I have what KristianCO has, but without the wine slots in between. At least at the time, that required ordering a panel that goes between them -- an insulation panel, I think? She mentioned the ice -- another reason I liked the Thermador over the SZ. The SZ had the ice down at the bottom, nearly on the floor. That just doesn't work for all the ice we can use here in Texas. Fori, it's not having a second fridge to make up for the failures of the first one. People who spend $3 million on a house as well as the guest who walk into one expect a certain lifestyle to go with it. Even if they don't cook, they probably entertain. If they don't entertain, they want to look like they do -- or at least they could. In my area, people look for a space for a second fridge in homes by the time they hit $250-350K. By $1 mil, they expect a second fridge regardless of how big the one in the main kitchen is. Beverage fridge somewhere in the house or in an outdoor kitchen is probably also desired if not expected. I've seen homes below $1 mil (at the time) that had built-in fridge, second fridge space in the utility, a wine fridge and a small beverage fridge in the master suite. Those homes are probably between $1 mil and $2 mil now, but they give a clue what folks look for when they reach a certain price point. Yes, you can design for change and tear out a pantry, assuming you also left the upper clearance, and maybe it won't make a mess of flooring and cabinets, but in a $3 mil home, I don't think you are going to save a lot of money in the long run. First, you have to plan the layout to include a tall pantry and cabinet above the fridge that would be lost or have a 12" or greater opening and dress that off. That would all be lost when changing the fridge and you could have the cost of cutting down the above fridge cabinet and doors or a new cabinet. All the crown on that wall will probably need to be removed to change the upper cabinet. Your toe kicks will have to be removed and adjusted. Not a big deal, but another detail. And if any of these trim pieces split when being removed, you have to match trim and finish. This won't break the bank for anyone living in a $3 mill plus home, but it is enough that you can see the savings may be negligible or non-existent. Not to mention that after suffering through an entire build out, the last thing you will want to do is any reno any time in the reasonably foreseeable future. Most folks are exhausted well before the build is done. Ok to do it - but be honest with yourself about the cost, especially if you are not a DIYer.

>>>"1) I will have the ice maker installed. With the bottom freezer basket being wire instead of solid, if an ice cube fell out of the ice bin where would it end up?"In my freezer, it would wind up on top of something else. My freezer is usually pretty full. If you have an otherwise empty freezer, I suppose an ice cube could fall through the baskets to the floor. Does not seem likely as the wire bail/arm thingie projects down in side the ice bucket. I have not hooked up the ice maker so I'm not able to comment further. >>>"2) Does your freezer drawer extend out beyond the open french door? Whirlpool Customer Service says that depth with freezer drawer open information is "not available" for the KBFS20EVMS. I realize your refrigerator is 33" and I am looking at 36", but I suspect a wider freezer drawer would not open further than the one you have."Well, actually, mine will project out further than with a KBFS20 because mine is standard depth, not counter depth. As I pointed out in your thread, the CD model will only project out about 18 or 20 inches. The KBFS22 model that I have is several inches deeper to there is more room freezer drawerr. With a CD model, the drawer will project out about as far as the larger door. >>>"Any negatives you have noticed with wire rather than solid freezer basket?"Had not given it any thought but, now that you mention it, I think a solid basket (inner drawer?) might hold the cold a bit better, as with a chest freezer. On the other hand, I think wire baskets may give better air flow for more rapid cooldowns and more even temps throughout the compartment.

We just purchased the KA FD Counterdepth refrigerator as part of our kitchen remodel & because our basement fridge died this summer. We moved the Maytag Performa (stainless) to the basement -- standard depth (presumably made by same company as Kitchen Aid). We've had it 5 weeks and are very happy. We got the inside water since in-the-door ice & water seemed to take up so much space. We had a large Brita tank in the Maytag so are ok without ice/water in the door & knew we were getting a little less space with the counterdepth. To date the KA is nice & quiet. The Maytag had a fairly bad vibration we had been unable to correct (didn't spend tons of time on it and could have been impacted by being on a ceramic tile floor (Kitchen Aid is on the same floor since we have not begun our remodel, yet) -- perhaps it was on a crack -- perhaps the water tank made it uneven when full -- also did not analyze too much). Additionally, the Maytag icemaker seemed to be noisy & would get caught in a weird mode making grinding sounds. I also like the door alarm and digital controls. It is good for all of us to have the alarm reminder & probably needed with the french door apparatus since at times they don't close all the way. One item you may check between your choices is how easy it is to get the veggie/fruit drawers out for cleaning. It appears to me that the range that the French doors open makes me have to maneuver the drawers to get in & out. Perhaps I didn't do it quite right, but that it is a little inconvenient. The rails are nice & seem higher tech than the Maytag. (We also have had to reorder & replace some drawer items on the Maytag that broke since they were plastic and broke.) For those interested in the transition to a counter depth we are happy thus far. I love being able to open the doors & seen almost everything in the fridge. Of course we do have a second refrigerator & can't imagine having a counterdepth without the 2nd fridge. I was always opening second (& sometimes 3rd) jars of olives, pickles or mustard that got "lost" in the back. I like the skinny "deli" drawer in the middle, but have lost my "shelf" to set things on as I moved things in & out of the refrigerator. Every once in a while my heart sinks when I pull out a veggie or fruit drawer & they don't come out as far as I think they should. I hope this helps.

From priciest to least expensive: 1. there are built in fridges like sub-z and that ilk where the doors are flush to the surrounding cabinets. you can get panels for these, generally. 2. there are counter depth fridges where the doors stand proud of the counters by a few inches but the body of the fridge is flush to the counter. you can get panels for some of these. 3. there are standard fridges where the body of the fridge stands forward of the counters. I don't think these come with a panel option. I found about 1-2K difference in price between #2 & #3 so bought #3 for a new build and made a 6" alcove for the back to recess into. I had no problems with "lost" items, it seemed very similar to a #2 type fridge I had of the same manufacturer in a prior home. A fridge will last 10-20 years, your kitchen may last longer than that. I really liked the alcove option, it seems you will always win when you can buy a less expensive appliance with more space.