DIY refrigerator under the window

It is quite difficult to imagine housing without a refrigerator. Storage of most products without this device is simply impossible. That is why there is a refrigerator in every family. It is bought the first of household appliances, along with a washing machine. It is difficult to imagine, but this was not always the case.

In the middle of the last century, a household refrigerator in the apartment was an object, if not luxury, then certainly an evidence of prosperity and good relations in the field of trade. Soviet refrigerators could not boast of good performance or with a capacity. They were catastrophically lacked, they were noisy, it was impossible to store foods in them for a long time. Instead of improving the refrigerator, the genius of Soviet engineers came up with an original exit from the situation. They just designed a trunk refrigerator. About how to make a refrigerator under the window with your own hands - further in the article.

Refrigerator under the window. The design of the refrigerator under the window made by your own hands

A subcutaneous refrigerator, or as it is also called “Khrushchevsky”, became very popular in the 60s of the last century. He represented a niche that was made in the wall under the window. In the summer, she acted as a small cabinet in which not perishable products (vegetables, conservation, etc.) could be stored. In winter, when the temperature outside the window drops below zero, the niche serves as a refrigerator. Due to the fact that the wall under the window is either completely absent, or its thickness does not exceed half a brick, the temperature in such an impromptu refrigerator is only a couple of degrees higher than on the street. It can even be stored in it meat products without fear of their safety.

This design turned out to be so successful that it can often be found not only in Khrushchevs, but also in nine -story buildings. The subcutaneous refrigerator has a number of advantages:

• More optimal use of the area of \u200b\u200bthe apartment.
• Electricity savings. In the winter period, a regular refrigerator can simply be turned off by storing products in an impromptu autonomous refrigerator.

However, when planning the structure of the window sill refrigerator, it is necessary to think about the back of the medal. The fact is that when the wall thickness is reduced, its thermal conductivity increases sharply, so in order to be warm in the kitchen, you should think about good thermal insulation of the walls and the refrigerator door.

In modern apartments, where the walls are made of reinforced concrete, it is not possible to make a refrigerator built into the wall. In this case, it is installed on the windowsill under the window frame.

Refrigerator under the window. Formation of a niche for the installation of a window sill refrigerator

The initial stage in the construction of a winter refrigerator under the window with your own hands is the formation of a niche under it. In the production of these works, it must be understood that in most houses, except for buildings of the type of “monolithic-brick”, the external walls are bearing and the introduction of changes to their design should be agreed with the regulatory authorities. Although the window sill part of the wall does not affect the overall construction fortress, problems with renewal may arise when selling an apartment. Therefore, you should ask in BTI what documents must be issued to legitimize such a redevelopment.

Usually, central heating radiators are installed in the window sills, so first it will have to be transferred to another place. It is selected depending on the location of the riser. The distance from the niche for the refrigerator and the heating device should be as much as possible, otherwise the temperature in the Khrushchev refrigerator will not be low enough.

For the construction of brick houses, as a rule, a well type of masonry is used, that is, the outer wall has voids. To improve the thermal insulation of the structure, such voids are filled with heat -insulating material. In Soviet times, it was an ordinary slag.

The procedure for the installation of the Khrushchev refrigerator under the window with your own hands:

1. Work on arranging a niche is to dismantle the inside of the masonry of the wall in order to deepen an existing recess. First of all, it is necessary to remove plaster from the wall. This is done using a hammer. For greater speed of work, you can use a punch in the “Jack of Hammer” mode with a special flat nozzle.
2. You need to work carefully so as not to destroy the desired part of the plaster. When removing the latter in the room, it will be very dusty, so it is better to cover furniture and household appliances with a piece of wet matter.
3. At the end of the first stage, you can proceed to the dismantling of brickwork. To do this, you can use the same punch.
4. To control the process of dismantling the masonry, you must understand when it needs to be stopped. To do this, you need to know the secrets of brickwork. Usually the outer wall was laid out in two bricks. The thickness of the “brick” meant that the wall has a thickness of 25 cm. That is, for the device of the refrigerator, you need to remove one wall “in brick”, but leave one without damaging it.
5. After the required amount of brick is removed, the niche must be plastered with cement mortar. Simple plaster is not suitable for this, since, unlike the cement-sand mixture, it does not have such waterproofing properties.
6. After “rough” work with the surface of the wall, small through cracks are formed in it. With atmospheric precipitation, moisture will accumulate in them, which at a minus temperature will freeze and simply break the plaster. Therefore, a cement-sand mortar for such work is the most optimal solution. On top of it you can already put putty, or glue ceramic tiles. For gluing the latter, it is necessary to use waterproof glue, such as CM-11 from Ceresit, otherwise the tile can simply fall.
7. For the device of the refrigerator, absolutely any tile, even trimming or battle, which remained from the cladding of the kitchen or bathroom, are suitable.
8. As a decoration option, many builders use plastic panels. They are easily mounted, are not expensive, and have a long service life.
9. Some masters advise making a hole in the wall into which a small pipe is inserted, which provides a flow of cold air to the refrigerator.
10. Shelves are best installed from plastic, they better withstand temperature and humidity drops.

Refrigerator under the window. Doors for the Khrushchevsky refrigerator

Doors for the window sill refrigerator can be done both on your own and ordering in the workshop. Most often, two options are used for such purposes:

• MDF facade. An unconditional plus of this material is that it can be selected for all the facades of the kitchen, thereby making a single design ensemble. The still strong side of the choice of such doors for the winter refrigerator under the window is their price. MDF facades are installed on furniture loops, which are screwed to the inner surfaces of the refrigerator. The disadvantage of this option of the door is that it is very difficult to achieve a tight fit to each other and to the surface. And this, in turn, leads to the penetration of warm air inward and the cold outer of the refrigerator.
• Metal -plastic profile. Such a door is no different from a miniature metal -plastic double window. Only instead of a double -glazed window, a sandwich panel is inserted into it, which has low thermal conductivity. Thanks to accessories, such a door tights tightly to the frame, excluding the penetration of warm air into the refrigerator. This door is made at the factory and comes ready with the frame. It is installed on the edge of the niches on anchor bolts, the cracks are covered and covered with plaster. Work on installing such a door must begin until the internal cladding of the refrigerator. The only drawback of the metal -plastic door for the Khrushchev refrigerator under the window is its price.

Refrigerator under the window. How to remake a winter refrigerator

Some owners whose refrigerator has already been installed prefer to get rid of it. He simply seems unnecessary to many, and not everyone has a desire to invest in his modernization. First of all, when dismantling the Khrushchev refrigerator, it is necessary to insulate the outer wall. Otherwise, the cold from it will penetrate the rest of the room. If there is no desire to mess with brick masonry, you can use polystyrene foam, which finish the entire niche. Then it can simply be plastered and putty.

Further, the niche of the winter refrigerator outside the window can be used for other purposes:

• Install a heating radiator in it, thereby free a little useful area.
• Install a built -in equipment in it (electric shout, dishwasher, etc.) however, this can only be done if the area allows.
• Build a French window. In some apartments, it is possible to dismantle the entire wall on the width of the window opening and install a full -fledged French window. Although this will not add a useful area, it will make the kitchen much lighter.
• With your own hands, a niche after dismantling a winter refrigerator can be used to store wines. To do this, you can not insulate the wall too much, put glass shelves in the refrigerator for storing bottles. To make the structure look more beautiful, it is better to order glass doors for it and install LED backlight. Such an impromptu bar will be an excellent addition to the interior design of the kitchen.
• The simplest option could be the construction of shelves for storing dishes and various kitchen utensils. They can be stylized for the overall design of the room.
• In a small kitchen, you can close the niche doors with built -in mirrors. This will visually expand the room.

Design of a winter refrigerator under the window: photo

DIY refrigerator finishing: Video