It seems difficult to really get a good feel for how we do things. In this temp home I have maybe 5' of actual counter space. That has a small microwave, blender (used a few times a day) and another spot where I usually have my electric skillet. The small bit of counter left is where I chop veggies. LOL Before we moved here I would do more things up ahead and freeze. I still do that with ground beef but nothing else really right now. What I see as our possible uses: 1. Freeze ahead: -gluten free/egg free baked goods for my youngest child -gluten free baked goods for the other four kids -make ahead treats/snacks for myself I do these some already but not in the quanities I would prefer. -browned ground beef -grilled chicken -raw meats I get on sale -casseroles prepped and ready for oven 2. Produce storage -We use a lot of lettuce. Most of the kids like salad and dh and I eat it quite a bit. -bell peppers - these I should really chop in advance but don't do that right now for lack of counter space (and forethought) Honestly though, if I chop them up, I usually just freeze them. -celery, carrots, zuchinni, asparagus and other odds and ends. I tend to make soups with tons of veggies. So one day my fridge might be filled to the brim and the next day 50% empty, but I have dh stop at the store on the way home that night. 3. Containers -I like to make broth and store in jars in the fridge. I might have 6-8 quart jars one day and then none the next. -I keep a few other jars of various items. We don't have a lot of condiments or sodas. Mainly drink water or prepare our drinks fresh. Except almond milk. That I purchase in cartons. So I FEEL like I would utilize quite a bit of fridge space. I would like to buy a half/whole cow. That would use up a lot of freezer space. I tend to his costco and other specialty stores about 1 hour away from here and stock up on things in the freezer. Special bacon, special allergy free deli turkey, special pepperoni are three things I get for sure. I might have 12 packages of the turkey which take up an entire shelf in the upright freezer. But then I use those up over a period of 4-6 months before I get more.

36inch counter depth (builtin or not - you didn't specify) is not a lot of space for a family of 5. If you get a combined fridge/freezer, you lose extra space for the partition and the extra electronics. Space-wise, it would be more efficient to put in an all-refrigerator in the kitchen and an all-freezer in the garage, then a combined fridge-freezer in each location. It would also allow you to store wide items in both the fridge and freezer. That might also be less expensive because there are many inexpensive all-freezers and a freezer in the garage does not need to look fancy. Whether this works depends on how often you need to get into your freezer. The other consideration is that you probably don't want to have to go into the garage for ice. If you have a separate ice maker or a freezer drawer with an ice maker, that would solve the problem.. You could put two freezer drawers or a combo unit (one fridge drawer and one freezer drawer) under the counter. If you have a separate ice maker, you could even put in a beverage fridge under the counter to free up some space in your main fridge.

It's not only milk I am thinking of - just more food storage in general in the future, as we will be eating at home ourselves more as well, and we feed our 3 cats a frozen diet so their food takes up a lot of freezer space. We are already jammed in there and could use more space now. But yes I do plan to return to work and pump, though I am aware that things don't always work out as planned. And yes before our baby is mobile we will need to baby-proof the house which would include ensuring the freezer is lockable. She will be in our room for at least 6 months anyway maybe longer. Drains do not need towels or drain by themselves on the floor, they have plus and to manually defrost you remove the plug and attach a hose, feed hose to a drain or suitable container. We have no carpet in the house, LVP flooring. I think the best spot would be the hallway closet beside the stacked laundry, where there is already an outlet and space. It's upstairs not near the kitchen but I could store longer term bulk items there and move them to the kitchen freezer as things get used up. Then the question is upright or chest format and brands/models?

Hmmm, I’m going to look into the 42”. If it isn’t significantly more money I’ll go that route. I thought about the cabinet panels, but they would still be huge enough to look awkward I think? Thanks all!