Khrushchevsky refrigerator. How to make a refrigerator under the window

The generation of the 90s does not even remember such a phenomenon as the Khrushchev refrigerator, but meanwhile it at one time very much helped our mothers and grandmothers. The original design, created specifically for Khrushchev, replaced the full, albeit seasonal, refrigerator. But time goes on, houses built in the 50s are still standing, but the built-in refrigerators in apartments have long been required, if not dismantling, then major repairs. Read about how to make a refrigerator under the window and modernize the existing design in our article.

Design characteristics

It is simply impossible to imagine modern life in an apartment without a refrigerator, but in the 50s and 60s few can boast of their own refrigerator, so Soviet architects invented a truly unique device-the Khrushchev refrigerator.

This design is a niche located under the windowsill in the kitchen. The outer side of the niche is much thinner than the supporting walls of the building and has through holes. Through them in winter, cold air enters, which provides an acceptable low temperature for storing products in the winter.

The dimensions of the refrigerator allowed the inhabitants of Khrushchev to significantly save the kitchen space and store products longer, let only 5-6 months a year. Plus, above the refrigerator, there was a very wide window sill, which could be used as a full -fledged shelf or a small table for cooking. In the summer, in such a ventilated refrigerator it was possible to store cereals, vegetables, fruits, sunflower oil, flour and other non -smoked products that are usually placed in kitchen cabinets.

The inventors of the Khrushchev refrigerator made special shutters that helped adjust the temperature inside. Over time, this innovation of the camp is so popular that it found use not only in Khrushchevs, but also in more modern residential high -rise buildings - “Brezhnevs” and even some nine -story buildings.

Pluses of the structure:

1. Significant savings in a small -sized kitchen.
2. The possibility of converting and increasing the utility of the area.
3. Electricity savings - in winter you can turn off the usual refrigerator and store all products in the winter refrigerator under the window.
4. The perfect place to store home conservations.

DIY Khrushchevsky refrigerator

If you urgently need to increase the useful area of \u200b\u200byour small kitchen, the construction of the Khrushchev refrigerator will be the best solution. Making it with your own hands is not so difficult, especially when it comes to old brick houses.

Deepening the niche under the window

First of all, it is necessary to create a niche under the window in which the refrigerator will be located. To do this, solve the plaster from the wall to get to the brickwork. If you are scared by the fact that you work with a load -bearing wall and you can violate the integrity of the building, the experiences are completely in vain - the part located under the window does not affect the wall fortress. A strong concrete beam is installed under the window frame, which is responsible for the integrity of the carrier wall.

The image above the image of a well brick masonry, which is used for the construction of residential buildings, is demonstrated. The voids are filled with thermal insulation material (slag). Based on the preferences, deepening the niche, dismantling part of the masonry inside the house. Thus, the wall will become thinner by about 25 cm.

To better understand the principle of work, you should take into account the features of brick parameters. Its length is 25 cm, the width is 12 cm, the thickness can vary (the height of the poke and spoon). So, the thickness of the single brick is 6.5 cm, one and a half - 8.8 cm, double - 13.8 cm. Specifically in our case, it is necessary to focus on the width and length in order to control the wall thickness in the process of dismantling the masonry.

When you dismantled the inner part of the masonry and knocked down part of the bricks across the masonry (poke), the wall will remain in the width of the brick. This partition should be mandatory by cement mortar. The putty cannot be used, since it does not have water resistance and other operational characteristics of the cement-sand mixture. Keep in mind that when disassembling the masonry from the outer part of the wall, gaps and cracks may appear through which moisture will certainly penetrate the first rain. In winter, the water will freeze, the ice, as you know, will increase in volume, create pressure on the plaster and break it. Therefore, the only permissible solution is to cover the wall with a cement, and on top of it you can apply finish putty or other finish, for example, linen the refrigerator with ceramic tiles.

The Khrushchev refrigerator has one significant drawback - condensation is formed on the walls. Therefore, mold is formed there very quickly, the tree rots, a musty smell appears, the structure collapses. These sad consequences will help to eliminate modern vapor -permeable materials. During the insulation of the camera, it is enough to lay a vapor -permeable membrane around the entire perimeter and forget about dampness forever.

The finish of the winter refrigerator under the window with ceramic tiles has its own characteristics. It is recommended to put it on a prepared plastered base using special tile glue. If you live in the northern regions, it is preferable to use frost -resistant adhesive compounds, for example, Ceresit CM11. The tiles can be used absolutely any, even tile battle. In this case, only a smooth waterproof surface is important.

Doors of the Khrushchev refrigerator

When it is finished with the organization of the interior of the refrigerator, it is necessary to solve the second in the account, but no less important problem is the replacement and installation of doors. The doors in the design of the winter refrigerator play a decisive role, responsible for maintaining the cold inside the box and heat - inside the apartment. Therefore, the requirements for them must be overstated.

The best option would be to install durable doors with external trim, like the rest of the kitchen. Then the refrigerator will harmoniously fit into the interior and will not be noticeable. The sash can be done independently or contacting the workshop.

Features of the door installation:

1. To hang the doors to the winter refrigerator and make them airtight, the niches should be perfectly even edges with corners strictly at 90 degrees. It is quite difficult to achieve such parameters manually, especially without professional construction skills, but there are a pair of tips to help the hardworking owners - align the corners with ceramic tiles or make a separate frame in the form of a frame on which the facade will stay. If the edges of the frame diverge from the walls of the niche, you can hide this defect with a baguette or plaster.
2. Place the central part of the groove for sang 22 cm from the corner of the facade. From the end of the door to the central part of the loop leave a distance of 7-12 cm depending on the dimensions of the door and individual preferences. If you use very heavy panels, it makes sense to add another loop in the middle. In this case, it is necessary to calculate the distance between the canopies so that they do not contact with the shelves of the refrigerator.
3. To put the loops, use the end cutting cutter with the diameter of the planting nest of 35 mm. You will need to make a groove with a depth of 11-12 mm, so if you work with a thin furniture panel of 16-18 mm, drill very carefully so that the milling cutter does not pass through. To make it easier to control the depth of passage, properly sharpen the drill before work.
4. The second end of the loop can be fixed directly on the tile, if you made perfectly straight corners of the niches without a frame. To do this, use dowels (5-6 mm) and screws (at least 3-4 mm). To accurately make holes for dowels, make preliminary markings on the tiles and use the winning 3 mm drill.

As doors, you can use not only the furniture facade, but also double -glazed windows, wooden frames with glasses, plastic or metal inserts. When creating a door for a winter refrigerator, it should be borne in mind that wood is the best thermal insulation material. The plastic for this will be too thin and will require additional insulation with foam or polystyrene foam.

If possible, make a door with a mocking bar. This element insignificant at first glance performs an important function, increasing the tightness of the door and contributing to the better holding of the cold inside the box. Even if you purchased or ordered the door, attach the transverse bar to it, constructing it from a regular baguette.

Modifications of the Khrushchev refrigerator

If you already have an old Khrushchev refrigerator, one cannot disagree that its design requires significant refinement in order to at least somehow fit into the modern interior. And even if you are not going to use it for its intended purpose, this space can be organized to store kitchen utensils and save space in the apartment. But the priority task is to create a good thermal insulation of this zone, because the through holes in the wall, even if fenced off by the door, carry tremendous heat loss in the cold season.

There are several modifications applicable to the design of the winter refrigerator:

1. Completely fill the space under the windowsill, creating a dense thermal insulation layer and tightly blocking the cold bridge. As a result, you will get a flat wall or a small recess under the window into which you can install a heating radiator.
2. Remade the refrigerator, make the correct insulation using modern building materials and use the design for its intended purpose.
3. The complete reorientation of the space with the subsequent installation of a gas stove, a dishwasher or washing machine in a niche. As an option, you can fill out the recess with a cabinet with drawers, install a hob or sink on the windowsill.
4. Remove the brickwork and install the French window completely. Such a cardinal solution will make a small kitchen lighter and visually increase its size. You can save in lighting, especially if the window goes north or closed from direct sunlight with other houses or trees.

The seal of the niche of the refrigerator

The simplest, inexpensive and fast option is a complete sealing of the niche from the winter refrigerator. So you will immediately solve the problem of heat leakage through a thin wall, especially if you live in the northern regions of the country. The remaining types of modifications will require much more time, effort and money.

Points to which you should pay attention to:

1. It is necessary to close up the space with bricks, since only this material can provide full protection against adverse effects of the weather. To determine the necessary wall thickness, use SNiP on 02/23/2003, but without any documentation it is obvious that to create high-quality thermal insulation you can simply fill the niche and make it flush with the rest of the walls. You can also leave a small recess of 15 cm - this will also be enough to maintain heat in the apartment.
2. You should not use the drywall sheets for lining and sealing the niche, because due to the temperature difference on it, condensate will appear very quickly, the material will be covered with mold and collapse.
3. If you decide to leave a small niche, we recommend installing a heating radiator in it in order to maintain heat in the apartment 100%.

Modernization of the Khrushchev refrigerator

If you do not want to part with such a convenient design, it can be “ennobled” and make it more functional.

The main points should be paid to:

1. The thin rear wall of the refrigerator has through ventilation holes, which must be cleaned from dust and dirt.
2. Only thin wooden doors that have not changed since Soviet times are protected from cold air. Take care of the acquisition or construction of new doors.
3. The shelves should also be replaced. You can put glass, plastic, metal or wooden shelves.
4. Pay special attention to the ventilation of space and the question of its necessity. If you decide to leave the openings open, be prepared for the fact that inside the refrigerator in winter there will be a very low temperature at which not all products can be stored. If the holes are closed, then at a temperature of -10C -20C on the street in the refrigerator, the temperature will stay up to +10C. Do not clog holes tightly with mounting foam or cement mortar - give preference to mineral wool.
5. Re -equipment of the refrigerator takes away not so much time as a means. The cost of work will depend on your preferences and design ideas.
6. Choose the simplest accessories - latches, mounts, loops, etc. It is not at all necessary to make a phrama system for such small sizes, it is enough to install an ordinary swing door. As an option, you can put sliding sash, which will save free space in the kitchen. The Slidors system reliably isolates the interior from the cold in a niche.
7. Think about how you will facing the refrigerator from the inside - tiles, plastic, wood or plaster. If you make an internal plastic lining, the refrigerator will always be neat, clean and well -groomed (easy to wash).
8. It is recommended to install the keyboard with a refinement to minimize the risk of loose closure of the door and the occurrence of drafts.

Useful advice: Install internal LED lighting with a 12V or 24V power supply and lowering converters.

As you can see, making a modern functional and stylish refrigerator under the window with your own hands is not so difficult. The main thing is to make a little effort and imagination, then the ingenious invention of Soviet architects will heal a worthy second life and will delight its owners for more than one year.

Interesting ideas

Finally, we offer you to be inspired by original decisions embodied by the hardworking owners of Khrushchev refrigerators with your own hands.

Make a door from a regular double -glazed window, and use LED tape as a backlight:

If you do not want all the products in the refrigerator to be in sight, install a double -glazed window with matte glass:

A great option for a small kitchen is to install a cabinet with drawers in a niche from the refrigerator:

A visual demonstration of how an ordinary apartment in Khrushchev can turn into stylish modern housing if you dismantle the refrigerator under the window and install a window in the French style in its place:

There is nowhere to put the oven or dishwasher - install it instead of the refrigerator:

Mirror inserts on the doors will visually increase the space: