>>>" Is there a rule of thumb for clearance between an open freezer drawer and an island?"I have not heard of a specific rule of thumb for CD/FD fridges. The rule of thumb I've heard for years has been to have 48" between island and counter edge, which is generally thought to be sufficient clearance for any kind of fridge. Of course, I've seen plenty of kitchens that were narrower. We work with the kitchens we have. But, a CD/FD should have enough clearance for your space and actually wll not be significantly different than what you would have with the doors on a 36-inch-wide SxS. The amount of space will vary with the model of fridge, but generally speaking, a CD fridge's bottom freezer will only stick out into the space about 18 inches when fully opened. I have a KA full-depth FD fridge. When the freezer drawer is fully extended, the distance from the outside edge of the freezer-door handle to the opposite countertop is about 24 inches. A CD model is going be about 4 inches shallower. You would still have 22" to 24" of space when a CD/FD fridge's freezer drawer is fully open. That's only a little bit less clearance than you'd get with SxS doors. >>>"Am I wrong to consider a CD FD to replace the 1990 GE S/S (36" wide) in there now? Would a S/S be a better choice?"Better? That term is heavily freighted with personal preference. I recall a couple of recent threads here where folks discussed personal perferences in choosing between SxS and FD designs. Do a search and you'll find a lot to think about. My personal take is that FD design gives you a more roomy fridge lay-out and wider spaces in drawers in the freezer compartment. What this means in practical terms is that may be be feasible to, say, stash a large frozen turkey in a FD's freezer that would not fit in the freezer section of a 36-inch-wide SxS. BUT, freezer space in both designs is going to be relatively small (especially for CD models.) You may to have to fuss with re-arranging the FD's freezer contents to get the Turkey in the relatively shallow compartment. It is like having a small chest freezer. If you hate chest freezers, you may not care for a FD fridge's freezer compartment. If you are okay with a chest freezer, then you will probably be okay with an FD design. The best thing you can do for yourself is go to a store and look at some of the CD/FD models you are interested in. Take some boxes and containers that you would keep in the fridge and see how the arrangement works for you. You've been living with a SxS and are used to it, so that gives you a point of comparison. >>>"constrained with 70.5" rear height limit."Here again, go to a store and have look at models you like. When I was shopping for a fridge a couple of weeks ago, I discovered that a lot of the FD models have taller doors with a false front to hide hinges. This seems to be increasingly prevelant on other designs

normjohnston14 - You probably know this already, but The Brick owns Transglobal. If you buy your appliance at The Brick you will be getting Transglobal. We used to have (emphasis on "used to") an appliance repair contract. The company used Transglobal. I do not put a lot of faith in the Cdn. home service rating company, but Transglobal has practically a 0 rating. We recently had to buy a new fridge. We were seriously challenged by space due to the height - cupboards can't really be cut. So we had to go with a top mount fridge that just fits under the cupboards with the minimum requirement of space above it. I shudder to think of the issues if this fridge dies in the short term because even most of the top mounts are starting to be made at a height of 67 - 69 inches - and many are 33 inches in width. Heck we couldn't get that size of fridge in the doorway. A lot of people have found that while an appliance might fit their space, getting it into their homes can be a major issue - if not impossible. It was also the only top mount we could find (in Ontario) that was Energy Efficient and since you live in Ontario you will know all about that issue. People in the U.S. have considerably more options. I looked at every website out there. We did take out the Extended Warranty just in case - I was afraid not to. It is stainless steel but the type that you can't use stainless steel cleaners on. It is a good thing I knew this because the manual was written by someone I am certain had never seen the fridge and was one of those manuals that cover every single fridge the company makes. But we did not buy the fridge from The Brick. I was told by the fridge manufacturer that if we bought it from The Brick they would have to send Transglobal. Never! The warranty was purchased directly from the manufacturer. I am aware that cosmetic issues are not covered. Actually if you read the Limited Warranty that came with your fridge you will see how hardly anything is covered. We had major issues with our Whirlpool starting at age 1.5. At least it had a bottom mount freezer. You want to speak about rust. Yikes.

I just went through this. Replaced my range hood a couple of years ago and removed a set of overhead cabinets to fit the hood. I did not want to loose more cabinet space over my fridge. Here are the 3 brands I found at 68" or less. It wasn't easy but possible. Kitchenaid, Fisher Paykel, Kenmore Elite (made by LG) https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kitchenaid-19-7-cu-ft-french-door-refrigerator-stainless-steel/7009126.p?skuId=7009126&ref=212&loc=1&ksid=04e65d39-118a-478a-9747-180726925eaf&ksprof_id=13&ksaffcode=pg199832&ksdevice=c&lsft=ref:212,loc:2 http://www.abt.com/product/87051/Fisher-Paykel-17-Cu-Ft-Stainless-Steel-ActiveSmart-Counter-Depth-French-Door-Bottom-Refrigerator-RF170ADUSX4.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=RF170ADUSX4&camptype=cpcUSGooglePLA&pt_source=google&pt_medium=sc&pt_campaign=[PLA]%20[US]%20-%20RLSA&pt_adgroup=[PMX]%20[PLA]%20[US]%20-%20RLSA&pt_keyword= https://www.kenmore.com/products/kenmore-elite-71323-21-8-cu-ft-french-door-bottom-freezer-refrigerator-w-water-dispenser-stainless-steel/ I ended up going with the Kenmore Elite....good luck.

I have a Bosch counter depth French Door w/two freezer drawers - model B21CL81SNS. I have only had it for about 5 months. It replaced my side by side with water on the door. I love the look and initially missed the water on the door but I put it on the door inside in a filter pitcher so if I want water I just open the one door and reach in. The only time I open both doors is when needed. Most of the time I open one side or the other - this is due to how I place items in the refrigerator. I do like the two drawers as I put all the stuff the kids would want in the top freezer drawer. Inside it has 3 drawers that work well. The one that runs from one side to the other has a movable divider. I do have a secondary freezer in another location for items not needed daily. I could have saved some money buying scratch/dint item but it was not the model I wanted. This dent was on the side which would have been seen as I have the two refrigerator panels Please remember if going french door measure twice - (height and side to side taking into account any space needed around the refrigerator when planning remodel. I found some of the new refrigerators are very big.