Before the truck arrives
- Measure the path, not just the cutout. A standard refrigerator box is 36 to 40 inches wide and 70 inches tall; a 30 inch interior door with the stop is 28.5 inches clear. Pull the door off its hinges the night before if it is close, and measure any turn in a hallway and the stair landing. Delivery crews will not remove doors or railings for you.
- Have the order and the spec sheet printed. The confirmation shows the exact model numbers, colours and hinge sides you paid for. Every model has a one-page spec sheet with the cutout, the clearances and the door swing; for a counter-depth refrigerator in particular, the depth with the door and handle is the number that decides whether it sits flush with the cabinets.
- Protect the floor and clear the space. Cardboard or rosin paper from the door to the kitchen; the old appliance out and the cavity swept, the water shutoff and the outlet visible.
- Have the accessories that are sold separately. Range and dryer power cords, the dishwasher power cord kit, the refrigerator water line and the range anti-tip bracket often ship apart from the appliance. The driver installs only what is in the truck.
The fifteen minutes: what to check before you sign
Do this with the driver present. A crew on a route wants to leave, and a polite "I need to open this before I sign" is normal and expected. Take photos as you go: the box, the rating plate, the damage if any, and the signed receipt.
| Check | How | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Model number matches the order | Compare the sticker on the box and the rating plate inside the door or on the back to your confirmation; a suffix letter changes the colour or the handle | Refuse the piece; write 'wrong model' on the receipt |
| Count of pieces | Fridge plus its kit, range plus its cord if ordered, dishwasher plus the install kit, hood plus the duct adapter | Note the missing item on the receipt; do not let 'it ships separately' go unwritten |
| Box opened, all sides inspected | Fronts, doors, handles, glass and control panels; crushed corners on the box mean pressed corners on the unit | Write 'damaged' and where on the receipt before signing; refuse if a door or a panel is dented |
| Doors open and level | Every door swings, closes and seals; a fridge door that drifts open is a levelling problem, a door that rubs is a hinge problem | The installer adjusts levelling feet on site; a rubbing door is a return |
| Hinge side and door swing | The fridge door opens away from the wall and toward the counter you will set things on; a reversible door is not always reversible in the field | Reversible: the installer swaps it; not reversible: refuse |
| Interior parts present | Shelves, drawers, racks, the ice maker kit, the range's oven racks and the burner grates, the dishwasher's silverware basket | List the missing parts on the receipt; they are ordered as warranty parts |
| Serial number photographed | The rating plate, in focus | Nothing to fail; this is the number every warranty claim starts with |
Sign nothing that says "received in good condition" until the box is open. Once signed clean, a scratch is your word against the carrier's. Written damage on the receipt plus a photo is what a claim needs; most retailers give 48 hours for anything concealed, and after that it is a warranty question, not a delivery one.
By appliance: the fit and the hookup
| Appliance | Fit to confirm | Hookup, and who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Cutout width is the case width plus at least 1/8 inch a side; height with the hinge cap; depth so the door clears the island when open | Plug in and water line; most delivery crews connect an existing line with a shutoff. Let it stand 4 hours before plugging in, 24 if it rode on its side |
| Range or cooktop | 30 inch opening, 36 for a pro range; the anti-tip bracket screwed to the floor or wall behind it | Electric: a 4-prong 240 V cord for new construction, 3-prong only where the old outlet is; gas: a licensed plumber or the retailer's gas crew, a new flex connector every time |
| Dishwasher | 24 inch opening, 34 to 34.5 inches high under the counter; the top mounted to the counter or the sides to the cabinets | Hardwired or a cord kit into a dedicated outlet under the sink; hot water and drain to the disposal or an air gap where code requires one |
| Over-the-range microwave | 30 inch wide, 66 inches from the floor to the top of the unit, a cabinet above to hang from | The outlet lives inside the cabinet above; venting out or recirculating decided before the cabinet was hung |
| Washer and dryer | Depth with hoses and the vent, 4 to 6 inches behind; a pan under a second-floor washer | Washer: new hoses, never the old ones; dryer: a 4-prong 30 A cord, rigid or semi-rigid duct, no foil; gas dryers need the gas crew |
The delivery crew's job is to bring the appliance in, set it in place, level it and, if you bought installation, plug it in and connect water where a shutoff already exists. They do not run new gas, new circuits or new water lines, and they will not install a range hood or a built-in refrigerator. Those are the electrician's and the plumber's visits, booked for the day after delivery, not the same day, so that a refusal does not leave a tradesperson standing in an empty kitchen.
When delivery day should be
Appliances are chosen first and delivered last, because the cabinet order needs their spec sheets weeks before the boxes need to be in the house. A slide-in range and a dishwasher are set after the countertop; a refrigerator can come earlier if there is a finished floor and a place for it to stand. The sequence is in when to order appliances and the phase they belong to is the last one in what order to renovate a kitchen in. If the retailer will hold the order in their warehouse until you call, take it: appliances sitting in a garage for six weeks pick up dents that no claim covers.
After the truck leaves
- Run every appliance within 48 hours. A rinse cycle, an empty oven at 400 for twenty minutes (it will smell the first time), the fridge down to 37 degrees, the ice maker making ice. A fault found in the return window is an exchange; the same fault found in week three is a service call.
- Register the warranty with the serial photos you took. Manufacturers start the clock at the purchase date, not the install date, so a range that sat in a warehouse for two months has already lost two months unless the retailer's paperwork shows the delivery date.
- Keep the receipt, the delivery paperwork and the manuals in one place. The model and serial numbers, the purchase date and the installer's invoice are what a warranty claim, an insurance claim or the next owner will ask for, and they are the record a house should carry with it.
- Cardboard and pallets are yours unless the delivery included haul-away. Ask before the truck leaves; a fridge box is a full trip to the transfer station.
Delivery day is short, and most of it goes well. The fifteen minutes with the box open and the receipt unsigned are the only part that cannot be redone, which is why the whole checklist is built around them. The rest of the kitchen timeline, and where this day sits in it, is in how long a kitchen remodel takes.