What clearances are required for your current refrig? As it is, 3/8" on each side may not be enough. How much space are you leaving in the back?

I don't know if there are any 0 clearance refrigs or not but if you want to get a 36" unit in there, 1/4" wiggle room is not a lot to work with.

If they were supposed to build to 37" and did not, that's their problem to correct.

99% of the fridges sold today would be fine with that opening. It just has to be plumb. What it won't be fine for is the cabinet above. Not without an extended stile. 1/4" is too small to cut a filler.

"If they were supposed to build to 37" and did not, that's their problem to correct."

Ditto.

My kids just bought and moved into their new house last weekend. We all knew it was a flip but somehow no one noticed that their brand-new side-by-side fridge fit perfectly into it's space...and is now making it's own personal divot in the wall because it does not have room to open fully.

I would make them re-do it if they knew it was supposed to be 37", and if they did not know then it is cheaper for you to pay for the adjustment now rather than later.

I just found the installation manual. All it says is 1/2" space on top, and 1/2" space in the back. We definitely have that.

In terms of width the manual says: If the refrigerator is placed with the door hinge side against a wall, you may want to allow additional space so the door can be opened wider.

As of this point, I don't know who is responsible. I can't remember if the original plan called for 36" or 37", but I do remember having a conversation that 37" was needed - I can't remember if that was with the architect or the sub-GC. If I don't have documentation, then it falls on us. Technically, my husband was the GC of this project, although we had a sub-GC for the majority of the work. Therefore, I would expect to have to pay for it to be corrected.

hollysprings - this might be dumb, but what does "it would have to be plumb" mean? We planned well for our cabinet. While the current fridge is 70 1/2 inches, we placed the cabinet above so that a 73" fridge can fit. Anyways, thank you for that reassurance. I am feeling a bit better about this.

Can the drywall be removed and the studs turned sideways and then closed back up -- even if only on one side that is not weight bearing could gain you an inch without having to move everything.

That is a good idea! I think that might work. I still want to figure out if it is worth going through the trouble to gain that space. Sounds like it might be overkill if most refrigerators would fit.

Go refrig shopping online for replacement units. Check the specs for those that would interest you.

Also remember, it is very difficult to move a big heavy unit out of a tight closet. They need to be pulled out routinely for cleaning.

Go refrig shopping online for replacement units. Check the specs for those that would interest you.

Also remember, it is very difficult to move a big heavy unit out of a tight closet. They need to be pulled out routinely for cleaning.

Wood studs sometimes bow or wane, and the drywall wall be out of plumb as a result. That can mean that the wall alcove is narrower at one place than another. One of the early lesson of my career involved not checking to see if the wall that the built in fridge was supposed to slide in next to was plumb. It wasn't. The fridge wouldn't fit because that wall wasn't straight up and down, even though it was the ''required'' width. Half of the very carefully designed wall of cabinets had to be removed to fix that error. Plus I had to order a custom dimensioned cabinet. Not a pretty situation!

Instead of moving the studs, can you just do 1/4" material instead of 1/2" drywall? You'd never see it. Without a picture of adjacent walls, hard to decide if this will work. Ask your sub GC.

Actually, if your drywall is on the thicker side, that's a great idea -- you could pick up a little on either side. It could get a hole poked a little easier, but it will be behind the fridge.

I would want some more room. How often have you pulled out a washer, dryer or fridge in a tight space? It happens for cleaning and service, and you generally need a little wiggle room, especially when getting them started and out of any divots the wheels or feet may have settled into. And there is that issue of most walls are not exactly plumb and you don't have anything to spare.

Brilliant, yes this gives me some great ideas. Even if I don't technically need extra space for my current fridge I didn't think about the ease of pulling it out for cleaning. Seems like it would be beneficial to do it.

I have a new twist. I did a kitchen once where the fridge was inset into a wall of cabinets. We made the hole big enough but the fridge still wouldn't fit. What was the problem? The side walls of the fridge were built with too much foam insulation and they bowed out almost a half-inch on both sides, so the fridge was almost 1 inch wider than spec.

We managed to fix it by cutting holes in the side panels of the cabinetry to allow for the "fat" fridge. The only time you would see the holes is when you pulled the fridge out for cleaning, etc. It was either that or get a new fridge or redo the cabinets. The owners went with cutting the holes. They were ready for their house back by then and it was essentially a no-cost fix.

A 36" space for a 36" fridge (35 7/8" or whatever fraction) isn't a problem if there is sufficient room in front of that fridge. When I need to clean this enclosure, I move the island, and roll the fridge straight out, and straight back. But, that's because I have only a 36" aisle there. If I had the recommended 48" aisle, I wouldn't have to move the island.

[Transitional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2112) by Other Metro Kitchen & Bath Designers ProSource Memphis

Doug, My store (not me, another designer) had the bowed sides refrigerator issue as well! Certainly something to consider and always leave more room. One of my cabinet manufacturers (Showplace Wood Products) offers a standard 37" wide ref. cabinet. Other brands, that would be a custom mod....or you would have to use a filler or extended stile. Nice seeing some companies addressing this very common issue, so here's a nice shoutout to Showplace!

LWO, I've never had that issue with a fridge, but I know my W/D and DW don't want to come smoothly out -- but they have feet and not wheels, so a fridge might be easier -- or maybe you just have smoother moves. ;-)

When we bought our Kitchenaid counter depth fridge the width was not the issue, it was the height. We almost just cut off the cabinet above. The clearance on either side of the fridge was narrow nor matter the size. Even if I had a bigger fridge, I would still have a second fridge (which I do).

I have 42 3/16" for the aisle. Since it is a counterdepth fridge, that should be enough to pull it out? My husband isn't worried too much about this. He keeps our current fridge on sliders and it easily slides out when he cleans behind the fridge. I assume we can do that with the new fridge too. Please let me know if that isn't correct.

I found out that we used 1/2 inch drywall, so we could switch it out to 1/4 inch. That would bring it up to a whopping 36.75". The other option, as mentioned before, is to also turn the studs.

I must be a member of the swollen fridge club! Have the same problem, doesnt squeeze through at mid height! I sanded down the cabinet in the middle to make more room! Once through the front it has room, its just getting past front stiles that was the problem. We even tried removing the SS side panels from fridge, but they were stuck on really well. (Ge cafe, s/s)

" just found the installation manual. All it says is 1/2" space on top, and 1/2" space in the back. We definitely have that."

I would gain as much space as you can. My refrig needs 3/4" side clearance. Looking at a random CD FP unit, it also says 3/4". I also noticed their install manual refers to the user manual for various side clearance configurations. Or call the mfr. to verify. If you end up wider next time, you could run into trouble. Especially with uneven walls and even bowing appliances. Planning too tight and specific is a recipe for trouble. Don't lock yourself in, limiting selections in the future.

That makes sense - this is the original reason why I wanted 37" for that space. We are getting a quote to correct it. Hoping it isn't too expensive.

I guess maybe we aren't alone! We have had our kitchen remodeled but through some scheduling issues, the floor had to go in after the remodel. (Yes I know that's not the right way to do it. Anyway, refrigerator fits beautifully into the cupboards. flash forward to yesterday when the flooring crew tried to pull out the refrigerator only to find it seems to have swelled in it's space. They told is it might help to turn it off an let it go down to room temperature and the swelling might subside. SO we removed everything and let it sit over night. I think it worked.. will update after today.