Fitting appliances into a cabinet run: fridge and range openings, dishwasher and sink pairing, hood sizing and mounting height, and panel-ready fronts.
24–30″ above a gas cooktop and 20–24″ above electric or induction, measured from the cooking surface to the bottom of the hood. Too low is a heat hazard; too high and it stops catching the plume.
Read it in full →Plan 36″ wide by 70–72″ high for a standard full-size fridge, then check the actual model’s spec sheet. Leave roughly ½–⅝″ each side, 1″ on top and 2″ behind for air and the cord.
Read it in full →You don’t — drilling stone risks cracking the slab. Use the machine’s side-mount brackets into the cabinet sides instead, or fit a cheap side-mount retrofit bracket if yours is top-mount only.
Read it in full →Most manufacturers ask for the top of the unit at least 66″ off the finished floor, which leaves about 13″ over the cooktop. Use the paper template in the box — the plate and knock-outs are model specific.
Read it in full →Yes. An OTR microwave hangs from a wall plate and bolts up through the bottom of the cabinet above it, so that cabinet is structural. A short 12–18″ wall cabinet is the usual answer, and it hides the duct.
Read it in full →Ducted is meaningfully better: grease, smoke, smell and humidity leave the house. Recirculating filters and returns the air, handling some odour and no moisture. Use it only where there is genuinely no path outside.
Read it in full →A counter-depth box is about 24–25″ deep and sits nearly flush with the cabinets, at the cost of interior volume. A standard-depth model needs about 30″ and stands 5–6″ proud of the run. Decide before the countertop is templated.
Read it in full →It is too close to a wall, a tall cabinet or a corner. Most fridge doors must swing past 90°, often nearer 115°, before the interior drawers clear the gasket. The standard fix is a 2–3″ filler on that side.
Read it in full →Yes, and one ships with every free-standing range. It screws to the floor or back wall and stops the range pivoting forward if weight lands on an open oven door. Four minutes, and it is required.
Read it in full →Often not a full stack — the cooktop’s burner box and controls hang down into the cabinet and many models specify a minimum clear depth below. Check the appliance sheet; the usual compromise is a false front over a shallow drawer.
Read it in full →Plan for the door to drop fully and for someone to stand at the open rack: about 21–24″ for the door itself, and 36–42″ of clear floor in front. That is the measurement that quietly rules out a dishwasher directly opposite a narrow island, and it is worth miming on the plan before you fix its position.
Read it in full →A freestanding range slots into a true 30″ opening and its finished sides are meant to sit against the neighbouring cabinets, so no gap is needed — but check the manual, because some models specify clearance to combustible surfaces at the sides. What you should avoid is a cabinet handle right at the corner of the range, where an oven door or a pot handle will find it.
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