We have the Liebherr CS2062 (Freestanding) and bought it in Canada for $4800 Canadian so I think it's in your budget. We love it & have been using x 3 months. This has the manual closing doors (as opposed to the integrated one) which I don't mind. The ice maker is awesome. The space is amazing - nothing wasted as it is so well laid-out. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love it AND it looks great (it looks totally integrated and people are shocked when they find out it's not)

Thanks, dennisgli. Glad to hear from a happy F-P person. I haven't been able to see the model you have, or the one that replaced it. It doesn't seem to have a FD option any more, which is livable for us. The one in the appliance shop is just a titch bigger, which is actually a downside for us as we want to keep things as low profile as we can. I was impressed with the amount of fridge space, though. Particularly on the door... There were a few GW threads talking about both the freezer and the fridge not being able to get cold enough that scared me off of F-P when we were prepared to purchase. Now, I am rethinking it again and will do more research (ugh). ahoyhere - what people talk about on-line, and it resonates for me, is that when short people with a small arm research (or bad backs) try to bend into freezer drawers and pull large things out of the bottom, it can be difficult (or painful). This resonates with me, as someone with a short reach and bad back. In those cases, it is actually easier to open a bottom door and have full access via squating than having to bend over and reach down and in. I totally get your loathing of squating for the crisper drawers and we are sold on a bottom freezer for that reason. Surely we access the freezer less than the fridge. However, it doesn't negate the point that proper back mechanics (which matter to those of us with back pain) involve using the knees (squatting) versus bending over and using back muscles to lift ourselves and items up. Your Pininterest page is a lot of fun. Appliance eye candy, which I couldn't appreciate until this remodel. I took some repins for my own underused pininterest page. Thank you! By the way, we have one of those single induction burners that we purchased to use during the remodel - it sold us on getting an induction range. Just LOVE it. Ginny20 - I have no idea about whether Samsung's ice maker/water can be shut off. And I really, really do not want water on the door. I'm not loving that the Samsung CD sticks out so far past the cabinets, either. And, apparently the service and repair issues are nightmarish up here in Alaska. The appliance repair folks who used to repair them have dropped them because it is just so bad to work with them. I really don't want to treat a major appliance like a disposable item, which is basically what I'd have to do with Samsung. Take my chances that I get a good one - be prepared to take it to the dump if it breaks... I went out again and did the rounds. Fell in love with the Liebherr's looks again, as I do every time I see it. For sure, it would look the best. It's the thinnest, narrowest and most integrated look. It's also freaking pricey...and the freezer storage seems pretty slim. Thanks for the feedback, folks. I'm still not sure where this boat is going to land.

I fought the full vs counter depth battle in my kitchen and lost to DH and the architect and ended up paying a lot more money for a lot less refrigeration space. I admit it looks better, but function wise it was a sacrifice. For some reason, the extra space behind the fridge so it could be full depth and recessed in the wall never happened. Anyway, I finally helped solve the issue with a separate compact fridge that I bought for dirt cheap (back to college sale) that we put downstairs off the patio area....works well for serving at parties and I can shut it off when not in use so it saves energy. But any time I'm faced with a big round platter, it's still a challenge.

I'm in the same situation so I feel your pain. There are 2 of us and we have a 36" counter depth and a 24" floor to ceiling pantry with no pull outs and both are crammed. However I would not give up the pantry space since it's the only cab in the kitchen that holds food. I think they key to the fridge is the config. Ours is a side by side and I HATE it. Always have to rearrange things. Not enough room for something wide like a platter or left over pizza in a box, or beverages, but a French door would solve a lot of that and that will be my go to next time. If I had the space I would do a standard depth and box it in for more of a built in look. If you have another fridge in the basement I don't think an under cab fridge adds anything unless it's a dedicated beverage center. It will just be another fridge to rearrange, another energy draw, and another appliance that could go bad and then you have to find a replacement in the same size. We have a pantry cabinet in our attached garage just outside our laundry room and it's great for holding extra canned goods and bottled goods, but I still wish I had more pantry space for opened items, condiments, etc. No room for an extra fridge, but I think a French would be a big improvement. Do you have pantry space in the basement near your 2nd fridge? Also there are a lot of instant wine chiller gizmos out there. Please let us know which way you go. I learn so much from these posts.