<p>Since someone posted about washing machines, I feel free to ask for advice about refrigerators. The freezer just stopped working on our 22-year-old Sub-Zero side-by-side (it came with the house). I’ve been wanting to replace it anyway, because I hate the side-by-side configuration. I’m considering a French-door model (bottom freezer drawer; two doors that open above for the refrigerator section, but with no division inside). I can’t have a regular door because there isn’t enough space. And it has to fit into a confined space, so I need to get a counter-depth model. I hate ice-makers and water dispensers. I’m thinking of an LG model:</p>
<p>The current refrigerator is about 36" wide. I can’t use a model like yours because I don’t have room for the large door. </p>
<p>One thing that irks me is that counter-depth refrigerators cost significantly more than regular-depth models, all else being equal. I don’t understand how they can charge more for the same thing in a smaller size.</p>
<p>This is on topic for me too, since I’m shopping for a new refrigerator. I notice everything that is not side by side (I also don’t like those, since you can’t fit big platters) has the bottom freezer now. How do people organize the food in those? It seems like it would be a pain to stack everything and then have to go digging for it. Or are items stored edgewise? </p>
<p>Have you tried Consumer Reports, or epinions for ratings on these?</p>
<p>I’ve wondered how the bottom freezer would work, too, roshke. There are usually baskets to hold some things, but everything else is all together. LG is highly rated by Consumer Reports.</p>
<p>1moremom, I haven’t heard of Northlands, and I couldn’t find it on google. Do you have a link? Thanks.</p>
<p>We’re replacing our current GE freezer top model with the newer version of the same fridge. It lasted 18 years, so I guess that’s pretty good. Hubby refuses to consider any other type of fridge & doesn’t want ice-maker or water dispenser, so we’re getting exactly the same basic model, which has served us fine.</p>
<p>roshke, and anyone else who might be interested - I have ordered a Jenn-Air French door bottom freezer. The space I have is very tight, and the LG was about 1/2" too wide. I was disappointed, because it was cheaper and the drawers were a little nicer, but I learned that the LG seal between the French doors does not work as well as the seal on the others (Jenn-Air and two other brands that are all made by the same company). Looking at the models, the differences in seal design are obvious. I also learned that LG is coming out with new models in a couple of weeks. I couldn’t wait, because my refrigerator died altogether the other day, and I am now keeping two coolers in my kitchen and buying bags of ice every day!</p>
<p>My friend just remodeled her kitchen and got talked into a “counter depth” refrigerator. What a joke! It is so shallow that a carton of eggs barely fits in! (Of course it LOOKS good…) She had to buy a second refrigerator for the basement and she’s up and down a thousand times a day – and, of course, using extra electricity. What price beauty.</p>
<p>Weenie, we did some renovation and I had a false wall built so that I could have a normal depth fridge and still have it look like counter depth. The only other option is having it stick out a lot, which everyone says is ugly.</p>
<p>I had no choice but to get the counter-depth model. I have a very tight space, with no possibility of a false wall, and if I had a regular depth refrigerator it would be impossible to enter the kitchen. So I have to live within the constraints of the space I have. 1931 houses don’t have large kitchens.</p>
<p>NYMomof2 Glad you found something you like. Let me know how you make out with that bottom freezer! We are also going from a full size to a counter-depth model, but I’m hoping that with S away next year, and an extra fridge in the basement, it’ll be OK. I might be able to compensate by getting a wider model than I have now.</p>
<p>You’re lucky, roshke - I am stuck with 36", and my husband and I even had to measure how far the doors went out laterally when open 90 degrees (door molding adjacent to refrigerator spot). We are working within fractions of inches in all directions (except up; I refuse to replace the dead SubZero with another one at $6k, so I will have a significant gap at the top).</p>
<p>I’ll let you know how the freezer works out.</p>