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A tape measure stretched across an empty cabinet opening.

The opening, the path in and the rough-ins

Get the space ready
guides.

Everything worth having ready before delivery: an opening that matches the maker's cutout drawing, a clear path through doors, stairs and floors, and the water, drain and exhaust rough-ins the new appliance will need.

(844) 638-8309

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

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  • Read before you book
  • Says where to stop

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Get the space ready,
guide by guide.

Most of what decides whether an installation goes smoothly is settled before the appliance arrives. The opening has to match the installation drawing, the route from the truck has to be wide enough and strong enough, and the water, drain and exhaust connections have to be waiting in the right places. This section is about getting the space ready.

All 18 guides
An empty dishwasher opening between two new base cabinets in a US home kitchen, a technician's hands, seen from the shoulders down, holding a tape measure from the finished floor up to the underside of the countertop across the dishwasher cutout, the drain and water holes visible in the side cabinet, a boxed dishwasher at the edge of the frame, indoors, seasonless.
5-minute read

Cutout dimensions and the spec sheet: reading the numbers before cabinets are built

Product size, opening size and the clearances above and beside the appliance are three different sets of figures. How to read them on a spec sheet before anyone cuts a cabinet.

The front hallway of a US home with hardboard sheets taped across a finished wood floor, two technicians seen from behind guiding a new French door refrigerator strapped to an appliance dolly through an interior doorway whose door has been lifted off its hinges and leaned against the wall, the refrigerator's handles removed and bagged on top, indoors, seasonless.
6-minute read

The delivery path: doors, stairs and floors between the truck and the opening

Every doorway, turn and stair the appliance must pass, the weight the floor has to carry, what to inspect before the crew leaves, and how the old unit should leave the house.

A laundry room in a US home during a remodel with open wall studs, a technician's hands, seen from the shoulders down, fitting a rigid metal exhaust duct elbow onto a round opening through the exterior wall behind where the new dryer will stand, a laundry standpipe and two supply valves set in the open wall beside the dryer exhaust opening, a boxed dryer at the edge of the frame, indoors, seasonless.
6-minute read

Water, drain and exhaust rough-ins: what must be in the wall before the appliance

Supply stubs, drain heights, air gaps, standpipes, laundry exhaust openings and hood ducts: the rough-in figures the installation instructions give, and why they are set before the walls close.

The opening, the path in and the rough-ins.

The guides take those three in turn. The first explains how to read a spec sheet: the difference between product size and opening size, flush and proud built-in fits, and the clearances above a cooking surface. The second walks the delivery path from the curb to the opening, including floor strength, inspection on arrival and how the old appliance should leave. The third covers the rough-in: supply stubs, drain heights, air gaps, standpipes, laundry exhaust runs and hood ducts.

The figures come from the makers' installation instructions, from GE, Whirlpool, True, Sharp, LG and Vent-A-Hood among them, and from EPA on disposing of old cold storage units. Every guide places its sources next to the numbers they back, and each figure applies to the model it was taken from, so check your own model's instructions before building to it.

Owners, designers and contractors planning a remodel will get the most from this section, ideally while walls and cabinets are still open. Each guide ends by saying which preparation an owner can do, such as measuring, clearing a route or marking zones, and which belongs to the plumber, electrician, duct installer or appliance installer.

Not sure where to start?

The short answerCutout dimensions and the spec sheet: reading the numbers before cabinets are built

Appliance cutout dimensions are the opening sizes printed in the installation instructions, not the product's own size: a 30-inch freestanding cooking appliance measuring 29 7/8 inches wide needs a 30-inch opening, a dish care machine a 24 by 24 by about 34 1/2 inch space, and a built-in column a different opening for flush or proud fitting, plus the clearances above and beside each.

The short answerThe delivery path: doors, stairs and floors between the truck and the opening

The appliance delivery path is every doorway, hallway turn, stair and floor between the truck and the final opening.

The short answerWater, drain and exhaust rough-ins: what must be in the wall before the appliance

An appliance rough-in is the plumbing and ducting set before installation: a hot water stub and 1 1/2-inch cabinet holes for dish care, a cold line in the maker's tubing for an ice maker, laundry valves within 4 feet and a standpipe at least 39 inches high, a 4-inch rigid metal laundry exhaust within the length chart, and a full-size metal duct to the outside for a hood.

When reading
is not enough.

If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop.

What installations cost
  1. 01The opening and the hookups, checked first
  2. 02Connected the way the instructions say
  3. 03Set in, leveled and secured
  4. 04A first run with you there

The problems
these answer.

Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking.

All 17 problems
A kitchen with a new stainless French door refrigerator still on its low appliance dolly, stopped halfway into a cabinet opening whose top edge is visibly too low for it, a yellow tape measure lying extended along the counter beside it, cardboard corner guards at the edge of the frame, even daylight. Problem

Unit Too Big for the Opening: Cutout, Depth and the Delivery Path

6 causes, cheapest first

 Close view along the front of a kitchen wall of light oak cabinetry with a newly installed panel-ready column refrigerator, its wooden door panel standing a finger's width proud of the cabinet door beside it at the handle side, the uneven shadow line clear, soft side daylight. Problem

Door Not Closing Flush After the Install

6 causes, cheapest first

 Close view at the bottom corner of a newly installed stainless freestanding range, the kick drawer removed, one threaded leveling leg visible turned partway out, a small spirit level lying on the floor beside it with its bubble off center, a strip of light wood floor and the edge of a cabinet, soft daylight. Problem

New Appliance Not Level: Rocking Cabinets and Uneven Gaps

6 causes, cheapest first

 Close view into the open tub of a newly installed dishwasher under a stone counter, its racks pulled out, a layer of cloudy standing water covering the filter at the bottom of the tub, the open sink cabinet beside it showing a gray drain hose lying flat along the cabinet floor instead of rising in a loop, soft daylight. Problem

Drain Backing Up After an Install: Plug, Loop and Standpipe

6 causes, cheapest first
A family unpacking groceries into a newly fitted kitchen, the fresh appliances set flush in their openings.
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
get the space ready.

When should appliance installation planning start in a remodel?
Before the cabinets are ordered. Opening sizes, service zones and exhaust routes are easy to set while walls are open and expensive to change once the finishes are in.
Which document gives the real opening size?
The installation instructions for the exact model number. Product pages usually give the appliance's own dimensions, which are smaller than the opening it needs.
What stops a delivery most often?
A doorway, stair or hallway turn narrower than the appliance, or an opening built to the product size rather than the cutout size. Both are found in minutes with a tape measure a week ahead.
Can the old appliance's connections be reused for the new one?
Some can, if they are in the right place and the right size. Gas connectors and old laundry exhaust ducts should be replaced, and water, drain and electrical connections must match what the new model's instructions ask for.

The other
sections.

Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns.

All guides
A new dishwasher sitting crooked in its opening, the counter gap uneven.
Why a brand-new appliance misbehaves in its first days

When a new install goes wrong

A finger on the control panel of a new washer, the display dark.
Measure first, then read the first week

First checks and setup codes

A panel-ready dishwasher beside a stainless one on a showroom floor.
Who installs it, which fuel, which front

Decisions before the install

An installation booklet and a receipt folder on top of a new dryer.
The first month of a new appliance

After the install

A yellow-coated gas connector at a closed shutoff valve behind a range.
Connectors, leak tests, brackets and circuits

Gas, power and water at the install

Not sure which section?

Start from your question

The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it.

18 guidesWhere to start Where to start

Back to your everyday

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