I went from a huge SxS to a counter depth single door. We are family of four. Oldest son (aka biggest eater in the family) is heading to college in a few weeks. That's the only reason I felt I could scale down. The up side is that I am forced to keep the fridge clean otherwise things don't fit. The downside is, things don't fit unless I clean. With your family size I would think twice. I am making things work now, but am already wondering what I'll do come Christmas. I'm thinking I'll put in a small fridge in my laundry where I'll soon be moving the freezer that resides in the garage. The laundry is just off the kitchen. Going to the basement to retrieve a head of lettuce might not be something you want to do on a regular basis.

I do LOVE the single door however. It opens to the counter workspace; pizzas now fit into the freezer etc.

As to price, you've got bargaining power as you're buying multiple items. Use that power to your advantage!

Wow, the painted cabinets look super great already. Nice job. I have an Electrolux refrigerator that is the same style/design as the Samsung SXS cabinet depth you show in your post. The great thing about it is the smudgeproof stainless steel exterior really really is smudgeproof. I saw when shopping how smudgy the other brands looked and this one really doesn't have that problem. We are a family of two, but I cook at home a lot and the space is ok for all the stuff I keep. It's because we have a 1980s refrigerator in the garage about 15 feet from the kitchen that I have enough storage. I love the look of this CD side by side and we definitely drink more water now that we have the filtered water dispenser in the door. Yes picking it out was very very frustrating with all the negative reviews of every one you find. This has worked for me: buy it from Sears and don't get the warranty. If something goes wrong, then buy the warranty and get it serviced. I got the 5 year warranty and it was fairly reasonable. For us the temperature in the fridge was too high but the service calll helped. Now it's 3 years old and the water line seems to be clogged and I have another service call scheduled. It's a pain to have to be home for it to be repaired. But all my other appliances have been fine and I'm happy enough with this refrigerator model.

I agree with you, noella, the fridge decision felt critical to me, too. We ended up revising the plans our designer did because I just could not see how I'd be able to manage with a 36" cd of any style. I have a family of four, cook a lot, get farm fresh veggies once a week and have a big family dinner every Friday night. Plus DH & I work full time and I need a lot of freezer space to store meat, leftovers, etc. There was no place in my budget or my house for an additional fridge or freezer.

We ended up with a 48" built-in. We haven't yet stocked it (we've only been in the kitchen for a week) but I still think I'm going to be challenged for space.

It may be possible for you to work the budget issue by looking at scratch/dent stores or finding a slightly used fridge of the type you really want. I think you'll struggle with counter depth, and since you're keeping your layout it should be fine to go with a standard fridge. If you have room in the space behind the kitchen, you might be able to carve into the wall a bit and shove that fridge back a few inches.

About appliance reviews - yes, it is hard to find a good one. I used Consumer Reports to guide me more than anything I found online.

I just went through the same tough decision making process. Having stayed at my parent's place (who have counter-depth) the past couple of weeks while we're renovating, I have realized that a small refrigerator is not worth any looks. My Mom always complained about her small refrigerator but I never really believed her until I had to deal with it on an every day basis. You have to go shopping a few times a week in the summer or things go bad (and there is no room in the fridge)...
All I can say is I'm getting 36'' depth and work around it! :)

PS. I've also used Consumer Reports (from the library) to choose my fridge.

We just went through the fridge-picking process with a similar budget (our max was $2K). I HATE-HATE-HATE side-by-sides (had one growing up, and have a "high-end" one at work now that is just as bad as the cheap-o one we had back then!) So we only considered counter-depth french door and single door models with bottom freezers.

Here are the ones I found that had decent ratings and were within range of your budget (some a bit above, but might go on sale?):
- KitchenAid's single door (36" and some 33" still in stock some places, but I think discontinued) and one french-door model without their fancy bells and whistles---others are $$
- Fisher & Paykel single door (what we chose, but may be too small for you @ 17.5 cu ft; they make a 36" french-door model too, but don't know the price)
- Samsung, various single door and smaller french door models
- Possibly Electrolux (a bit more $$ and mixed reviews)

Those were the front runners. Kenmore and LG also make models in that price range, but they had very mediocre reviews and I didn't want to get into a repair loop. Hope that helps!

(And on a side note, I saw in the intro thread that you're a New Havener---fun! I grew up there, and still miss New England a lot, especially this time of year as fall approaches!)

Your fridge is currently full depth and is at the end of a cabinet run. Since you're not redoing the cabinets, you could easily stick wth another full depth frdge - more room and less cost. Use the money for something else. CD fridges still stick out beyond the counters so the doors can open. Only built-ins are flush with the cabinets. By the way, I did a full remodel a number of years back and stuck with a full-depth fridge - like yours it's at the end of a cabinet run and looks fine to me. I just couldn't see spending extra money for less storage. You can see pictures on my home page or Finished Kitchens Blog.

Thank you all so much for your replies! I think it makes the most sense to go with another full depth fridge....I just don't think the cd would meet my family's needs, and I can just imagine my dh's comments if it didn't fit enough food to be functional (he can go passive aggressive in times like those LOL).

It's funny you mentioned the consumer reports, b/c I went to the library about a month ago to look through it, and someone had thrown the new kitchen issue in a free box by the door! I absolutely love the kitchen on the cover, and it's what really pushed me to go for it and paint my cabinets.

I really like our current side by side as far as having enough storage space, so I will likely go with that again. Our water line sprouted a leak about 6 months ago that dh couldn't fix, so we are looking forward to having water and ice in the door again. I think it shouldn't be too hard to find one I like around $1500-2000. I am pretty decided on a GE electric smooth top range with a double oven that's around $1000, and then just getting a fairly cheap microwave. The one other option I've been tossing around in my head is getting a single oven, maybe with convection, and then getting a microwave that's also a convection oven.

Weissman, your kitchen is beautiful, and you're right - the fridge looks perfectly fine and not out of place at all!

Artemis, I'm a transplant, but we really love the area. We're in Branford, and it's been so great to live so close to the shore. Our church is on the New Haven green, so we're there all the time. And I am also really looking forward to fall; I can't wait to go apple picking at Bishop's Orchard (and for my 3 kids to go back to school)!

Thanks again for all of your help...I'm sure I will have lots more questions as we get farther in the process!

If you bump out the base cabinets & the stove on that wall (easily done in your kitchen), a full depth refrigerator will be 'counter depth.'

Is there any way you can swap the fridge and stove placement in the kitchen? There is a wall on the left of the stove that looks like a good size to support a larger fridge.

I have also done a recent modest, budget-friendly, kitchen total rehab. I too, researched and searched like crazy for the perfect appliances. I chose the Whirlpool Gold French door and paid about $1500 (no ice, or water). The microwave is also a Whirlpool Gold with convection, so the two handles match. My stove and dishwasher are both Bosch.

I got all my appliances through a local appliance dealer. He was able to order any model, size, color ect, and he matched or beat any price I could find. Everything was delivered the same day, and having it all in one place was very convenient. He helped me with warrenties and rebates, and should I run into any problem, with any of it, he is one phone call away. Total bill for all 4 appliances was about $3100. Rebates were a total of about $750.00.

Here's a pic of my Whirlpool Gold French door refridgerator - my husband actually has walked in the kitchen and caught me hugging it!!! Space was also an issue in my small kitchen.

We bought a S x S LG full depth in our last house and loved it. We moved here to a small S x S and hate it.
Our new fridge is actually a full 30" each of fridge and freezer full depth (together, with delivery, came in at $2k). I can't imagine going smaller with a growing family. I will actually lose some fridge space when we reno because the hated one is in use in the kitchen now and the new ones have been in use in our garage for 3 years. We are ditching the old crummy one when we redo, but I am going to have the electrician put in a heavy duty outlet in the laundry room if I need more fridge, or more likely, freezer space. I have 2 growing sons and see how they will be eating huge quantities before we know it. One is projected to be 6'6" and you don't get to be that size by not eating, lol.

traccee, love your fridge! That's so funny you were hugging it! I really liked your suggestion about moving the fridge and stove, and I mentioned it to my dh....he gave it a thumbs down, unfortunately.

I've been doing all of the work so far, and I definitely don't think that's something I can do by myself, with my worktime being when my 2 year old son is taking his nap and my 4 & 6 yr old girls play around me.

My husband will have a pretty big list of stuff for him to do, so I'm hesitant to ask that much more of him.

Here's his tentative list:
installing the cabinet doors with the new concealed hinges
helping with the drywall and tiling
installing the new microwave
doing all the electrical for the under cabinet lights
installing hardwood floors

I think he's definitely a function over form kind of guy, and if he doesn't see any functional benefit gained from quite a bit of work, it's going to be a hard sell. I did get him on board with the delta touch pilar faucet and the double ovens, since they provide something more useful than we had before.

One thing I thought we could possibly do is raise the cabinet over the microwave. We put that in when we moved here, and while it works well in that spot, it is pretty low.

I think it shouldn't be too hard to move one wall cabinet, kind of like this:

As far as recessing the fridge, I think it could be a possibility, but that is a shared wall with our neighbor (we're in a townhouse style condo). I'm pretty sure it's her fridge on the other side, and I'm guessing it would be a code violation to increase our space by going into our joined wall? It's quite thick and we never hear through them, but I just don't know if it would be allowed.

Thanks again for your help!
Noel

I too love our French door fridge. Nothing fancy, but so convenient. We watched the ads and when Sears had a good one we bought an Amana French door. Can't remember what it cost, but it didn't break the bank, and has room galore.

Make a counter 29" deep.
You get a more beautiful counter.
More functional too.
The additional cost is only the extra square feet.

Then, get a reasonable fridge at a reasonable price.
To sleep well at night, get
a lower cost regular depth fridge, that makes little noise.

The largest counter depth Frig that we found was a GE Profile which is 24.5 cu ft side by side. We love it.

Hi,

I lived with a 'regular' fridge for over 33 years. We are building next Spring, our current fridge went out so hubby said to order the one I'd want in the new house. So...I did! I researched & plotted & planned.

We live 300 miles from Anchorage so I always try to make sure to get quality merchandise...it's a real pain to get service or to have to ship it back.

I have back issues so I really was interested in the French-door style. I have 2 upright freezers now (1 is in the kitchen & 1 in entry - they will both be in easy-access pantry in new house) so the bottom freezer wasn't an issue with me.

I didn't have back problems until just a few years ago. I'm sure all that stooping didn't help me - I probably was prone to problems anyway, though. I'm also getting a raised dishwasher...I didn't want to add more stooping to my daily tasks...I've never had a dishwasher here so I figured I'd best not add to my back problems. Unloading my daughter's dishwasher while visiting in California was not a fun chore.

I finally decided on a Samsung...got it on a great sale at Lowes. The delivery guy told us he's never had to take a Samsung back...that made me feel better :)

I've been using it about 3 months now & I still feel like I'm in a fairy land every time I open it! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the easy waist-high access! No more breaking my back to get to the veggie/fruit bins.

Actually, I really like the ease of use of the freezer drawer. It pulls out & it has 2 levels inside. It has a shelf in front...the model I got also has an inside ice maker. I also have an ice maker/dispense/water on the front. Even though we live in Alaska, I use tons of ice! :)

The fridge I'm linking below is almost like mine...this model came out after I bought mine. I love the middle drawer. I have the same drawer only I access it when I open both fridge doors. No problem for me. The one I have is 29 cubic feet...this particular model has better insulating so I got more cubic feet with the same outside dimensions of one that doesn't have the newer insulation. Just use that link to check out their other choices if you'd like...they also have it in white.

Here's the newer one:

Here's the one we have Model RFG298AARS:

Good luck in whatever you do! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Samsung 4-door refrigerator

We just remodeled our kitchen and I went with the counter depth Kitchen Aid french door. As soon as I started to stock it, I realized that it is much, much smaller than the old 25 cubic Amana bottom freezer I had. Since I have two kids moving out and we are down to feeding just three, it shouldn't be a problem but I would not recommend it to anyone with more than three to feed unless you shop every day. The regular depth will look just fine.

We are just starting a kitchen remodel, and I'm indebted to many people for all of the great advice I'm finding on this forum! We had the same fridge dilemma - our kitchen is narrow and the fridge is in an awkward spot so I wanted counter-depth. DH was mortified that I would "pay more for less". We finally decided on a 22.6 cubic foot Frigidaire Gallery s by s for around $1100 from Lowe's, after the 10% Energy Star promotion the had going and the 10% Lowes coupon from the change-of-address packet at the post office. It's sitting in the garage, so I can't speak to it's perfomance yet. However, when I measured in and compared to the full-depth equivalent 26 sq ft model sitting next to it, the only differences I found were that the shelves were 1 inch shallower and the door storage was smaller - one shelf at gallon-depth instead of all of them. Here's a link to the fridge:

Here is a link that might be useful: Frigidaire counter depth side by side

We are just starting a kitchen remodel, and I'm indebted to many people for all of the great advice I'm finding on this forum! We had the same fridge dilemma - our kitchen is narrow and the fridge is in an awkward spot so I wanted counter-depth. DH was mortified that I would "pay more for less". We finally decided on a 22.6 cubic foot Frigidaire Gallery s by s for around $1100 from Lowe's, after the 10% Energy Star promotion the had going and the 10% Lowes coupon from the change-of-address packet at the post office. It's sitting in the garage, so I can't speak to it's perfomance yet. However, when I measured in and compared to the full-depth equivalent 26 sq ft model sitting next to it, the only differences I found were that the shelves were 1 inch shallower and the door storage was smaller - one shelf at gallon-depth instead of all of them. Here's a link to the fridge:

Here is a link that might be useful: Frigidaire counter depth side by side

"Make a counter 29" deep.
You get a more beautiful counter.
More functional too.
The additional cost is only the extra square feet.

Then, get a reasonable fridge at a reasonable price.
To sleep well at night, get
a lower cost regular depth fridge, that makes little noise."

I think this seems like something that I could really do myself. The main thing I'm wondering is will it look odd with the stove pulled so far out?

caffeine queen, love the name! I used to never drink coffee until my 3rd kid, and now I'm completely addicted. I saw that fridge at Lowes too, and thought it looked very nice and a good price. I just think it would be too small for us.

Carrie, this is the first house I've had a big fridge at (before we were always in tiny apartments while dh went to school). While the small fridges worked perfectly fine for the 2 of us, I do think that it would be very hard to go back now that we've got 5 in our brood!

Melalaska, love your fridge! I have seen it and am drooling over how much space you have! LOL

Thanks again for everyone's input! I am convinced I'm starting to drive dh insane with my never ending babble about all things kitchen related!

In the photo above I didn't see where your fridge would go.

If you want to keep the same range, and it's on the same wall as the fridge, and if the counter is one straight run, then modify the above to read like this:
"make a counter 29" deep between the fridge and the range, and go back to 26" on the other side of the range. Where the deep counter meets the range, cut off the corner or round it out."

without seeing your floor plan, it's hard to know what will work for your space.

p.s. if the cabinets underneath are all drawers, you can have larger drawers under a larger cabinet.

noellabelle - you'd think 29 cubic feet would be too much for 2 people but, nah...I use every square inch! I store a lot of fresh fruit & veggies. Plus, my 10 containers of 2% FAGE yogurt, all my cheeses, cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, Half & Half, hubby's lunches (he takes a lot of containers) Hmmm, I think I like dairy! :) When I cook, I make big batches. Lots of salsa, veggie dips, stuff like that.

Let us know what you end up doing & post pics! :)

We got a samsung 23 cubic ft french door fridge and a family of four. We've only had it a couple days now but
we arent short on space in it. Of course I am not trying to put a birthday cake or full pizza in it. In anticipation of the smaller freezer.. we picked up a seperate freezer fo the garage. I really like the fact that it doesnt extend
much beyond the counter and looks built in for the most part.

DIY_Mike

I am not a fan of the french door with freezer on the
bottom. In person this was tiny to me. I was all set to get
one until I saw it in person and realized that it would
not work for me. I do love the side by side Bosch.

I used to have a Superba-Kitchen aid monster similar to
what you currently have. It was great but too large for
my reno space. I wanted counter depth.

My favorite brands are Bosch, Kitchen Aid or JennAir.
Everything else is average. Never been happy with other
brands. (jmho) Even the popular Subzero has had issues.

Have you visited Epinions.com ???
This is a great site and you can read reviews.
Although maybe you are reviewed out.

If it were me I would get the counter depth refrig a brand
and quality you can afford. Then if you have the space
move the current refrig to that basement to store the
extra drinks, ice, water, or frozen foods. We are
a family of 5 with many family visitors and two refrigs
is vital. We are produce people so the narrow produce
drawers would drive me batty.

Best of luck on your choice.
~boxerpups

boxerpups, thanks for your info. I have to say that your kitchen is one of the first ones I saw, and I just love it so much!

I am still going back and forth, but my current thinking is that I found that a sears outlet near us has tons of inventory. They have the bosch 50 floor model (seems to be the same size as their 800 series, but doesn't have a wine rack or door alarm but does have a child lock) for $1265. They have a kitchenaid that sounded really nice too for around $1300, but it's too tall for my existing cabinets and if I'd like to avoid moving them if possible.

So I think the bosch in the kitchen, and then something in the basement, either getting a smaller top freezer (from the outlet or craigslist) or trying to fit our monster down there will work for us. I will likely go with the smaller one.

Thanks so much for listening to me! My dh has officially told me to stop talking about refrigerators and says I am starting to sound like our 4 yr old daughter (who has autism and is particularly stuck right now talking about beds in hotels all the time)....that's probably funnier to us than how it sounds typed out. ; )

Great price on the Bosch! If you do get the Bosch sxs, (we love ours, a 800 series Linea -- it works like a dream!) don't worry about not getting the wine rack or the door alarm. When we got the Bosch last summer at Sears we took the wine rack out right away because it took up too much space. I find the door alarm slightly annoying -- so wouldn't mind getting a model without one. What I do love in the 800 Linea model are the beautiful, white, clear interior lights.

Go for a sleek look of a CD French door and you maybe happier. Side by side's freezer's are not great for families with kids and frozen kid food like large pizza's or bulk items. Having another frig in the basement is a great idea...mine is in the garage and holds extra milk, juices and even frozen bread, it's great to have a place for backups and less trips to the store. Plus, you will notice those few extra inches of room in a smaller kitchen.
Happy shopping!

Another option, if space is tight---you can use a small chest freezer as a fridge with a fairly simple temperature modification. (We do this because it's more energy efficient and better designed than fridges of the same size, which tend to be "dorm fridges.") It was $150 all told, I think. Super easy to do, and very handy---will be our primary fridge during the remodel! Or, of course, you could use it as a freezer too. :)

I'm posting this solely to reassure you that small fridges aren't impossible -- I have a 14.1 cu ft. fridge-freezer. Counter depth. We're a family of four with two growing boys. We kept our old fridge-freezer and it lives in the basement along with a chest freezer I picked up from Craigslist for a steal. We keep meat in the chest freezer, drinks and large party items in the downstairs fridge, and all our "every day" stuff in the little upstairs one. We had to get a tiny fridge because of our tiny kitchen. So if we can make it work with a 14.1, I think you can manage with the one you like.

Noellabelle,
You are too sweet to say such kind words of my humble
kitchen. : ) you made my day.

Now, Go for the BOSCH!!!.
I took my wine rack out. I should have gotten the frig
without it. Never use it. A red wine drinker here.

And one thing my DH did was bring a price quote of
the Sears outlet inventory to the local Lowes. He asked
if they could match the price.

They said yes. After checking with the boss three times.
And we ended up getting our appliances from Lowes
but at the Sears Outlet price. My DH was very careful
not to show Lowes where the appliance outlet was located.
We are in the Boston area but the Sears Outlet was in
texas. For us to buy from Texas and have shipped here
would have been twice as expensive. Lowes thought it
was the price down the street.

We got a great deal from Lowes.
Try it, it can not hurt to ask.
~boxerpups

artemis, that's very clever about the chest fridge!

kitchen1921, I am so spoiled, I know! I grew up with a small fridge in the kitchen, and we were fine (but my parents were avid gardeners, and had multiple fridges and freezers around the basement and garage). I always had a top freezer before this, and I never thought myself cramped for space.

Boxerpups, that's crazy you got that deal! I would have never thought of that! Did you use the 10% off coupons too? LOL I actually have a local sears outlet that has all 3 bosch models, but my local Lowe's don't seem to have any of them in stock. Would they match something they have to have shipped in? They do say they'd do free delivery, but I don't know how much they would do to sell something half off. I'm in there all the time though, so it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask!

Well, I dragged the 3 kids to our sears outlet today, and the Bosch fridge is beautiful! It still has the stainless covering all over it, and it looks perfect and brand new. I think it seems so much roomier than other cd fridges I've looked at. I'm taking my dh there tonight, and if he's okay with it, we're going to get it! woo hoo!!!

I was planning on getting it after the floor was redone, but I don't want to miss it!

We ended up buying the bosch, and it came on Friday. So far, it is working wonderfully for our family. It is quite roomy inside, and I didn't have any trouble fitting everything in it with some room to spare so far (but I did really weed out what was in our old fridge before we got it, to be fair).

Our only issue was with the sears outlet delivery. It arrived with a big scratch on the lower left side of the fridge, which thankfully goes right against the cabinets. The delivery man insisted it was there when I bought it, and I guess I was foolish and didn't argue. My thought was that we already got it half off, and even if it did have the scratch when we selected it, it would have been the same price. I'm not really sure what they would have done, but I'm at least happy it's in a concealed spot.

It's not all the way pushed in, since we're still working on the cabinets.

Thanks for all your help in making this decision!