SAN RAFAEL — When purchasing a new stove or refrigerator, many homeowners mistakenly assume these types of appliances come in standard sizes. In reality, appliance sizes can vary considerably, so before you visit your local retailer, it’s important to measure the space where your new appliance will go.
Since there’s no such thing as a “plumb” home, thoroughness is crucial for getting an accurate measurement of your space. For example, if you’re measuring for a new refrigerator, there are a number of dimensions you need to take into account. Face the refrigerator and measure its height on the left side from the floor up to the highest obstacle (either the ceiling or a cabinet). Repeat this measurement in the middle and on the right side. The smallest of these three measurements is the height you have to work with. After determining height, perform similar measurements of the refrigerator’s width and depth. Depth in particular is an area where refrigerators can vary dramatically—typically from 27 inches to 36 inches.
In addition to determining the dimensions of the space itself, look for any obstacles that may get in the way when installing the appliance. By proactively taking measurements, you can help your appliance retailer find a product that fits both your kitchen and your needs.

How to Measure Space for a New Appliance

Learn a step-by-step process to accurately measure your space for a new appliance to ensure a perfect fit in your home.

How to Measure Space for a New Appliance by Mike Patterson

by Mike Patterson, a Diamond Certified Expert Contributor

Video: Measuring for a New Refrigerator

When planning to purchase a new refrigerator, it's important to first measure the space. Today, we're in San Rafael with Diamond Certified expert contributor Mike Patterson of Martin and Harris Appliances to learn more.

"Okay, so what we're going to do today is measure the space that we have to replace a refrigerator. And because there's no such thing as a plum home (at least I haven't found one yet), we're going to measure in critical areas so that we can make this process a more easy and enjoyable process.

First thing we're going to do is we're measuring a refrigerator space. We're going to measure the height on the left side from the floor up to the obstacle of the cabinet (if it's a cabinet above). We're going to write down that dimension. We're going to repeat that again in the middle. And then we're going to repeat that again on the right side. And that's as we're facing the space, that'll give us our dimension. And you take the smallest number of those three dimensions, and that's the space you have to work with.

We're going to do the same thing, quite simply, left to right, up high, down in the middle, and then again down below. And we'll take the smallest dimension there, and we'll know what we have to deal with in widths.

The other thing is depth, and that has a lot of variances in depth. So, they're going to start out at about 27. It depends on how far out you want your refrigerator to come and what capacities you're looking for. But that will vary from 27 in all the way up to 36 in.

You also want to look out for obstacles down in this space, anything in my way like molding, running around the bottom. You would then measure that as well and deduct that from your dimensions because it is in the way.

So now that you've measured your space, you're going to take those dimensions to your favorite retailer and give them dimension so they can find the product that best fits in this space and will function the way it's supposed to.

To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified expert reports at experts.DiamondCertified.org."

Mike Patterson: Appliance Ace

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