In-wall appliances can be a great way to save space, particularly in kitchens and laundry rooms.
The issue with these types of appliances is that many times, you can’t just head over to a store and buy the appliance “as is” to install it in your home. You may have to go through a process of designing and drawing plans to create the necessary spaces to install these in-wall appliances.
What type of appliances can be put in a wall? Potentially more than you think! That’s why we wanted to complete this guide to in-wall appliances to look into the different options that may be available.
Which Appliances Can Go into Walls?
We have to make a distinction here to mention that there are appliances that are typically manufactured to go into walls. “Official” in-wall appliances include ovens and some washing machines and dryers. Other appliances, such as refrigerators, can be set up against a wall.
Technically, any kitchen appliance can turn into an in-wall appliance. You’d just have to create a custom home with enough space for different appliances within walls. Why would you want to do a full house renovation to put appliances within walls?
The advantage of in-wall appliances is that they won’t take up space. In the simplest form, what you could be doing is cutting a hole in the wall that’s just big enough to fit an appliance. It’s not quite a room addition, but this interior design technique can certainly help you “create” more space in otherwise crowded areas.
Kitchen Renovations Must Come First
If you’re thinking about adding multiple in-wall appliances, particularly to a kitchen, the first thing that you’d need to do is renovate the area. It’s very important, though, to create these spaces with the in-wall appliances that will inhabit them already in mind. That means if you want to cut into a wall to set up a refrigerator there, ideally, do so near a water supply.
The same idea applies to people who want to set up washers and dryers within a wall. It’s not just about making sure there’s a gas or drain connection there so that you can hook up these machines. In fact, the secret to successful in-wall appliances may lie within the appliances themselves.
The Challenges That Come with In-wall Appliances
We’ve mentioned the fact that you need to ensure you have the right connections to install the specific appliance you want in that particular spot. Many kitchens, for example, are built with a “cabinet frame,” and there’s just a cut-out area where you can put a microwave or a refrigerator. Even in these situations, ideally, you’ll be able to release the energy or the heat that these appliances generate in some way.
This is a real issue with things like in-wall ovens. If the appliances are constantly getting too hot because there’s nowhere for the heat to dissipate, that can spell disaster sooner rather than later.
If you do a garage conversion project and you want to add appliances, you may have the same issue of the area getting too hot.
When you design a kitchen to feature in-wall appliances, you can’t just cut a hole in the wall and call it a day. It’s also not ideal to not leave enough room in these spaces for the cables to comfortably connect to power or water lines.
If the appliance is pushed up against the wall too much, these cables are going to go through more wear and tear than they need to. This can lead to water and gas leaks, amongst other issues that you’ll likely want to avoid.
Laundry Room & Bathroom Renovations
Other popular areas within a home that can be renovated to feature in-wall appliances are laundry and bathrooms. In some homes, this would just be a bathroom renovation since the laundry room and the bathroom are in the same place. You’ll be facing some of the same challenges that we just referenced.
One of the biggest issues with laundry rooms is not having a proper way to dissipate the heat they tend to generate. There’s going to be a gas line running through these rooms, so it’s never a good idea to allow the area to get too hot. When you add to that the fact that you’re pressing appliances up against these connections, it can be really dangerous. Take your home to new heights with Paragon Builders. Get started now!
