedes Benz. People were always offended when I commented and didn’t believe me.
1988 I bought my mom in Germany a fully automated fully electronic Washer and dryer all in one of the size of a dishwasher. When my mom past away 2012 it was till running flawless and my brother is using it to this day. Go for German or Scandinavian appliances, pay a bit more and love it forever. You don’t have to be a patriot when you do your laundry or cool your milk.
stainless fridges are so ugly. give me a nice color fridge
Some people have no other option, not everyone has a large enough space for the new bigger refrigerators.
I bought a beautiful counter depth Whirlpool 4 door and LOVE IT. Yes, less capacity, but it’s just me and a teenager soon to be moving out. Price was very comparable to the larger units.
I’m not even shopping for a fridge, no idea why this popped up in my feed. BUT, now I know that I probably don’t want a counter depth fridge. So thank you!
Had to install CD refrig because of location. Refrig was off to the side at the narrow doorway to the dining room. So having 3 extra inches projecting into a 30" doorway was a no. This was a custom 2600 sqft house and you would have thought this higher end builder would know better. Having said that, most people (us) at these price points can 1) afford a CD refrig, 2) have a 2nd refrig in our oversized 2 or 3 car garage.
After my kids were older and settled in their lives, we remodeled our kitchen. Since its just the wife and I, we went with a CD refrig, it has only been an issue around the holidays. Otherwise, have no problems.
So, the cheapest new fridge with all the features I want just so happens to be counter depth, and it’s 2cf bigger than my current standard depth fridge (which is definitely not 36" wide).
In other words it proves this entire video wrong. 🤨🤨🤨
I do not understand how architects and homebuilders can not reset the space of a refrigerator 6 inches, or why they can not design the kitchen so that when the owner wants to upgrade to a larger refrigerator, they can do so without having to hire an engineer to move a wall.
Its actually hard to get food out of the back of a normal fridge. & i cant see most of what is inside.
This is a negative review, For a single guy, these counter depth 30in. from the wall refrigerators are awesome !!! Lol..😂
I have a SubZero counter depth side by side. (48”) It was not an “ inexpensive” way to make my kitchen look better. I have loved it for 27 years.
I hate counters & cabinets around the refrigerator. Think about cleaning under the refrigerator, ventilation, replacing it.Nothing beats buying the biggest refrigerator on the market and being confident it’ll fit!
Great info. Owning a counter depth ‘built in’ I agree with the negatives but it works for me. At an additional cost $$ you could go 42" wide counter depth if you have the space or are remodeling and can’t move a wall to fit a full depth.
Love all the comments here! We’re of course big supporters of the counter-depth style refrigerator. If you watch this and don’t have an issue with any of the "problems" we’re pointing out, then counter-depth is a great choice for you.
But they’re not for everyone and we believe it’s best to talk about possible issues of every product.
He speaks the truth. We bought a house that had a counter-depth already installed in it. The capacity limitations are very noticeable, even if you don’t have a big family. You’ll think it won’t matter that much, but it does. When the ice maker died we moved the counter depth fridge to the garage to be the beer/drinks fridge and we bought a normal depth fridge for the kitchen. I was worried it might look funny, but it actually looks just fine, you barely notice that it sits a tiny bit proud of the cabinets, but wow is the standard depth so much nicer to live with.
don’t you have to worry about the door swing on counter depth ?… especially if the counters are close to the sides of the fridge?
Although I may agree on the reasons between countertop and full depth refrigerators they only apply to the slide in, about 6′ high, under $3K models.
You’re insanely wrong, counter depth is way better lmfao
Yeah, if your fridge is in front of a kitchen island (like a lot of kitchen designs are now), you better not follow this advice 😀
My fridge is too deep. Things get put in the back only to emerge weeks or months later looking like a science experiment. I’d be fine with a shallow fridge.
My counter depth was only $1000 new. So much less than what you showed and it was stainless and ice dispenser. It listed the energy consumption less than a standard depth. Four adults use it just fine. Why do I need more volume to cool? It fits thru the front door without taking the refrigerator door off the unit. A bigger refrigerator is only better if you need one. And yes I designed my cabinets myself. I also did what you recommend and recessed the full depth refrigerator into the walk in closet on the back side at my parents house so it didn’t stick out since my mom said she needed the biggest refrigerator they made. They both have their place. So to make a claim that you shouldn’t buy a counter depth refrigerator is not considerate.
Why are the fridges so expensive?
I am go and buy a fridge 140cm tall for like £250 or so which is roughly $400(not sure of the exchange rate).
Stuff doesn’t get lost, so you don’t throw out as much expired food
Counter Depth is also perfect for motorhome installations.
Why am I watching this? In Europe, we can only buy counter-depth refrigerators… 😄
As an installer, please buy counter depth! Unless you want us ripping the thing apart to get it through the door.