The generation of the 90s does not even remember such a phenomenon as Khrushchev refrigerator, and yet at one time it really helped our mothers and grandmothers. Original design, created specifically for “Khrushchev” buildings, replaced a full-fledged, albeit seasonal, refrigerator. But time is running, houses built in the 50s still stand, but built-in refrigerators in apartments have long required, if not dismantling, then overhaul. Read our article about how to make a refrigerator under a window and modernize an existing structure.

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

This design is a niche located under the window sill in the kitchen. Outer side niches are much thinner than the load-bearing walls of the building and have through holes. Through them it flows in winter cold air, which provides acceptable low temperature for storing food in winter time.

The dimensions of the refrigerator box allowed residents of Khrushchev-era apartments to save significantly kitchen space and store food longer, even if 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 preparing food. In the summer, cereals, vegetables, fruits, etc. could be stored in such a ventilated refrigerator. sunflower oil, flour and other non-perishable foods that are usually placed in kitchen cabinets.

The inventors of the Khrushchev refrigerator made special dampers that helped regulate the temperature inside. Over time, this innovation became so popular that it found application not only in Khrushchev buildings, but also in more modern residential high-rise buildings - Brezhnevkas and even some nine-story buildings.

Design advantages:

1. Significant space saving in a small kitchen.
2. Possibility of refurbishment and increasing the usefulness of the area.
3. Saving energy - in winter you can turn off your regular refrigerator and store all your food in a winter refrigerator under the window.
4. An ideal place to store homemade preserves.

DIY Khrushchev refrigerator

If you urgently need an increase usable area his small kitchen, the construction of a Khrushchev refrigerator will optimal solution. Making it with your own hands is not so difficult, especially if we're talking about about old brick houses.

Recessed niche under the window

First of all, you need to create a niche under the window in which the refrigerator will be located. To do this, knock the plaster off the wall to get to brickwork. If you are intimidated by what you are working with load-bearing wall and you can violate the integrity of the building, your worries are completely in vain - the part located under the window does not affect the strength of the wall. Under window frame A strong concrete beam was installed, which is responsible for the integrity of the load-bearing wall.

The image above demonstrates the principle of well brick masonry, which is used for construction residential buildings. The voids are filled with heat-insulating material (slag). Based on your preferences, deepen the niche by dismantling part of the masonry inside the house. Thus, the wall will become thinner by about 25 cm.

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

When you have dismantled the inside of the masonry and knocked down some of the bricks across the masonry (with a poke), you will be left with a wall the width of a brick. This partition must be plastered cement mortar. Putty cannot be used because it is not waterproof and other performance characteristics cement-sand mixture. Keep in mind that when dismantling the masonry, gaps and cracks may appear on the outer part of the wall, through which moisture will certainly penetrate during the first rain. In winter, the water will freeze, the ice, as you know, will increase in volume, create pressure on the plaster and tear it. Therefore, the only acceptable solution is to cover the wall with cement, and on top of it you can apply finishing putty or other finishing, for example, tiling the refrigerator with ceramic tiles.

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

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

Khrushchev refrigerator doors

When you are done with organizing the internal space of the refrigerator, you need to solve the second, but no less important task - replacing and installing the doors. Doors in the design of a winter refrigerator play a decisive role, being responsible for maintaining cold inside the box and heat inside the apartment. Therefore, the requirements for them should be inflated.

The best option would be to install durable doors with external finishing like the rest of the kitchen. Then the refrigerator will fit harmoniously into the interior and will not be noticeable. You can make the sashes yourself or go to a workshop.

Door installation features:

1. To hang the doors on the winter refrigerator and make them airtight, the niche must have perfectly smooth edges with angles strictly at 90 degrees. It is quite difficult to achieve such parameters manually, especially without professional construction skills, but there are a couple of tips to help hardworking owners - align the corners with ceramic tiles or make a separate frame in the form of a frame on which the facade will be supported. 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 central part groove for singing 22 cm from the corner of the facade. A distance of 7-12 cm is left from the end of the door to the central part of the hinge, depending on the dimensions of the door and individual preferences. If you are using 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 come into contact with the shelves of the refrigerator.
3. To cut the hinges, use a wood end mill with a 35mm socket diameter. You will need to make a groove 11-12 mm deep, so if you are working with a thin furniture panel of 16-18 mm, drill very carefully so that the cutter does not go through. To make it easier to control the penetration depth, sharpen the drill properly before work.
4. The second end of the loop can be fixed directly to the tile if you have made perfectly straight corners of the niche without a frame. To do this, use dowels (5-6 mm) and screws (at least 3-4 mm). To accurately make holes for the dowels, make preliminary markings on the tiles and use a 3 mm Pobedit drill bit.

Not only furniture facades can be used as doors, but also double-glazed windows, wooden frames with glass, plastic or metal inserts. When creating a door for a winter refrigerator, it should be taken into account that wood is the best thermal insulation material. The plastic is too thin for this and will require additional insulation polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam.

If possible, make the door with a slat. This element, insignificant at first glance, fulfills important function, increasing the tightness of the door and promoting better retention of cold inside the box. Even if you purchased or ordered a door, attach a crossbar to it, constructing it from a regular baguette.

Modifications of the Khrushchev refrigerator

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

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

1. Completely fill the space under the window sill, creating a dense thermal insulation layer and tightly blocking the cold bridges. 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. Remodel the refrigerator, make proper insulation using modern building materials and use the structure for its intended purpose.
3. Complete reorientation of the space followed by installation of a gas stove, dishwasher or washing machine. Alternatively, you can fill the recess with a cabinet with drawers, install on the windowsill hob or a sink.
4. Completely remove the brickwork and install french window. Such a radical decision will make a small kitchen lighter and visually increase its size. You can save on lighting, especially if the window faces north or is blocked from direct sunlight by other houses or trees.

Seal the refrigerator niche

The simplest, cheapest and fastest option is to completely seal the niche of the winter refrigerator. This way you will immediately solve the problem of heat leakage through a thin wall, especially if you live in the northern regions of the country. Other types of modifications will require much more time, effort and money.

Points to pay attention to:

1. It is necessary to seal the space with bricks, since only this material can provide complete protection from the adverse effects of weather. To determine the required wall thickness, use SNiP 02/23/2003, but even without any documentation it is obvious that to create high-quality thermal insulation you can simply fill a 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 retain heat in the apartment.
2. You should not use sheets of plasterboard for lining and sealing niches, since due to the temperature difference, condensation will very quickly appear on it, the material will become moldy and collapse.
3. If you decide to leave a small niche, we recommend installing heating radiator to keep the apartment 100% warm.

Modernization of the Khrushchev refrigerator

If you don't want to part with this convenient design, it can be “ennobled” and made more functional.

Key points to note:

1. Thin back wall The refrigerator has through ventilation holes that must be cleaned from dust and dirt.
2. The apartment is protected from cold air only by thin wooden doors that have not been changed since Soviet times. Take care of purchasing or building new doors.
3. The shelves should also be replaced. You can put glass, plastic, metal or wooden shelves.
4. Pay special attention to space ventilation and the question of its necessity. If you decide to leave the outlet to the holes open, be prepared for the fact that the temperature inside the refrigerator in winter will be very low, at which not all food can be stored. If the holes are sealed, then at a temperature of -10C -20C outside, the temperature in the refrigerator will remain up to +10C. Do not plug the holes tightly polyurethane foam or cement mortar - give preference to mineral wool.
5. Re-equipment of the refrigeration chamber takes not so much time as it takes money. From your preferences and design idea The cost of the work will depend.
6. Choose the simplest fittings - latches, fasteners, hinges, etc. It is not at all necessary to make a transom system for such small sizes; it is enough to install a regular one swing door. As an option, you can install sliding doors, which will save free space in the kitchen. The sliders system reliably insulates the interior from the cold in the niche.
7. Think about how you will line the inside of the refrigerator - tiles, plastic, wood or plaster. If you do interior lining made of plastic, the refrigerator will always be neat, clean and well-maintained (easy to clean).
8. It is recommended to install a door locking system with fine-tuning to minimize the risk of the door not closing tightly and causing drafts.

Helpful Hint: Install internal LED lightening with 12V or 24V power supply and step-down 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 put in a little effort and imagination, then the brilliant invention of Soviet architects will live a worthy second life and will delight its owners for many years.

Finally, we invite you to be inspired by the original solutions implemented by the hardworking owners of Khrushchev’s refrigerators with their own hands.

Make a door from a regular double-glazed window, and use LED strip as lighting:

If you do not want all the food in the refrigerator to be visible, install a double-glazed window with frosted glass:

Great option for small kitchen– installation of a cabinet with drawers in a niche from the refrigerator:

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

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

Mirror inserts on the doors will visually increase the space:

Old five-story buildings, designed more than 60 years ago, still occupy at least ten percent of the country's total housing stock. They were designed to satisfy minimal household needs, so they were not particularly comfortable.

Years passed, the welfare of the people increased, and the inhabitants of these “Khrushchev” buildings began redevelopment, since some design ideas had become obsolete, in particular, the thin outer wall under the window in the kitchen, which served as a cold pantry. And now every home has refrigerators, so there is no need to have a built-in cabinet with this function. And the apartment owners began to transform and transform this corner of the kitchen.

There are so many options and ideas rational use even such a small space. After all, the kitchens in the apartments of those projects have a very small area - from five to seven square meters. But no matter how tiny it is, you need to try to make it more comfortable and functional, because this is where all family members spend most of their time.

The main task when decorating a kitchen is to organize a comfortable work area for preparing food and at least a small dining area.

Today we will look at some interesting and useful tips, which will help you decide how to more rationally use the niche in the kitchen.

1. Use a niche for storing vegetables and canning

To avoid loading the refrigerator with vegetables in the winter, you can use this niche as a cold pantry. If necessary, insulate the wall a little so that during severe frosts the vegetables were not frozen. Replace shelves and front doors with more modern and practical ones. You can even use glass ones, the only condition is that there must be order so as not to spoil aesthetic appearance interior

2. Store things and objects in a niche

Depending on how you organize the space around this niche, you can store both very popular things and objects there, and vice versa. If there is free access to it, then place those items that you use constantly. If access is limited, it is very convenient to put there everything that you use rarely or seasonally. But in any case, such an additional cabinet can free up a table or hanging shelves for you. In this case, it is advisable to insulate the wall so that cold air does not penetrate into the apartment. Such a niche can be done either with open shelves same with closed ones.

3. Install the battery in the niche

This niche can be used as a place for a radiator, having previously insulated the wall thermal insulation materials. If you place it in the depths of the free space, you can not only solve the problem of heating the apartment, but also significantly save space.

4. Replace the window sill with a work area with a sink

If you can move the communications, then instead of the window sill, install a countertop with a sink. Such a solution will be rational and convenient, not only will more space immediately appear, but the work area itself under the window will be well lit, and the interior will be transformed - it will become more fashionable and stylish.

If you decide on this kind of redevelopment, you need to take into account some nuances. For example, the width of the slopes, so as not to place the sink too close to the window, in order to avoid increased humidity and the appearance of mold. In no case should such innovation interfere with the opening and closing of the window.

5. Replace the window sill with a work area countertop

There is a more rational option, when instead of a window sill they install only work area with spacious shelves or drawers. In this case, it becomes possible to free up a lot of space, since the cabinet of such a table will be in a recess, which will allow you to hide more kitchen utensils.

6. Create a comfortable eating area

It is good to use this area as a dining area. You can remove shelves and niche partitions; this will help free up space for legs under the table, as well as for chairs or stools.

There are many original options for transforming the dining table-window sill. Will it be classic rectangular table, round or curly, or maybe a spectacular bar counter - it’s up to you. The main thing is that it fits harmoniously into the interior of your kitchen and takes up a minimum of space.

Depending on the available space, you can choose which surface design to use - stationary, tilting, folding or retractable. The last three are more suitable for those who have a very small kitchen area.

View a selection of original design solutions when decorating a niche under the window and the area around it.

The refrigerator under the window has its drawbacks, which many are not happy with, such as poor thermal insulation of the room, and therefore, most devices of this type have undergone various modifications.

There are three main options:

Completely or partially seal the space at the bottom of the window sill, and leave a small niche for installing the battery

Cover the refrigerator with insulation, especially the door, so that air does not penetrate inside the room in winter, and use it for its intended purpose, in the summer as a cabinet, in the winter as a refrigerator.

Completely remove the partition separating the room from the street, remove the window sill, and install big window. Naturally, the thermal insulation will become even worse, and to compensate for this, it is necessary to make a loggia or balcony so that there is another layer of air.

Cleaning the refrigerator

This best option, which is suitable for most, because in the warm season the room is very hot, and in winter it is cold. For residents of the northern regions this is perfect option to ensure good heat capacity of the room.

It is best to seal the niche with brick to ensure the reliability and durability of the structure. Ideally, it is better to align the niche with the main thickness of the wall. It is advisable to leave space for air in the middle to avoid condensation due to sudden temperature changes. You can insulate the wall over the brickwork from the inside, which will make the problem area much more comfortable. There is an option for insulating the outside of the room, then the entire surface is covered with polypropylene foam boards, plus plaster along with painting the surface, which will completely eliminate the problem cold room.

You can leave a small niche for the battery, 10-15 cm, and install a heating radiator to fully compensate for the deficiency cold wall. The window sill can be replaced because in houses with such a refrigerator they are very large due to the space below.

Advice ! The window sill can also be used as a tabletop, and the space under it can be used for a chair and other things, it will not interfere with your feet.

Refrigerator improvement

It is quite possible to improve the refrigerator on your own without the help of specialists.

Main problem area The refrigerator has a door; if it is well insulated, it will make the room more comfortable. It is better to take a metal-plastic door, from the same profile as the window. You should not install sliding and other doors with unreliable fixation and many gaps, which are more expensive and will let a lot of cold into the room.

Advice ! You should pay attention to the tight fit of the door to the refrigerator; it is possible to glue additional insulation tape at the point of contact.

As internal material You can use special sandwich panels that optimally store cold and do not allow it to pass through the structure. This will make the refrigerator a little smaller, but will allow you to isolate the air in it and not spread it to the walls and into the room.

When simultaneously replacing the window sill with a smaller one, and when the brick row has not yet been laid out (if there is one), it is possible to slightly increase the height of the refrigerator, reducing the useful part of the window.

The interior space can be covered with plasterboard or plastered. Drywall must be puttied at the joints, and the edges must be made at about 20 degrees to avoid deformation, because it can expand, and the plastered edges will take on the entire load.

Anyway inner space it is necessary to insulate so that the cold does not penetrate the walls, but concentrates and remains in the refrigerator, and in the summer the heat also does not reduce the comfort in the room.

To avoid destruction of the wall from condensation, you need to make gaps between the drywall/seal and the wall so that there are additional layers of air to minimize strong temperature changes, a warm home atmosphere and a cold street.

You can make a light in the refrigerator to make it easier to see using simple elements for standard refrigerators, for example, a transformer and others, securing them in a box next to the refrigerator, in a warm place with a stable temperature.

They can withstand negative temperature, but moisture and frost that are inside the refrigerator can damage the device and will take up additional space.

Important ! Inside the refrigerator is the worst place for electrical equipment.

The back wall can also be insulated with a layer of brickwork, but we must not forget that the main source of cold in winter are the holes in the wall, which are best not covered. Also, when plastering, you cannot seal them.

When building a veranda or insulating an existing one, we must not forget about the need for air to flow to the holes. To improve efficiency, you can run a pipe through the veranda to the outside, and carefully seal everything around it so that air flows only through the pipeline, and cover it with a heat insulator, the best remedy to maintain temperature and efficient work I can't think of a refrigerator.

On last stage shelves and drawers are attached.

Advice ! They should be oversized and simple to save precious space.

Glazing of unnecessary space

This is in a good way visual expansion kitchen, and makes it an excellent design masterpiece, a large window is necessary to lift your spirits every morning if you live in an area with not very cold winters.

This part of the wall, with the refrigerator, does not bear any special load, so you can safely remove it.

First you should measure everything, and do at least rough plan future window or veranda, find out the dimensions in the store, and then order the future window using them.

It is possible to leave the window sill, but be careful with it, not forgetting that there is glass on both the bottom and the top.

Important ! When removing a partition above the first floor, it is important that there is a person below or a sign that work is underway. Ideally, you should limit the possible area of ​​falling construction materials with bright tape so that people see the danger and pass this area more carefully.

After cleaning the refrigerator and part of the wall, it is important to clean the edges so that installers do not have to spend half the day breaking up unnecessary and disturbing areas.

After the workers have inserted the window, they need to blow out the cracks with polyurethane foam, wait for it to harden, and cut off the excess with a knife.

Advice ! To prevent the foam from deteriorating from moisture and sun, it should be puttied or plastered.

If you are planning to make a small veranda, you should fix the channel from below to the floor using anchors, and cover the protruding part with sheets of iron.

The resulting step from the channels can be carefully decorated, the railings can be fixed in the wall, and above the landing they can be fixed with stops into the floor.

If the veranda is completely covered with glass, this will help retain heat.

Advice ! Additionally, you can install floor heating to make the room much more comfortable, since there is a large heat loss through such windows.

But for this work in the apartment, permission is required, since what we do may damage the entire building, the floors above and below. Same as during demolition load-bearing walls and other elements that could lead to the destruction of the entire building.

Conclusion

A refrigerator under the window is a very convenient and practical tool, which, unfortunately, many have said goodbye to. If you are lucky and you still have such a refrigerator, then you can use it to save money on electricity, and how extra bed for food storage and preservation.

If you don’t need it, then you can make a wonderful veranda that will lift your spirits every morning at breakfast.

You can additionally learn how to make a refrigerator under the window from the following video

Today the refrigerator has become an integral part household appliances for kitchen. It allows you to store a lot of products, but also takes up a significant part of the room. However, in small Khrushchev kitchens, place large refrigerator it can be quite difficult. Many are forced to resort to non-standard solutions and build a special refrigeration device under the window.

Advantages and disadvantages of a refrigerator under the window

Winter has a number of important advantages, among which the most important are:

• the emergence of another place for storing preserved food;
• Great freezer for the winter months;
• saving valuable space;
• possibility of purchasing a smaller refrigerator;
• significant energy savings;
• ease of cleaning;
• minimal consumption of materials to create a refrigeration chamber, as well as ease of repair and dismantling.

However, a refrigerator under the window can also have serious disadvantages. In some cases, it causes the following undesirable phenomena:

1. lowering the air temperature in the kitchen, because to arrange a niche, apartment owners are forced to move the heating to the side from the window;
2. the appearance of mold and mildew due to high humidity and significant temperature changes;
3. necessity frequent care behind the refrigerator, as moisture constantly accumulates in it.

Attention! In such a refrigerator you can store only those products that do not lose their taste under the influence of frost.

Creating a refrigerator under the window

According to GOST, the thickness of brick walls varies from 0.51 to 0.64 m (laying 2-2.5 bricks). At the same time, the thickness of the wall in the recess does not exceed 0.45 m, as a result of which it is colder there. During the construction of Khrushchev houses, well-type masonry was used (slag was poured between the voids for insulation). Therefore, under kitchen window You can remove one row of bricks and in this way increase the capacity of the niche.

After all the manipulations, the thickness of the wall will be only 0.25 m. But thanks to the concrete lintels located above the window opening, as well as with careful intervention, the integrity of the wall is guaranteed. Then you need to paste vent equipped with a damper. With its help you can lower or increase the temperature in the niche.

The partition between the room and the street must be plastered with a mixture of cement and sand, and then putty applied.

An excellent option for interior finishing of a refrigeration unit is smooth tiles. So, it needs to be placed on the plaster, and for reliable fastening, use frost-resistant tile adhesive. In addition, it is appropriate to use sandwich panels for these purposes. This type of work does not require special knowledge, so it can be done by the owner of the apartment independently.

Refrigerator exterior

When arranging a refrigerator, you need to pay attention to its aesthetic side. In this sense, an important role is played by correctly selected doors, which should fit harmoniously into general interior kitchens. Besides quality product will not let cold air into the room. Therefore, you can resort to the following niche design options:

Attention! The doors need to be hung perfectly straight so that they fit as tightly as possible to each other and do not let heat into the niche.

Quite often, sliding doors, rather than hinged ones, are chosen for niches, which save space. In addition, they are easy to make even with your own hands. To do this, you need to buy plastic guides and securely attach them to the window sill and floor. Then blanks from fiberboard should be inserted into them.

Remodeling and dismantling the refrigerator under the window

After purchasing an apartment, new owners often find a ready-made winter refrigerator in the kitchen. However, it is often in a neglected state. If the owners decide that this device will be useful, then they have to do a complete redesign of the niche.

Refrigerator conversion

First, you need to remove all the old parts of the structure, because mold could already be growing there. After thorough cleaning and eliminating the fungus, you need to repeat finishing the niche according to the principle that was described earlier.

Sometimes the design of finished refrigerators has a through hole required for the entry of cold air. It is not recommended to completely close it; you can only fix the grille on the outside and carefully fill the hole itself mineral wool. It will partially limit the air flow, but will help maintain the optimal temperature inside the niche.

Refrigerator dismantling

Not all apartment owners need winter refrigerators, so many prefer to completely disassemble the device. To do this, you just need to fill the niche with bricks, cover this part of the wall with plaster and complete the decorative finishing. At the same time, it is forbidden to seal the finished refrigeration chamber with plasterboard, as it quickly becomes unusable due to high humidity in the niche.

In some cases, the recess is not bricked, but insulated with expanded polystyrene. Then you can conveniently place, for example, a microwave oven in it. If you dismantle the window sill, then even gas stove. As a result, when preparing food, it will be ensured good ventilation, and will also free up space for a regular refrigerator.

Thus, a refrigerator under the window is an excellent option to save space in a small kitchen in Khrushchev. Besides interesting design niches can give a room original look. However, such a design requires compliance with certain rules of arrangement, as well as careful care during its use.

In Khrushchev's multi-story buildings, builders left it under the window (for heating radiators). But inventive people tried to save precious space and moved the radiator to the side, and placed a winter radiator in a niche.

In those days, branded refrigerators were expensive and consumed a lot of electricity, so the problem was solved in another way. The thin wall and its cooling during the cold months helped to cool the niche, so perishable foods and preserves were stored there, saving precious space in the pantry and on kitchen shelves. The disadvantage of this design is the constant breeze of cold. In modern kitchens, the refrigerator under the window in a Khrushchev-era building looks specific, so it can be improved, decorated in a new way and used for its intended purpose.

Pros and cons of a winter refrigerator under the window in Khrushchev

The Khrushchev refrigerator under the window has the following advantages:

• saving square meters;
• additional option for storing pickles;
• freezer during winter months;
• seasonal analogue to a refrigerator at zero financial costs;
• minimum finishing materials;
• ease of cleaning.

Designing a winter refrigerator under a window involves moving the heating radiator to the side. According to the rules, radiators must be located under windows. Warm air from the radiator under the window rises and creates an invisible blanket that blocks the path of cold. If the battery is moved, then reliable insulation there will be no cold air flowing through the window. This is a minus.

An improvised refrigerator has one more drawback - the formation of condensation or frost on the internal walls, so it will have to be wiped regularly with a dry cloth. If you line the inner walls with ceramic tiles, clean them in refrigerator it will be much easier. Condensation occurs due to a noticeable difference in temperature outside and inside the house. Due to constant freezing and high humidity in interior wall Fungus or mold may appear, which is difficult to remove.

How to deepen a niche yourself and do the finishing: installation instructions

The main task of arranging a refrigerator under the window is to create a useful and convenient compartment that will fit into the interior of a modern kitchen.

According to GOST, a brick house varies from 0.51 m (2 bricks) to 0.64 m (2.5 bricks). When constructing multi-story buildings, the thickness of the walls is brick house decreases as construction progresses. The thickness of the brick outer walls of the building is about 0.6 m, and the thickness of the brick wall in the recess is 0.45 m (therefore it is cooler in the niche). In Khrushchev's buildings, well masonry was used (slag was poured into the resulting voids). It served as insulation. You can knock down the plaster, dismantle one row of bricks, deepen the space under the window and increase the capacity of the refrigerator.

Concrete lintels in brick walls above the window they maintain the integrity of the structure, so careful outside interference will not cause anything to happen. As a result, the wall will become thinner by 0.2 m, that is outer wall will have a thickness of only 0.25 m. A ventilation hole with a damper is left in the wall. With this device, the temperature in the niche is increased or decreased.

The resulting thin partition between the street and the room is plastered with cement and sand. It is not recommended to apply putty directly to the masonry. Otherwise, a problem may arise that the wall freezes. There may be microcracks and gaps in the masonry itself, through which moisture can penetrate in the fall. In frosty weather it will freeze and tear off the putty.

A practical option for finishing the interior walls of an outdoor refrigerator is ceramic tiles. It is placed directly on the plaster using tile universal frost-resistant adhesive.

It is not necessary to buy expensive tiles to cover the device. The main requirement is the smoothness of the tiles. You can buy defective tiles, leftovers, or use scraps left over from a bathroom or kitchen renovation.

Doors and doors for a refrigerator made of plastic: insulated design

There are many ways to customize a makeshift refrigerator modern look. The finish of the refrigerator under the window may vary. To make the kitchen interior look harmonious, it is desirable that the doors are identical to the facades of the set. To those who did kitchen furniture to order, it will not be difficult to order two doors separately for the refrigeration niche. You can decorate your refrigerator using furniture panels yourself. But if you don’t want to tinker yourself, you can invite specialists. They will do everything quickly and accurately.

Options include doors made of PVC profiles (optional with double-glazed windows or sandwich panels) and sliding systems made of aluminum. Often companies involved in production and installation metal-plastic windows, offer their clients to replace the Khrushchev refrigerator along with the old window. It's not cheap, but it has the following advantages:

• complete tightness;
• ease of use;
• functionality and spaciousness;
• space saving;
• attractive appearance and snow-white interior trim.

Moreover, manufacturers give the opportunity to choose required amount doors. If the refrigerator is small, one door is enough, big sizes niches require two opening doors. If the desire to save money comes first, there is an option to make the smaller half solid and the larger half openable. This is a little inconvenient in everyday life, but it allows you to save money when ordering. The cost also depends on the configuration: you can order only doors for refrigerators, or you can order the whole interior decoration(cabinet under the refrigerator).

You can decorate your refrigerator using lighting. Behind transparent glasses install LED backlight(this looks impressive in a high-tech interior). However, you will have to pay special attention to order. Doors with tinted glass are also available (creates the effect of a minibar).

It is important that the facades are hung correctly. If the doors are hung crookedly, they will not fit tightly together. This means that the window-sill refrigerator will not maintain the temperature, and the warm air of the room will penetrate inside the cabinet. The edges of the recess should be smooth. If the tiles are laid flat, then all angles will be 90⁰. Otherwise you will have to make a frame. The gap between the frame and the edges is hidden with a baguette.

Sequence of actions: built-in refrigerator

For those who have basic skills in handling building materials and tools, making a refrigerator with your own hands is not difficult. To begin, mark the center of the groove for the hinges at a distance of 20-21 mm from the corner edge of the door. The distance from the center of the loop to the end edge varies from 75 to 125 mm depending on the size and thickness of the facade. If the panels have heavy weight, then add a third loop in the middle for reliability. It is important to calculate the spaces between the loops so that they are not in line with the shelves.

To embed hinges, use end mill on wood with a diameter of 35 mm. You must drill carefully, otherwise the cutter will go right through, since the depth of the groove is 12 mm, and thin panels are 17-18 mm thick. Careful sharpening of the drill will help in the work, it will be easier to adjust the drilling depth and there will be no need to put pressure on the door. Furniture makers recommend using an awl as a center punch, then the cutters and screws will not slip.

The other part of the hinges is attached to ceramic tiles or frame. First, the tiles are accurately marked, control drilling is done, and then they are drilled for dowels 5 mm thick. It is better to take screws with a thickness of 3-4 mm so that the panels hold tightly.

For the doors of the Khrushchev refrigerator they are used as furniture facades, so plastic panels. But wood, unlike plastic, has good thermal insulation and maintains low temperatures in the niche. For this effect, the plastic will have to be expanded with polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam. For the doors, a shutter strip is made around the perimeter. It guarantees the tightness of the recess and does not cause warm air get inside. Even custom ones door panels can be equipped with a baguette porch.

If the kitchen has a small square area, then making hinged doors is a great luxury. Making a door with your own hands is easy. You can purchase plastic guides and attach them to the floor and window sill. Fibreboard blanks of suitable size are inserted into them. True, sliding systems reduce thermal insulation. But if you order them from glazing manufacturers, this can be avoided. System installation sliding doors with fine-tuning, it reliably insulates the room from cold air in the niche.

DIY dismantling

If for some reason the apartment owner decided to dismantle the refrigerator under the window, then it is better to cover it with foam block or brick. Brackets for the radiator are installed in the brick. If the recess is deep, then the free space between the partitions is filled with slag. The space under the window sill is filled with polyurethane foam. After dismantling the refrigerator, the battery is returned to its old place to increase its efficiency. Full seal niches solve all serious problems with heat leakage through a thin wall and wooden doors. Therefore, residents of the northern regions will find this option the most rational.

Closed. Screw it on first wooden slats to the brick wall, seal the ventilation hole, insert insulation sheets and screw the drywall with screws to the guides. The side walls are not insulated. Finish the former niche at your discretion. But for those who are not familiar with the principles of wall construction, the notorious dew point and vapor permeability, such cladding may subsequently turn out sideways. Condensation forms between the drywall and the insulating material, which leads to blooming and destruction of the wall.

Solutions:

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The winter refrigerator under the window is a field for a splash creative ideas. If it does not live up to its intended purpose, it can be transformed at any time and given new useful functions. You can decorate a niche in the wall in full accordance with your personal preferences and tastes.