Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

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choral54
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Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by choral54 »

Doing a kitchen remodel and am having trouble deciding between the standard depth refrigerator and a counterdepth. The counterdepth has 22.1 cubic feet of space. My current refrigerator has 18.1 cubic feet of space, but looks so much bigger to me. It is not as wide as the counterdepth but shelves are deeper. Will I regret getting the counterdepth? I realize aesthetically it probably will look nicer. I am single and occasionally have sons or daughter/husband coming home to visit. Do you like or dislike your counterdepth refrigerator if you have one?
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PottedPlant
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by PottedPlant »

Hated our Whirlpool counter depth refrigerator. Replaced it with a built-in Sub-Zero. Now, very happy. Plenty of capacity in a 30-inch. Other brands are : Bosch, Miele, Gaggenau, True.
The counter depth stuck out too far.
Last edited by PottedPlant on Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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av111
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by av111 »

choral54 wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:16 pm Doing a kitchen remodel and am having trouble deciding between the standard depth refrigerator and a counterdepth. The counterdepth has 22.1 cubic feet of space. My current refrigerator has 18.1 cubic feet of space, but looks so much bigger to me. It is not as wide as the counterdepth but shelves are deeper. Will I regret getting the counterdepth? I realize aesthetically it probably will look nicer. I am single and occasionally have sons or daughter/husband coming home to visit. Do you like or dislike your counterdepth refrigerator if you have one?
If you have room in the kitchen, go for standard depth. If no room, for example, 3ft between fridge and counter /island, counter depth is better esthetically. Some people complain about lack of storage in counter depth. While true, I think one can get used to that
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billaster
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by billaster »

The counter-depth refrigerator is almost 20% more room than your current refrigerator. It should be plenty of space for a single person or even a family. I like wider better than deeper because otherwise you are always shoving stuff around to find something buried in the back. Take advantage of the ability to move shelves around to your liking or even remove a half shelf if you need a tall space.
Ron Ronnerson
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by Ron Ronnerson »

av111 wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:29 pm
choral54 wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:16 pm Doing a kitchen remodel and am having trouble deciding between the standard depth refrigerator and a counterdepth. The counterdepth has 22.1 cubic feet of space. My current refrigerator has 18.1 cubic feet of space, but looks so much bigger to me. It is not as wide as the counterdepth but shelves are deeper. Will I regret getting the counterdepth? I realize aesthetically it probably will look nicer. I am single and occasionally have sons or daughter/husband coming home to visit. Do you like or dislike your counterdepth refrigerator if you have one?
If you have room in the kitchen, go for standard depth. If no room, for example, 3ft between fridge and counter /island, counter depth is better esthetically. Some people complain about lack of storage in counter depth. While true, I think one can get used to that
I agree with this. We have limited space between the fridge and an island so went with counter depth. We’re a family of three and the counter depth meets our needs just fine so I think space would not be an issue for a single person. It also does look better than a standard fridge that would stick out more. Overall, we’ve been happy with the counter depth, though it can be slightly tricky to fit a large pizza box from Costco in there (I say “slightly” because the box does fit with a little finagling).
SR II
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by SR II »

Just two of us in the house. We went from a side-by-side standard depth refrigerator (in the house when we bought it) to a French door counter depth. I'm not a fan of side-by-sides because I don't like the narrow freezer. But I do think the counter depth looks a ton better in the space. I went for a model with just an in-freezer ice maker and a cold water dispenser in the fridge, rather than anything on the outside of the doors that would take up the already limited room inside the fridge. I think I got the best configuration for our needs. It works fine, but I can't stand the interior size. It seems so much smaller inside; everything is very crowded and piled on top of everything else. The vegetable crisper is way too small to fit much in without smashing the vegetables. I do like that the doors are extra deep, but they are also filled to the brim with bottles, cans, eggs, butter, bread, etc. In other words, looks good, but lacks in function. This is what we have: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cafe-35-8-i ... 79#overlay

If you have a way to make your counters, pantry, whatever is next to the fridge deeper to accommodate a standard depth fridge I'd go for it in a heartbeat!
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by boglegirl »

SR II wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 11:19 pm Just two of us in the house. We went from a side-by-side standard depth refrigerator (in the house when we bought it) to a French door counter depth. I'm not a fan of side-by-sides because I don't like the narrow freezer. But I do think the counter depth looks a ton better in the space. I went for a model with just an in-freezer ice maker and a cold water dispenser in the fridge, rather than anything on the outside of the doors that would take up the already limited room inside the fridge. I think I got the best configuration for our needs. It works fine, but I can't stand the interior size. It seems so much smaller inside; everything is very crowded and piled on top of everything else. The vegetable crisper is way too small to fit much in without smashing the vegetables. I do like that the doors are extra deep, but they are also filled to the brim with bottles, cans, eggs, butter, bread, etc. In other words, looks good, but lacks in function. This is what we have: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cafe-35-8-i ... 79#overlay

If you have a way to make your counters, pantry, whatever is next to the fridge deeper to accommodate a standard depth fridge I'd go for it in a heartbeat!
I agree with pretty much everything you said. We got a counter depth fridge in this house because it looks better - the standard depth would look pretty bad in the spot we have. But I wish we had designed a kitchen that could have better accommodated a standard depth. And I really miss the in-door ice and water.
bob60014
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by bob60014 »

We recently did a kitchen remodel and purchased a GE counter depth to replace a LG french door. I was hesitant at getting a GE but, due to supply issues, it was one of only a few models available. Overall it works good, looks good and for just the two of us its fine. The internal layout, being not as deep, it took time to get used too and to adjust our ocd like tendencies. :)

The only complaint is the freezer space is a bit smaller, but a minor thing overall. It did come with an ice maker which we don't use on a daily basis, so we pulled the tray out to give us a bit more room.
Last edited by bob60014 on Wed Jun 07, 2023 5:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
TwstdSista
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by TwstdSista »

Counter depth is the only way to go in our kitchen - it's just too small and having a fridge stick out 6-8 inches would really cut into the space. We don't generally stock up on food and there is still plenty of open space inside, so it works for us! (note: 2 adults no kids)
carolc
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by carolc »

Counter depth looks much better. But I also have a fridge in the garage.

carolc
ddurrett896
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by ddurrett896 »

Vote for counter depth here. Family of 5 and have no issues. Only time it starts to get tight is before a party and it always works out fine.
BanquetBeer
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by BanquetBeer »

I think depends on number in the family and fridge use.

For a family of 4, we usually have enough space with French door/bottom freezer counterdepth inside. No water and ice maker in the bottom freezer only. (We like RO room temp water)

But we put all frozen stuff in the garage deep freeze (because freezer burn). Using the deep freeze makes such a big difference!! and we keep drinks and big stuff (bulk meal prep, grocery not planned for next day or so, duplicates like milk) in the outside fridge.

We are happy with this configuration and don’t think a non-counterdepth fridge would change the additional fridge needs. If starting from scratch we would:
Same inside fridge
Change to Upright deep freeze for better organization (Costco has one in store for like $350)
Would love to find fridge only outside fridge but they are $$$
rich126
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by rich126 »

Over the years as a single guy I never gave refrigerators much thought. All of them had plenty of room for me. I grew up with one that had the freezer on top. Then had mostly side by side ones. In our current apartment we have the first fridge that I would honestly say is terrible. The freezer is on the bottom and it just seems laid out poorly. There is external ice/water system so you have to reach inside the freezer to get the ice cubes and they tend to fall down and out the bottom of the fridge leaving a trail of melted one. Both of us detest this one.

I think if you are happy with what you got why change? And I would probably keep price in mind. If one is a lot more than the other, I would go the lower price route. While some higher price models may be worth it, I think a lot of it is just status stuff for people when they have parties, etc.
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rationalactor
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by rationalactor »

You will be disappointed based on the experience of friends of ours who bought a house that had been remodeled in a way that only counter depth was possible. Just two of them but they hate it.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by lazydavid »

carolc wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 5:51 am Counter depth looks much better. But I also have a fridge in the garage.

carolc
This is us as well. One thing we've learned to love over the 10 years we've had counter-depth is that you can fill it up and not lose anything. With standard-depth, we typically wind up having so many things in front of things in front of things that we lose sight of what's actually in there.

We love ours and would not to go back.
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jabberwockOG
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by jabberwockOG »

We have had a few counter depth models in the past. Some better than others. This latest version is excellent - plenty of space especially the freezer compartment. They are expensive but reliable, quiet, and well built.

We have the upgraded version of this model (with hot water dispenser).

https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-22-1-cu- ... /312903946
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by muffins14 »

If you want the aesthetic of a built-in kitchen, you have to have built-in/ counter depth. Otherwise you’d have a very nice kitchen with a boxy refrigerator sticking out
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by lthenderson »

We did an addition to our kitchen a few years back and redesigned the layout. We really wanted a counterdepth refrigerator but after looking at the limited and much higher priced selection, we instead opted to do a staggered built in layout that accepts a more standard sized refrigerator. We had four or five times more choices to chose from and should we ever have to replace it, it should be much easier and cost economical to do. I think counterdepth models have their place, but in our kitchen, I'm glad we didn't design it around one.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by db79 »

muffins14 wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:30 am If you want the aesthetic of a built-in kitchen, you have to have built-in/ counter depth. Otherwise you’d have a very nice kitchen with a boxy refrigerator sticking out
This is why we went with counter depth. No real issues for storage space for a family of 3.
Running Bum
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by Running Bum »

I've had counterdepth for years. I don't miss the extra depth because it was usually harder to get to. Unless you find that you store things that already take up most of the shelf you should be ok. I have a Samsung french door with an extra sliding drawer compartment and I find this very efficient for storage. I also have a chest freezer which solves any freezer space issue.

That said, a small regret in having my house custom designed and built is that I didn't make the kitchen so that it could take a full sized fridge and not stick out.
Nowizard
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by Nowizard »

Depends on your focus. If smaller fridge holds what you need, then the issue is aesthetic. Your decision.

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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

We went with a Samsung 23 cu. ft. counter depth refrigerator when we did a kitchen remodel in 2019. It looks much nicer than our previous regular depth refrigerators.

There is more than enough space for our needs, with just the two of us.

The model we have has side by side doors, with two drawers below doors. I like the design as I have access to refrigerator and freezer items from my wheelchair.

Our old refrigerators become garage refrigerators, keeping our adult beverages chilled, plus extra storage space for parties and such, if needed.

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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by Yarlonkol12 »

We have one, we prefer it because in our kitchen it sits flush in the builtin wrapper, and makes the cabinets above actually accessable

We did keep the old normal size fridge and just moved it into the garage, so now we use both, but just have infrequent/big stuff in the garage fridge, and beverages :mrgreen:
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shmidds
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by shmidds »

If you have the wall space, or if you are able to remove a cabinet or two, two inexpensive counter depth single door refrigerators side by side with the doors opening towards each other can look high end.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by quantAndHold »

A counter depth fridge in the same size space will have much less space than standard depth. Be sure you’re comparing fridges that are the same height and width.

When we switched from standard depth to counter depth, the new fridge was noticeably smaller, especially the freezer. We had to get a chest freezer for the basement.
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MJS
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by MJS »

I'm a single person who does occasional entertaining. I like my counter depth / single door / bottom freezer with drawers very, very much. For me, the ease of finding items us a major plus. Freezer drawers are fabulous!
However
No ... if you need room for multiple heads of lettuce, celery, long carrots, giant squashes or other large fresh vegetables.
No ... if you have >1 gallon jugs of beverage. 3-4 half gallons can be easily accommodated
No ... if you bring home 10 or 15 takeout boxes per week.
Probably no ... if you need to fit a turkey plus trimmings for 8+ people more than once a decade.
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CAsage
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by CAsage »

Bought our current house with a Subzero; abhorred it. The repair bills, twice, were the cost of a whole new more efficient refrigerator! Hated the damn thing so much I had it hauled away and replaced with a regular fridge. Not ideal; stuck out too much in a galley kitchen. Remodeled in about 2018 - love everything! New counter depth refrigerator, no indoor water dispenser (so hard to keep clean, take up space, more to break). New fridge is a double door, freezer bottom LG. Nominally 30" deep, but that includes the doors and handles, the body is counter depth. Plenty of space for gallon jugs (two fit front to back). Not going to fit Thanksgiving dinner for 12, but more than reasonable for a family of 4. No other freezer. I go shopping, and they have freezers....
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by Cicero123 »

Two houses ago, I had a Maytag “wide by side.” Basically a side by side French door style, freezer on left, fridge on right, but the doors jogged a little in the middle giving you half wide, half narrow spaces in both the fridge and freezer. Despite that, I didn’t have enough width for a pizza box, so I move to a house with a Sub Zero counter depth. Now I couldn’t fit a pizza in depth wise. So I moved again and now I have an LG with French doors for the fridge, drawers for the freezer. Finally, I can eat pizza leftovers.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by Random Poster »

Cicero123 wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 12:33 pm Two houses ago, I had a Maytag “wide by side.” Basically a side by side French door style, freezer on left, fridge on right, but the doors jogged a little in the middle giving you half wide, half narrow spaces in both the fridge and freezer. Despite that, I didn’t have enough width for a pizza box, so I move to a house with a Sub Zero counter depth. Now I couldn’t fit a pizza in depth wise. So I moved again and now I have an LG with French doors for the fridge, drawers for the freezer. Finally, I can eat pizza leftovers.
When I was house shopping, I took a baking sheet with me to check if it would fit in the oven and refrigerator.

Never thought about taking an empty pizza box with me, but perhaps I will do in the future!
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FreemanB
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by FreemanB »

We have a counter-depth in our kitchen, since that's all that will fit.(Remodeled long before we bought the house) We really don't like it, although we make it work with a family of 2 adults and one child.(Partially by having a garage fridge and basement chest freezers) There are just too many occasions where things just don't fit. Looking at the responses above, I think if you go with counter-depth, you may regret it at least at times. If you go with a regular fridge, I don't think you'll ever run into an occasion where you wish you hadn't.
barnaclebob
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by barnaclebob »

I personally could never live with a counter depth fridge, way too small. Our 29cu ft fridge sometimes gets too full. The inlaws have the same model as us in counter depth and its always packed. If you are not a big cooker, entertainer, or dont have kids then maybe youll be fine with smaller.

Another option is to supplement with an under counter fridge drawer.
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bltkmt
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by bltkmt »

My wife hates ours but I love it. Two ice makers (different sized cubes) and plenty of room. Although, we do have another fridge in garage.
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rocket354
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by rocket354 »

I have a counter-depth 22cf fridge and love it. I have limited space between the fridge and the island and while a full-depth would fit it would look a little awkward, so I elected for the counter-depth. It fits everything I ever have, plus plenty of extra space (single-person household). It fits a pizza box with no problem. It's as wide as possible to fit the space and I like that the space is spread wider rather than deeper so everything is easier to access. If you're getting more room than you currently have you will like it.
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hand
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by hand »

Make the counters on the refrigerator wall as wide as as standard refrigerator depth, so that a standard refrigerator is also counter depth.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by chromexcel »

choral54 wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:16 pm Doing a kitchen remodel and am having trouble deciding between the standard depth refrigerator and a counterdepth. The counterdepth has 22.1 cubic feet of space. My current refrigerator has 18.1 cubic feet of space, but looks so much bigger to me. It is not as wide as the counterdepth but shelves are deeper. Will I regret getting the counterdepth? I realize aesthetically it probably will look nicer. I am single and occasionally have sons or daughter/husband coming home to visit. Do you like or dislike your counterdepth refrigerator if you have one?
Our side by side GE refrigerator died a few months ago. We replaced it with the LG 27 cu ft Smart Counter-Depth MAX French Door Refrigerator from Costco. Around $1,800 I think. It has a massive amount of storage. Water dispenser inside so the outer appearance is very sleek and clean. Large capacity ice maker and lots of freezer storage. We are very pleased. I especially like the smart WiFi connection as I use the app on my phone and get notifications if someone leaves the fridge door open so that I can holler at them to close it!

https://www.costco.com/lg-27-cu.-ft.-sm ... 43011.html
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by 123 »

We have a Kenmore/Whirlpool counter-dept refrigerator with a family of 4 and it has worked out fine. However, if our kitchen configuration would accommodate it I would much prefer a full-sized refrigerator. In comparison there aren't that many counter-dept models available and they easily cost twice what a full-sized refrigerator costs.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by tonyclifton »

We have a Kitchenaid countertop depth refrigerator w/ stainless steel finish. Side-by-side doors with freezer drawer on the bottom. Looks great and has a cabinet built around it (but is not a "custom" built-in with matching facing and side strips). 10+ years old with no problems other than replacing the water filter from time to time. A large pizza box fits in no problem as does a 20lbs turkey. A sheet cake will fit in the tray that pulls out. We bought from an appliance retailer - not a big box store. The drawer freezer is a little small.

PS - We specifically did not want one with water dispenser on the outside of the unit. To use the water dispense you have to open the left door. I rarely use this but my wife does all the time. We have a whole house filter so the water from the refrigerator is double filtered.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by gerntz »

I love our counter-depth LG. I enjoy opening both doors and feeling like you're inside the fridge. Minimizes searching for deeply stored items since shelves aren't as deep. We added fridge space by also having an under-the-counter beverage fridge alongside the LG.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by Running Bum »

hand wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 3:55 pm Make the counters on the refrigerator wall as wide as as standard refrigerator depth, so that a standard refrigerator is also counter depth.
That would make it harder for shorter people to get to upper cabinets. It would probably cost a lot more to have non-standard size cabinets and countertops.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by quantAndHold »

hand wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 3:55 pm Make the counters on the refrigerator wall as wide as as standard refrigerator depth, so that a standard refrigerator is also counter depth.
In our case, that would require making the room bigger. Not gonna happen.
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NateH
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by NateH »

for a single person, I can't imagine a counter-depth unit being an issue.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by lowkeytaco »

Single person here. Counterdepth is plenty of space for me. Only time it gets a bit tight is when having a group over. But, whether it will work for you likely depends a bit on how much you like to stock up in your refrigerator.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by michaeljc70 »

I think the facts tell the story. The counter depth has more space than your current fridge so what is the worry exactly? I would never buy a non-counter depth fridge unless it could be sunken in the wall to line up with the cabinets (or cost was very important).

One of the other most egregious things I see in kitchens is when the fridge comes out 24" or 25" inches and the cabinet above it comes out like a foot less. Also, there should be a panel (matching the cabinets) on the side of the fridge. Maybe I am getting too much into kitchen design....
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leeks
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by leeks »

I think all the responses that say their fridge works but they have a second one somewhere else are actually answering that, no, their fridge is not large enough.

So apparently the OP should plan to keep the old fridge and move it to another room. :oops:
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by littlebird »

I love my counter depth Kenmore 25 c. ft. It’s now 15 years old and I haven’t had a moment of trouble with it, but maybe that’s because I had the icemaker/thru the door ice water maker removed the day after it was delivered.

It fits flat against the back wall and can be completely enclosed for a custom look. It uses a different technology from the regular fridges that were sold at the time, and cost much more. I don’t know if the new ones use that same technology, or if they’re made the same as regular fridges now.

When I moved into my new house, I had the movers bring this fridge along and switch it with the brand new 25 cu. ft. Samsung french door fridge the sellers had provided. I put that one into my old house. My old Kenmore came back up to temperature in an hour. The Samsung took three days of wild swings before it stabilized.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by SR II »

hand wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 3:55 pm Make the counters on the refrigerator wall as wide as as standard refrigerator depth, so that a standard refrigerator is also counter depth.
Agree! Best way to go if you have the room.

Besides, counter-depth fridges are much more expensive and from what I've read have worse reliability compared to their regular depth counterparts.
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by lazydavid »

leeks wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 8:49 pm I think all the responses that say their fridge works but they have a second one somewhere else are actually answering that, no, their fridge is not large enough.
If the full-depth version of my 23 cuft counter-depth fridge was 45 cu ft, you'd definitely have a point. :)

Since the alternative was 28 cu ft, I'm good as-is. :)
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Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by GT99 »

choral54 wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:16 pm Doing a kitchen remodel and am having trouble deciding between the standard depth refrigerator and a counterdepth. The counterdepth has 22.1 cubic feet of space. My current refrigerator has 18.1 cubic feet of space, but looks so much bigger to me. It is not as wide as the counterdepth but shelves are deeper. Will I regret getting the counterdepth? I realize aesthetically it probably will look nicer. I am single and occasionally have sons or daughter/husband coming home to visit. Do you like or dislike your counterdepth refrigerator if you have one?
Have you decided on the model you want and are just deciding on depth or do you have flexibility on model? I ask because we were going through the same decision a couple years ago and we ended up finding a Samsung model that was kind of in between - deeper than most counter depth but not as deep as most standard. Size-wise it's worked well ( some other issues) for our family of 4.


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bombcar
Posts: 883
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:41 pm

Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by bombcar »

If things slide to the back of your fridge to die, maybe a counter-depth would help fight against that.

You could also consider a counter-depth refrigerator only and put an undercounter freezer elsewhere.
michaeljc70
Posts: 10843
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 3:53 pm

Re: Will I be disappointed with counterdepth refrigerator?

Post by michaeljc70 »

I personally cannot imagine spending the extra money on countertop material and having ~4 inches of dead space behind the cabinets just so you can have a standard depth refrigerator. A standard lower cabinet is 24" deep and you are losing 1/6th of that in dead space. It is actually more than that because the 24" includes the door or drawer front. My 36" counter depth fridge has 24 cu ft. which is more than a lot of older standard depth fridges had. I think they have gotten more efficient in terms of usable space.

If the wall is standard 2x4 construction and not an exterior wall you can gain ~3.5 inches by having the studs removed behind the fridge and reinforced (with a header and double studs on the sides).
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