I have a cabinet question?????

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Oliver Springs, TN
My niece and her husband are building and asked if I'd make a couple of cabinet/bookshelves to go beside their fireplace. Here's my dilemma. The HVAC guy put the return right in the corner of one of the spaces!20170404_180602.jpg Here's a picture of what they want.Sam fireplace.jpg The other side is just an empty space. Here's a few of the dimensions, the space is 58" wide by 24" deep on both sides. The return is 38 1/4 tall x 23 wide and the top sticks out 4" at the top and it slants to 13 1/2" at the bottom.

How would you handle this?
 
Hi John,

Quite a sticky situation. Honestly, I think they need to tell the HVAC contractor that this is not acceptable. My first thought when I saw this was "You've got to be kidding." That seems to be a very bizarre if not lazy solution to an HVAC problem. Seriously, if this were my home I would not supply final payment until this was altered.

That said, worse case scenario, I would possibly mock up lower cabs that could cover the duct (clearly way higher than normal) and see if I can make something look good. Of course, the right hand cabinet on the left of the fireplace would not be functional.

Regards,
Hutch
 
Hi John,

Quite a sticky situation. Honestly, I think they need to tell the HVAC contractor that this is not acceptable. My first thought when I saw this was "You've got to be kidding." That seems to be a very bizarre if not lazy solution to an HVAC problem. Seriously, if this were my home I would not supply final payment until this was altered.

That said, worse case scenario, I would possibly mock up lower cabs that could cover the duct (clearly way higher than normal) and see if I can make something look good. Of course, the right hand cabinet on the left of the fireplace would not be functional.

Regards,
Hutch

What he said
 
Amazing what happens with new homes these days. If the return can't be put in a less obtrusive location I'd think the only option would be to build a faux cabinet around it. Certainly not ideal.
 
My first thoughts coincide with others. The HVAC guy needs to find a better solution. Having the ductwork protrude into the living space in this way is unacceptable. What do the plans show? Did he, the architect, or the GC provide drawings?

Should all else fail, I agree the only solution is a faux cabinet.
 
The picture of what they want looks like not their actual space, but just an example of what they want. That's OK.

The picture of the return "hides" what we really need to see. I think before making a judgment call can we see the rest of the picture. I would like to see the entire space. with the fireplace in the view - even if it is just chalk drawn on the wall.

Maybe the air return is not really an issue. Maybe it is a major obstruction. I cannot tell from the pictures.
 
One solution could be to cut the duct off about 4" from the floor, take the wall side of it off and run duct inside the wall cavity. Cap it inside the wall at what ever height is needed. That way, the toe kick area of the cabinet will cover the duct and there's no loss of cabinet space.
 
Cold air return with the opening/filter/grate on the opposite side of the wall in another room? Hard to tell whats going on without a floor plan showing mechanical and duct layout. HVAC guy should be able to suggest another location, but the rock is up so it's late in the game. It will cost to change.
 
Unless there is a good reason why the duct can't be altered or moved somewhere else, I'm kinda liking Bill's suggestion of modifying the duct to be less obtrusive by using the wall space as most homes do, then build out around what is left.
 
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