[JmuRiz]

Good thought, have the studs in that wall put sideways, cover in 1/8" ply for the wall and a shallow outlet box and you could gain a bit over 2" in depth.

With small kitchens/houses every inch counts.

[ovfd911]

Or replace the GWB with 1/2" plywood and save at most 4". No studs behind the unit, outlets on the side... Where is that water line?

[cmartin]

I had a counter depth fridge here when I moved in, way to small for what I needed. Couldnt fit a half sheet tray. Might not matter to you. Is it pushed all the way in? Water line/fitting in the way? They need room to breath but not that much. Did you get the right side panels?

[BillC]

Yes, the refrigerator is all the way in, and contacting the wall behind it. Also, it turns out that Bosch adds a permanently-mounted 1 1/3" (1.333") spacer to the back of the fridge that is not included in their common published dimensions. The spacer is to allow airflow behind the unit.

With the spacer, this new fridge is a full 4" deeper than our old full-depth fridge. Apparently manufacturers have "adjusted" the size of "full depth" in the last 19 years.

I briefly thought about modifying the wall to get extra space. However, that is a load-bearing wall and at least two studs would have to be removed. To do it right requires tearing down a lot of what is already finished, installing a header and jackstuds/kingstuds/cripplestuds/etc., and re-routing a bunch of electrical wires and plumbing -- all at (probably) significant expense.

At this point, it looks like our most practical options are either learning to live with it, or exchanging/replacing it with a counter-depth model. Still working that out with Management....

[cmartin]

You wont remember this post in a few weeks. If you do, back it goes!

So many decisions, I dont want to go through it again.

[Too Tall]

Given all said. Keep it but do replace the cabinet side panel or WTF they call that dark wood wall facing us in the picture such that it obscures everything except the hinge.
Use that surface to place a magnet rack for your giant BBQ accessories and white board.

[JmuRiz]

+1, just extend the side panel on the fridge surround to make it look better. Seems like a PITA to do any other fix or $$ to buy a new shallow unit.

[Vicegrip]

Originally Posted by BillC

Yes, the refrigerator is all the way in, and contacting the wall behind it. Also, it turns out that Bosch adds a permanently-mounted 1 1/3" (1.333") spacer to the back of the fridge that is not included in their common published dimensions. The spacer is to allow airflow behind the unit.

With the spacer, this new fridge is a full 4" deeper than our old full-depth fridge. Apparently manufacturers have "adjusted" the size of "full depth" in the last 19 years.

I briefly thought about modifying the wall to get extra space. However, that is a load-bearing wall and at least two studs would have to be removed. To do it right requires tearing down a lot of what is already finished, installing a header and jackstuds/kingstuds/cripplestuds/etc., and re-routing a bunch of electrical wires and plumbing -- all at (probably) significant expense.

At this point, it looks like our most practical options are either learning to live with it, or exchanging/replacing it with a counter-depth model. Still working that out with Management....

Don’t remove the studs. Remove the drywall behind the unit to gain 3.1/2 inches of newfound vent chase. This negates the need for the air gap stops. You can wrap the studs in drywall to maintain fire protection and cover any elec or plumbing.

[BillC]

Day 31 Update:

They installed the microwave and vent, and also the garbage disposal and finished the plumbing. They also installed the new ceiling light.

Management and I discussed it some more, and decided to keep Gargantua the monster fridge. With the island moved, it's not as bad as previous. It's still huge, but we think it'll be livable. I may try to do something about trimming down the spacer on the back, but not until after we've lived with it for a while and verified it's working properly.

They plan to install the backsplash tile and fix the remaining drywall spots tomorrow. Friday is scheduled for paint touch-ups and final cleanup. So ... maybe this week.

Here are some pics:

[BillC]

Day 33 update:

Well, the day I was beginning to think might never come actually arrived -- it's done! Well, essentially done. There's a few minor finishing things they need to do, and (of course) the final inspection. With any luck, the inspection will be Tuesday.

Now comes one of the hardest parts: moving back in and setting everything up.

And of course, some pics. Notice the cat inspecting the work (N0tt0N).