Removing Cabinets Meant for A Kitchen Reno

We knew fairly early on in our appliance shopping that we’d need an oddly compact fridge to fit into the existing fridge hole that we had going on in our kitchen (yes, fridge hole is a technical term).

And after some searching we realized we were likely more likely to discover the Loch Ness Monster than a perfectly sized fridge (preferably in stainless with side by side doors, since we enjoyed that so much in our first kitchen – but we were flexible). So we slowly came around to the idea of removing the built-in box around the fridge to free things up a lot more when it came to dimensions. That way we could cut off the hollow unused top of the upper cabinet and rehang it higher to allow for a taller fridge – and then rebuild the sides at the new depth so the new fridge would look more flush/custom.

See, even if we kept the built-in side and cabinet exactly as they were and somehow found a small sufficient fridge to slide in, we’d have to rebuild the side panel for a more flush look (we did not like that the old fridge stuck out about 6″ beyond the side panel and the hinges on top were visible). Plus we consistently thought the beam looked funny jammed into the side of the cabinet like that – so we were not sure what we had planned, but it likely would require some minor beam surgery. We figured we’d simply play it by ear and adapt our plan as we went. You know, the usual method around here.

So removing the side panel and cabinet above the fridge was our official dive into the pool of kitchen demo (although we are planning to work with / adapt many of the existing cabinets so we will not be gutting the place or anything). Step one of our side panel/fridge cabinet surgery? Removing everything from the cabinets. To be safe, we took out everything from the cabinet next to it as well (since we thought it might have to come down in the process). Clara was of little assist, unless of course our project was “putting toy pigs on the step stool.”

With cabinets emptied, it was time for the bean to go off to bed. As she snuggled up to her stuffed giraffe and drifted off to dreamland, we were having lively rolling the fridge out of its little cubby so we could steal a peek behind the scenes. Besides revealing a weird electrical cord to nowhere (already called the electrician, we will keep ya posted), by standing where the fridge typically sat and looking up we were able to determine that the cabinet was attached only at the sides and top – not the back. And that the weird beam in fact appeared to go all the way through the cabinet. Who knew?

It also revealed an order form from back when the cabinet was installed… in November of 1982. So yeah, I am only eight months older than this kitchen. The cabinet company is called QuakerMaid, which some research revealed is a fairly pleasant custom cabinet maker. So we are glad we are working with these cabinets since they are a pleasant standard size and still in fairly good shape considering they are nearly thirty years old (our first kitchen‘s cabinets were original to our 50’s house, so they were not even big sufficient to house standard dinner plates). Note: That is not our address below, it is the old cabinet maker’s location, which is no longer in use.

But sufficient about our little kitchen artifact. Back to the whole cabinet removal thing.

Detaching it from the cabinet beside it was straightforward. We found some long screws drilled through the tall cabinet into the fridge cabinet. So we zzzzzzip zzzzzzip zzzzziped ’em loose and half expected the cabinet to come crashing down on us (John was supporting it from beneath, simply in case). But it was not that straightforward. Nothing ever is, right? That is ok, we enjoy a challenge.

At that point it became clear that it was that one solitary floor-to-ceiling side panel on the left side of the fridge (as you face it) that was now keeping the whole cabinet afloat. And since it was built into the floor and ran all the way up to the ceiling, after a few attempts at salvaging it by popping it off (there were no exposed screws or places to truly grasp it well since it was so flush on all sides) we chose to go the barbaric route and simply slice right through the darn thing. This way we could keep as large of a panel as possible (instead of sledgehammering and splintering it to death) in case we need some extra matching cabinet wood down the line for future alterations. Thank you jig saw!

Oh but first we put the three long screws back in through the cabinet on the right to keep everything from falling down. Miraculously it worked. John and I took turns (power tools = our jam) each putting one long cut through the side panel… and it in short swung free.

Then it was as plain as re-removing those three screws from the cabinet next to the fridge that were solely supporting it (while John stood under the cabinet to make sure it did not come crashing down). The kicker? Clara slept through some of the loudest drilling and sawing of all time. Seriously, it was remarkable. Enjoy that girl.

And it revealed that the beam did in fact go all the way through (we consistently figured it was brought in after the cabinets and simply stopped short where it hit the front of that cab).

Seeing the full beam in short confirmed our inclination to not make the altered cabinets go all the way to the ceiling. Do not get us wrong, we enjoy the visual height and extra storage gained by taking cabinets to the ceiling. But we simply cannot bring ourselves to cut off the beam again (it looked so weird ramming into the cabinet – and it in fact has to stay since it covers a marred ceiling where two old rooms used to meet). Plus the other built-ins like the pantry on the other side of the room are not ceiling height either – and we are certainly keeping them. So we in fact think that once we get everything painted and looking right again our decision will return some much needed balance to the whole room. Of course we are planning to add some trim to the top of all the cabinets to polish everything off, sort of like this kitchen:

But ours right now looks like this:

A mystery wire, some unpainted ugliness, and – the best part – room for a taller fridge.

But simply as our dream fridge was getting taller, we began wondering if that was sufficient. And when our wheels get spinning it can be a dangerous thing. See, we got to contemplating a more major fridge move (it still looks kind of crammed into that corner to us). But our new fridge location idea involves a lot more drilling/lifting/general labor. And we were way too tired. Perhaps tomorrow. Pics and more details as soon as we (hopefully) get ‘er done!

Pssst- Check out one of the sweetest night-stand-to-play-kitchen conversions I have ever seen over on BabyCenter. So creative!