Hi. I’m nearly done with a kitchen renovation ahead of trying to sell my studio, so want to fix some remaining issues so that it has mass appeal.
Looking for advice on 2 issues:
1. The countertop was cut 2 inches longer than it should have been, out towards the fridge (the circled area in pic 1), because we thought we wanted more counterspace to the left of the sink. My contractor didn’t take into account that the fridge would get pushed out as well and is not not lined up with the 2 small cabinets above it… and there’s also the empty space below it. Pic 2 shows it from slightly different angles (sorry for not having 1 clear shot of it.. I’m currently out of town from the place and don’t have better ones).
I was thinking of switching the cabinets above the fridge with the filler panel to the left of them, so that the filler is between those 2 small cabinets and the ones to the right of them, but the cabinet installer said that it would look even worse and suggested leaving it as is. I’m thinking of cutting 2 inches off the end of the counter there (the backsplash has been removed since that picture is taken and the wall is currently bare – i.e. would be easier to cut the counter) so that the fridge is moved to the right to align with the cabinets above it and to close down that space – I’d then have a bit of space on the left of the fridge but likely won’t be too noticeable. The fridge opens right to left and has enough space to open a full 90 degrees currently.
What would you do if you were in my shoes? Is it that noticeable and worthy of changing or am I overthinking it?
2) Pic 3 / dishwasher – it’s 18” wide (this is in a small studio) and the cut for it is slightly bigger than it needs to be. I believe the legs for it weren’t raised evenly so it looks slightly off level now, and it also needs to be raised more to be flush with the top of the counter there (and the piece that covers the bottom is currently not attached).
Should I be worried about the gap on the side (I’m thinking the dishwasher needs to be moved all the way to the right so there’s only gap on one side) and if so what is the best way of closing it?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
kookoomunga24
I don’t even notice the gap with the dishwasher. As for the fridge, less change is better. Put a bottom to the gap to the right of the fridge under the overhead cabinet and make it a baking tray storage or something. If the space under the counter is wide enough you can make a spice rack on rollers. I say use the gaps to your advantage rather than eliminating them. It’s less work and probably a better use of your time.
Tall_Milk5757
Keep the dishwasher centered in the opening. First it looks more purposeful. Second, as someone with a dishwasher that likes to shift to one side in it’s hole, sometimes you shut it and the trim on the front gets pushed off because it’s jammed into the cabinet 🤦♀️
Kass_Spit
Is cutting the stone an option? That’s the best fix honestly. It will give the next buyer a bit more room if their fridge is slightly larger
Anything else would be a rough job
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dallaslayer
cut out wall so a bigger fridge fits keep location.cut counter.dishwasher stays same.add led lights under upper cabs so it looks bigger.
6 Comments
Hi. I’m nearly done with a kitchen renovation ahead of trying to sell my studio, so want to fix some remaining issues so that it has mass appeal.
Looking for advice on 2 issues:
1. The countertop was cut 2 inches longer than it should have been, out towards the fridge (the circled area in pic 1), because we thought we wanted more counterspace to the left of the sink. My contractor didn’t take into account that the fridge would get pushed out as well and is not not lined up with the 2 small cabinets above it… and there’s also the empty space below it. Pic 2 shows it from slightly different angles (sorry for not having 1 clear shot of it.. I’m currently out of town from the place and don’t have better ones).
I was thinking of switching the cabinets above the fridge with the filler panel to the left of them, so that the filler is between those 2 small cabinets and the ones to the right of them, but the cabinet installer said that it would look even worse and suggested leaving it as is. I’m thinking of cutting 2 inches off the end of the counter there (the backsplash has been removed since that picture is taken and the wall is currently bare – i.e. would be easier to cut the counter) so that the fridge is moved to the right to align with the cabinets above it and to close down that space – I’d then have a bit of space on the left of the fridge but likely won’t be too noticeable. The fridge opens right to left and has enough space to open a full 90 degrees currently.
What would you do if you were in my shoes? Is it that noticeable and worthy of changing or am I overthinking it?
2) Pic 3 / dishwasher – it’s 18” wide (this is in a small studio) and the cut for it is slightly bigger than it needs to be. I believe the legs for it weren’t raised evenly so it looks slightly off level now, and it also needs to be raised more to be flush with the top of the counter there (and the piece that covers the bottom is currently not attached).
Should I be worried about the gap on the side (I’m thinking the dishwasher needs to be moved all the way to the right so there’s only gap on one side) and if so what is the best way of closing it?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
I don’t even notice the gap with the dishwasher. As for the fridge, less change is better. Put a bottom to the gap to the right of the fridge under the overhead cabinet and make it a baking tray storage or something. If the space under the counter is wide enough you can make a spice rack on rollers. I say use the gaps to your advantage rather than eliminating them. It’s less work and probably a better use of your time.
Keep the dishwasher centered in the opening. First it looks more purposeful. Second, as someone with a dishwasher that likes to shift to one side in it’s hole, sometimes you shut it and the trim on the front gets pushed off because it’s jammed into the cabinet 🤦♀️
Is cutting the stone an option? That’s the best fix honestly. It will give the next buyer a bit more room if their fridge is slightly larger
Anything else would be a rough job
[deleted]
cut out wall so a bigger fridge fits keep location.cut counter.dishwasher stays same.add led lights under upper cabs so it looks bigger.