Thank you so much Jeff. I spoke with Fred. Unfortunately, his blender will not fit an old 251 model. I would have to buy his newly designed motor set up. Probably not realistic, when all I need is the blender. All of my other attachments are like new! Have you been pleased with your new kitchen prep setup? Just in case my motor goes out.

Built-in by definition is counter-depth or shallower and called fully integrated. Northland builds a 36" built-in top freezer for ~$4700 in SS. The Northland 36TFW They also make a 36" built-in SxS for ~$5k Northland 36SSW Northland is known for maintaining rock steady low temperatures and good long term durability. Not very energy efficient nor very quiet. Made in USA. Freestanding refrigerators are not meant to be recessed or built-in. They are designed to have at least 1.5" of clearance on all sides with some manufactures specifying more clearance.They all post pictures of freestanding fridges in fridge cabinets with 1/8"clearance but then demand much more room in the install instructions. Recessed freestanding fridges will not get proper ventilation and will work harder with more noise to maintain temperatures. Repairing prematurely failing parts on recessed freestanding fridges will still be much cheaper than buying a built-in fridge.

Extending the stiles refers to widening them. If your stiles are, say 2" wide each, you may have an option of widening them to, say 2 1/2" each. Therefore your 36" cabinet is now 37" as you've added a total of 1" to the total width. While this is an option, you will also need to consider that widening the stiles does not widen the cabinet box. When installing the cabinet between tall gables or tall gable and wall, you will need spacers to match the widened stiles or have the cabinet box flush with the outer edge of the stiles in order to attach the cabinet properly. Counter depth typically means it is closer the the 25" of the counter. It does not automatically mean it will work for a built in. Counter depth fridges are typically taller as well in order to keep the storage capacity. When it comes to building in the fridge, try to find a model where the doors hinge open in line with the fridge box width. If the doors hinge outside of the box, your doors will need to be proud of the tall gables on either side. Otherwise they will bind against the tall gables or, you will need a greater gap between the gables to accommodate the wider swing which will detract from the built in look you're trying to achieve. (Albeit crude, see below for what I'm talking about, top view)

We need to replace our KA under the counter ice maker. What is a good resource to read reviews and compare brands? Our Sub Zero all-fridge is over 20 years old and has never given us a problem. Should I presume sub zero would be the best quality in terms of reliability?