We need some input!!

13 years ago

Hi! Since this is my first posting...please have patience with me.

We (partner-Russ & I) are tearing down to the ground and building (going from ~750 sq ft to 1500 sq ft living area on a small lot). The downstairs is a VERY open design to accomodate dinner parties as well as the fact that we dance for a hobby. The only barrier between our "great room" and kitchen is a peninsula. The kitchen is tight (we moved the W/D to the garage to get adequate storage). We've been designing this for almost a year now and need to make our appliance decisions in the next month.

What we've come up with so far:

Frig: Liebherr or KA w/ French doors

DW: undecided, but leaning back toward F&P DD

2nd oven: KA micro w/ convection oven underneath (no warming drawer since it will go down to 100 deg)

Range: Capital Precision 36" w/ power wok ring

Sink: extra large 36" w/ 24" & 12" bowls and pass-thru window to back porch

2nd sink: round or rectangular bar size on the peninsula

W/D: undecided, but need front load since they've been moved out to the garage

bar frig: upstairs in MB-probably U-line, need small for a couple of bottles of wine & some appetizers (he has these romantic notions:-)

Our appliance person (recommended by our GC) is in love with KA, so I take some of what he says with a grain of salt. Russ is trying to talk me out of the second sink and back into DD (I do a lot of baking & would rather not do too much hand washing). We both cook, although by no means gourmet & I'm the wok cooker, so I'm in love with the idea of having 30K btu to cook on. There's only the two of us. We're in CA and the kids and grandkids are all in GA, so visits are few and far between, but they do occur every couple of years. We will host the rest of our families, especially mine, over a pretty fair amount. Parties will probably range 6-8 as a norm, all the way up to about 30-35. I want to keep my second sink, Russ doesn't think we need it. I'm being stubborn unless somebody gives me a good reason to give it up.

We've looked at Miele & Bosch for DW & W/D. Anything anybody thinks is so outstanding we absolutely need to have it? Have we forgotten anything? Are ice makers worth giving up the space?

Since we are starting from scratch for everything, I'm open. We've done a lot of research, but as many others, need some input to go one way or the other.

thanks so much!

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Comments (6)

cat_mom
13 years ago
I can tell you about our KA and Miele experiences.

Got the KA built-in (SXS) right after they came out with the/an updated model (June 2007). We chose it (vs others)for these reasons:

Cost: better price than the Thermador (?) which was the same fridge (at the time) just different cosmetically, and obviosuly much less expensive than the SZ.

Shelves: we liked the shelving configuration/set-up better than any others we'd seen--closest to the Whirlpool, with which we were used to (also liked that it was the same company, sort of; since Whirlpool didn't make built-ins, this was the next closest thing).

Ice maker: the KA was the only one (besides Thermador) that had the ice bucket/dispenser in the door, rather than inside the freezer itself. This freed up valuable freezer space. The trade-off is fewer door shelves, but those aren't nearly as useful in our opinion.

We did have to have the ice maker repaired twice. First time was within first year (or two?). Parts were replaced under warranty--might have been a recall on those??? Second time, last summer (during a long stretch of unusually high humidity--according to repair guy's wife, everyone was having problems with dripping). Our dispenser door wasn't closing tightly and it would pop open slightly whenever either door (fridge or freezer) was opened or shut, allowing warmer room air to get into the ice bucket (which melted the ice a little and then drip, drip...). Repair guy adjusted/tightened it and knock on wood.... Despite the needed ice-maker repairs, we are very happy with have it.

One other thing, I do think lemons stored in the bottom crisper go bad far quicker than they ought--haven't tried storing them in the upper one yet to see if that helps, but should. Everything else stays fresh as long as I would expect.

Miele DW:

We have the Optima, circa 2007 (they've made changes in the past year or two). Very happy with it. Love the cutlery tray and love that things come out clean!

We did have trouble with our glassware clouding. This past winter, a Miele sup'v came out himself to check our DW. Apparently, the water softener sensor wasn't functioning properly, so he replaced the water intake unit (which also contains the sensor). We got new glasses in April, so we are cautiously optimistic that the problem is behind us. Knock on wood and all that!!!

HTH!
weissman
13 years ago
Read the threads on this forum about the new Capital Culinaire.
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beth4
13 years ago
I can speak to the F&P DDs. I had my first set in my last house...they were in the house when I purchased it. I lived there for nearly 4 years, without a single problem. So, when I moved to this house and remodeled the kitchen, I didn't hesitate installing the F&P DDs. They've been in place for 5 years, and, again, I've not had a problem with them...ever.

It's very important that they be installed by someone who knows what they're doing, AND who reads the installation instructions. That's when owners have difficulties...when the installer "thought" they knew how to install them, and installed them improperly.

I like the F&P DDs because they are very simple to work on, should repair be necessary. Dadoes, here on Garden Web, is an excellent contact for all things F&P.

I recommend you take your china down to ensure it fits into the DDs. I've not had that problem because my china is older, so it doesn't have the large plates that modern china has. I've read some anecdotal reports that an owner's china (dinner plates) does not fit into the DDs.

The only other caution I have is to read the instructions and operate accordingly. I'm particularly careful about using the very small amount of powdered detergent (Cascade Complete) that the directions speak about. And have had no problem with etching.

The F&P DDs are a great product, reliable and dependable...BUT they must be installed by someone who truly knows what they're doing!
saleong
Original Author
13 years ago
just wanted to say "thanks" for the input. tonight is review night, and hopefully make at least some decisions.
Steph
cookie08
13 years ago
saleong: who makes the main sink you are considering?
saleong
Original Author
13 years ago
cookie08: probably a Franke Europro 39". We still have time for our appliance decisions, demo isn't scheduled till Sept 1. We're just trying to get a handle on as much as we can.

We need some input!!

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