Khrushchev refrigerator .How to make a refrigerator under the window

Generation 90 not even remember about the phenomenon as Khrushchev refrigerator, and yet it is at one time a very rescued our mothers and grandmothers.The original structure, built specifically for the "Khrushchev", a substitute for a full-fledged, albeit seasonal, refrigerator.But time goes by, the houses built in the '50s, still standing, but the built-in refrigerators in the apartments for a long time if you do not require dismantling the overhaul.For information on how to make a refrigerator box and upgrade an existing design, read our article.

Features design

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

This design is a niche, beneath the window sill in the kitchen.The outer side recess is much thinner than the bearing walls of the building and has through holes.Through them, the cold air flows in winter, which provides acceptable low temperature for food storage in the winter.

Dimensions refrigeration box allowed residents "Khrushchev" kitchen significantly save space and store food for longer, albeit only 5-6 months a year.Plus, over the refrigerator has a very broad window sill, which can be used as a full shelf or a small table for cooking.During the summer, in a ventilated refrigerator can be stored grains, vegetables, fruits, vegetable oil, flour, and other non-perishable foods, which are usually placed in the kitchen cabinets.

inventors refrigerator Khrushchev made a special flap that helps to regulate the temperature inside.Over time, this mill innovation so popular that it has been applied not only in the "Khrushchev," but in a more modern residential high-rise buildings - "brezhnevki" and even some of the nine-storey houses.

design Advantages:

1. substantial space savings in a small kitchen.
2. Convertible and increasing the area of ​​utility.
3. energy savings - in the winter, you can disable the usual refrigerator and store all food in the refrigerator for the winter window.
4. ideal place to store home preservation.

Khrushchev refrigerator with their hands

If you urgently need to increase the usable area of ​​his small kitchen, construction of Khrushchev's refrigerator is the optimal solution.Make it your own hands is not so difficult, especially when it comes to the old brick houses.

deepening niche under the window

The first step is to create a niche under the window, which will be located a refrigerator.To do this, knock the plaster off the wall to get to the masonry.If you are afraid of what you are working with a supporting wall and can compromise the integrity of the building, the experience completely in vain - part located under the window has no effect on the walls of the fortress.Under the window frame mounted strong concrete beam, which is responsible for the integrity of the load-bearing wall.

The image shown above principle kolodtsevoy brickwork, which is used for construction of houses.Emptiness filled with insulating material (slag).Based on preferences, deepen niche dismantling of the masonry inside the house.Thus, the wall becomes thinner by about 25 cm.

To better understand the operating principle, should take into account the characteristics of brick settings.its length is 25 cm, width - 12 cm, thickness may vary (height butting and spoon).Thus, the thickness of the single brick is 6.5 cm sesquihydrate - 8.8 cm, double -. 13.8 cm Specifically, in this case it is necessary to focus on the width and length to control the wall thickness in the masonry during dismantling.

When you dismantle the inner part of the masonry and bricks knocked across the masonry (poke), will remain in the wall of a brick width.This partition should be mandatory to plaster cement mortar.Fillers can not be used because it does not have the water resistance and other performance characteristics of cement-sand mixture.Note that when disassembling the masonry on the outside of the wall may appear gaps and cracks through which moisture is required to penetrate into the first rain.In winter, the water freezes, ice is known to increase in volume creates a pressure on the plaster and tear it.Therefore, the only feasible solution - to cover the wall with cement, but already on top of it, you can apply the finish plaster or other finishes, such as ceramic tiles oblitsevat refrigerator.

At Khrushchev refrigerator has one significant drawback - condensation on the walls.Therefore, there is very quickly formed mold, wood rot, musty odor appears, construction collapses.These unfortunate consequences will help eliminate modern vapor-permeable material.During the warming of the camera is sufficient to lay around the perimeter of the vapor-permeable membrane and forget about all the dampness.

Finishing winter refrigerator under the window ceramic tile has its own characteristics.Putting it recommended to the prepared stucco base using a special tile adhesive.If you live in the northern regions, it is preferable to use a cold-resistant adhesives, for example, Ceresit CM11.A bar at the same time, you can use absolutely any even tiled fight.In this case, important only smooth waterproof surface.

Doors Khrushchev refrigerator

When finished with the organization of the internal space of the refrigerator, you need to decide is the second in a row, but no less important task - replacement and installation of doors.Door refrigerator in the winter design play a crucial role, with responsibility for the preservation of the cold inside the box and heat - inside the apartment.Therefore, the requirements for them have to be inflated.

The best option is to install solid doors with exterior trim, like the rest of the kitchen.Then the refrigerator harmoniously fit into the interior, and will not be noticeable.The flaps can be done independently or go to the studio.

door installation Features:

1. to hang door refrigerator for the winter and make them airtight, in niche must be perfectly smooth edges with corners is strictly at 90 degrees.To achieve these parameters manually is quite difficult, especially without professional construction skills, but to help the hard-working hosts have a couple of tips - align the corners using tiles or make a separate frame in the form of a frame on which to hold the facade.If the edges of the frame at odds with the niche walls, hide this defect can be baguette or plaster.
2. Place the central portion of the groove for the song in the 22 cm from the front angle.From the end of the door to leave the central part of the loop length of 7-12 cm, depending on the door size and individual preferences.If you are using a very heavy panel, it makes sense to add another loop in the middle.In this case, you must calculate the distance between the tents so that they do not touch the refrigerator shelves.
3. To embed a loop, use the end-milling cutter for wood with a diameter of 35 mm planting nest.You will need to make a groove depth of 11-12 mm, so if you are working with fine furniture panel in 16-18 mm drill very carefully so that the cutter is not passed through.To make it easier to control the depth of the passage as follows sharpen drill before work.
4. second end of the loop can be fixed directly on the tile, if you did perfectly right angles niche unframed.To do this, use the wall plugs (5-6 mm) and screws (not less than 3-4 mm).To make sure the holes for dowels make provisional marks on the tiles and use pobeditovym 3-mm drill bit.

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

If possible, make the door with mock neckline.This insignificant at first glance element serves an important function by increasing the tightness of the door and promoting a better retention of the cold inside the box.Even if you have purchased or ordered the door, attach it to the cross bar, erecting it from the usual baguette.

Modifications Khrushchev refrigerator

If you already have an old refrigerator Khrushchev, we can not agree that its construction requires significant improvement to somehow fit into the modern interior.And even if you are not going to use it for other purposes, this space can be organized and save space in the apartment for storage of kitchen utensils.But the first priority is to provide good thermal insulation in this zone, because the through holes in the wall, even if it is fenced off the door, carry enormous heat loss in the cold season.

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

1. Completely fill the space under the window sill, creating a thick insulating layer and tightly blocking the cold bridges.As a result, you get a flat wall or a small recess under the window, in which you can install heating radiator.
2. Transform refrigerator, do the right insulation using modern materials and design used for its intended purpose.
3. complete reorientation of the space with the subsequent installation in the niche of a gas stove, dishwasher or washing machine.Alternatively, you can fill the recess cabinet with drawers, set on the windowsill hob or sink.
4. Just remove the brickwork and install a French window.Such a crucial decision to make a small kitchen lighter and visually increase its size.You will save on lighting, especially if the window faces north or closed from direct sunlight or other houses trees.

Closing niche refrigerator

most simple, inexpensive and quick option is to complete sealing of the winter recess from the refrigerator.So once you decide the problem of leakage of heat through the thin wall, especially if you live in the northern regions of the country.Other types of modifications require much more time, effort and money.

point to which attention should be paid:

1. close up the space you need bricks, as only this material can provide full protection from the adverse effects of weather.To determine the thickness of the wall, use the SNIP 23-02-2003, but without any documentation it is obvious that the creation of high-quality thermal insulation, you can simply fill a niche and make it level with the rest of the walls.You can also leave a small indentation of 15 cm - this, too, will be enough to keep warm in the apartment.
2. should not be used for covering and sealing a niche plasterboard sheets because of the temperature difference in the condensate it will be very fast, the material is covered with mold and destroyed.
3. If you decide to leave a small niche, be sure to install it in a heating radiator, to 100% keep the heat in the apartment.

Modernization Khrushchev refrigerator

If you do not want to part with such a convenient construction, it is possible to "refine" and make it more functional.

main points that should be noted:

1. thin rear wall of the refrigerator has through the vents, which must be cleaned from dust and dirt.
2. from cold air to protect the apartment only a thin wooden door, which have not changed since Soviet times.Take care of the acquisition or construction of new doors.
3. Shelves should also be replaced.You can put glass, plastic, metal or wooden shelves.
4. Pay special attention to the ventilation space and the question of its necessity.If you decide to leave access to the holes open, get ready for the winter inside the refrigerator is a very low temperature, at which you can store, not all products.If the holes close up, then at 10C-20C in the street in the refrigerator will keep the temperature up to + 10C.Do not plug the holes tightly with foam or grout - give preference to mineral wool.
5. Conversion refrigerating chamber takes not so much time, how much money.From your preferences and design ideas will depend on the cost of the work.
6. Choose the most simple hardware - latches, fasteners, hinges, etc.It is not necessary to do fanlight system for such small size, sufficient to establish a normal hinged doors.Alternatively, you can put sliding doors, which saves space in the kitchen.slaydors System reliably isolates the interior from the cold in the niche.
7. Think about what you will coat the inside refrigerator - tile, plastic, wood or plaster.If we make the inner lining of plastic fridge is always neat, clean and well maintained (easy to clean).
8. recommended to install lock system flaps with fine-tuning to minimize the risk of not properly closed doors and the emergence of drafts.

Tip: Install interior LED lighting with 12V or 24V power supply and downconverters.

As you can see, to make modern, functional and stylish refrigerator under the window with his hands is not too difficult.The main thing - to make a little effort and imagination, while the ingenious invention of Soviet architects will begin to live a decent life and the second is to please their owners for many years.

Interesting ideas

Finally invite you to be inspired by the original decisions embodied hardworking owners Khrushchev refrigerators with their own hands.

Make the door of a conventional double-glazing, and as illumination using LED strips:

If you do not want all the food in the refrigerator were in sight, install double-glazed with frosted glass:

great option forsmall kitchen - installation of the cabinet with drawers in a niche on the refrigerator:

clear demonstration of how an ordinary apartment in "Khrushchev" can turn into a stylish, modern accommodation if dismantle the fridge under the window and install in its place a window in the French style:

Nowhere to put the oven or dishwasher - install it instead of the refrigerator:

mirror inserts on the doors to visually increase the space: