I've had mine almost 2yrs now....the freezer is very noisy. When it's running you know it. (althought... I don't think it should be that loud) Also... this is my second freezer as with the first one. The repair guys where here so often, Thermador finally gave me a new one. I've had the second freezer now almost a year. This unit is loud it almost sounds like something is vibrating. I've also had several repair guys out. Now my Ice maker is shot. The repair guy that was just out... was very negitive. He doesn't want to fix the Thermador's anymore! When he arrived he imediately called the Thermador support line. Some blinking light = broken ice-maker. The lights in the dispencer light up but no water dispences or ice is being made. I live in Arizona.....you need Ice & water. This is a pain! I also think something else is wrong with the Freezer as it's been making clicking noises & when you open the freezer door the word "economy" sometimes flashes. It's not suppose to flash. The new freezers are now made with a see through ice bin. My ice bin is white, I'm ALWAYS RUNNING OUT OF ICE. Ice gets stuck in the back and the sensor thinks there is ice and doesn't make more. I have to pull the ice bin out 1-5 times a day just to make sure the ice isn't stuck in the back of the bin. My warrenty is almost done.... and it's sad to say I"m afraid of my Freezer!!!! I'm on Freezer #2 on a 1yr appliance and the ice maker is broken!!! Thats not right! But it is beautiful!!!! I have the 30in fridge & the 18in freezer w/ water & ice dispencer

I looked at Miele and SZ. Ruled out Northland (noise and lack of energy efficiency) and GE Monogram (I hated my old GE fridge). I also wanted fully integrated and paneled which left me really with those two choices, although I would have considered stainless if something had cost less and been acceptable. The Miele was more than the SZ. We have a snack station in the kitchen with a fridge freezer drawer from KA (also fully integrated). We took out the icemaker (we have a big icemaker) and it is more than enough freezer space for items you don't want to walk to get (ice cream, waffles, etc.). The rest goes in a large freezer we had built into our laundry cabinets. It is just a frigidaire and was not expensive but is huge and we put cabinets on top of it, pulled forward, and it is recessed between two closets so it looks built in even though it is not. It has worked very well for us (particularly since we would have had another freezer somewhere even if we had a larger one in the kitchen because I have never found freezer space in a fridge to be adequate for our needs and family full of boys and their friends!)

The problem with the doors is that they aren't plug n play like the installers are used to. May not be so much an issue with custom panels since the cabinet installer generally puts those on, but with stainless, they are shipped separately. That protects them in transit and the initial part of the installation when so many SS doors and side get dinged or scratched. When mine were installed, they shipped all the brackets and seals separately too. The guys said it was a lot different than the typical built-in fridge that was more like a DW -- plug it in, slide it back and set a couple of screws. If it needed panels, the cabinet guy would come back to do those. Mine are stainless, so it was a lot different. The fussed a bit over the installation since it was the first they'd done, but they took the time to look at the instructions and do it right. My contractor's guys didn't want to look at installation instructions, the guides to make sure they got wiring placed correctly, etc. They got to do a few things over. My fridge was installed once and correctly. I've had it 2-1/2 years now and love it. I say you salesman has installers that can't bother to read directions or try anything new. If it is different, you don't need it. So he thinks. nutherokie, if you have problems getting anyone to install them, the instructions are quite detailed and complete. A couple of folks here have done them DIY and they looked fabulous. I know I've seen them in a light wood, contemporary kitchen that was DIY installation, but I can't remember the name of the owner. Good luck -- you'll love the columns.

Dianalo, I think you are right about needing more than 18" with growing kids. We do not know yet whether #2 will be a boy or a girl. DH was already shocked I wanted to devote so much kitchen space and electricity to 48" of fridge and freezer when we have always had 36" standard units before. He will think I am nuts when I tell him I now want 54". LOL. Malhgold, I did not realize the units now come with the SS panels included. Do you know if the price went up? (I got quotes in November.) I love the way your two 24" units look together. We will probably have our units on adjacent walls, so I guess the symmetry of size is not as important. Cheril, you are right, we could do faux drawers on the same panel instead of one big slab. Honeychurch, I love the way your FD fridge looks like an armoire. I considered going with a FD for the aesthetics of it, but I was much happier with my old SxS than the bottom freezer model in my new house. (I realize many people feel the opposite.) Kateskouros, I just love your fridge/freezer wall with the concealed counter and appliance garages in between. I would copy your design if I had room in my kitchen. Lascatx, I think you are right about empty space filling up because it is there, whether you needed it before or not. If I had a 30" freezer, I would probably do something crazy like order a quarter bison because the price per pound is better that way, LOL. Thanks for the tip about the Streak Free cloth. I have never had SS appliances before and am nervous about keeping them clean, especially with sticky little hands around. Jamis, your columns (and the rest of your kitchen) look great. We want both units to open to the right, so we appreciate that flexibility with the Freedom units. Breezygirl, I have considered a small upright freezer in the garage, but that would also mean getting rid of something else in the garage. Every inch of wall is taken up by built-in cabinets, workbench, exercise equipment, washer & dryer, bike rack and tool caddy. I guess I could block the side door to the yard, LOL. Bellacucina, thanks for passing the message to Momqs. Momqs, thanks for the guidance on unit and door sizes. We are getting custom cabinets from a great local company who did the cabinets in our last house, so I might wait until the columns are in my garage to let them measure directly for the door panels if we decide to go with wood panels. I have been wondering what to do about install since we will not be buying from a store. I might ask my GC if he knows any installers who are experienced with installing Thermador columns. If not, I will go to local stores to ask, although I am afraid they will not want to help me since I did not buy from them (although I have bought a lot of plumbing fixtures from Pacific Sales). Which ovens and cooktop did you go with? We are debating between Thermador and Gaggenau for the cooking appliances. We will probably go with the 2nd to top of the line Bosch DW because I prefer the curved handles to the pro handles and it is slightly less than the Thermador DW. It sounds like people who have the 24" fridge or 18" freezer would not be happy with that size if they did not have supplemental units elsewhere. Using UC freezer drawers and a separate unit in the garage would fit better in my kitchen than the freezer column, but would cost at least $1,000 more since I could not get a discount on those. Lots to think about.