Decisions, decisions, decisions...

10 years ago

Dear all,

I have been lurking here since 2011, when I first started thinking about a kitchen reno, but then got sidetracked by a leaking shower which necessitated a master bath reno, then my daughter got married, and now my son is getting married in mid-March. We might have done the kitchen after the bath was done, but the quote and the money available didn't equate. But now I think we might actually be able to get moving again on this project in April.

My spouse and I have worked through a variety of issues to arrive at a good plan. Now we need to think about appliances. We live in an upper middle class area, and this will likely end up being a $100K job. Such an expenditure will, however, somewhat pay for itself in the value of the home. Thus it is reasonable to install high end appliances.

I have a few questions.

1. I want to go with Wolf for a range, and I would like the grill option. If I went with a 36" range, I would get a wider oven than on a 48" range, and I would then likely need another wall oven along with microwave and warming drawer. On the other hand if I got the 48" range I wouldn't really need a wall oven, just the MW and warming drawer. The 48" would allow for 4 burners together, which I would prefer and which I couldn't do with the 36" given that both ranges would have grills. I would go AG, I think. Any thoughts on 36" vs 48", also AG vs DF, given these constraints?

2. I'm also very impressed with the Subzero for a refrigerator. My spouse, however, would like to see data about how it keeps food fresher longer. Has anybody seen that type of data?

3. An alternative to the SZ might be to purchase separate freezer and refrigeration columns from another brand. I am dealing with 42" at most, so would need 18" freezer column and 42" refrigeration column. In this way we would at least achieve separate compressors for the two units, part of the reason behind the SZ performance with respect to food freshness. I'm not sure, however, this would cost any less. Any thoughts you have on this with respect to brand, etc., would be most welcome.

Thanks!

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Comments (3)

romy718
10 years ago
We went back & forth between a 36" vs 48" Wolfe range & ended up with the 48". It fit our design better and we liked the option of 4 burners and 24" of grill/griddle space. We still needed more oven space (the holidays) & ended up with a Miele Speed oven (convection/microwave). Wolfe also makes a convection/microwave wall oven (too big for our layout). You might also want to look at the Wolfe Steam/convection oven.
Subzero has a whole new line of refrigeration. The units we purchased have been discontinued. We got a generous discount by purchasing both Subzero & Wolfe. We like our units but my only comparison is to a 17 year old Frigidaire.
Do you have a layout? Some of our choices were driven by what we had room for.
vsh1
Original Author
10 years ago
Hi romy718,

Here is a draft layout of my plan. Other than shifting the middle island slightly and giving it that extension on the bottom end, this is the footprint of the existing kitchen, which is dark and not optimally functional. To give you an idea of the current space, the island on the lower right (with a designation "prep sink?") is where my kitchen sink is now, which is approximately 15' away from my cook top. My oven and microwave are inserted into the top left corner taking up an inordinately large amount of counter space. By moving my sink I gain functionality, and even though I lose the upper cabinets that are on the existing wall to a new window, I gain light. By moving ovens I gain counter space. I lose my desk, but there is still a space for dropping stuff off, which will be smaller and thus I hope it will make for less of a visual eyesore.

I am also most likely to use a 42" refrigerator and thus won't need the refrigerator drawers.

As for size, the long refrigerator wall is ~17', the range wall is a little over 13', and the wall where the sink goes is ~12'. The bottom side opens to the family room and the lower right opens to a breakfast room, which will remain untouched.

Any comments on design? I have the room for the 48" range, I'm just not sure if I want to give up that nice large oven on the 36" range. What about the oven stack right next to the fridge, versus having (left to right) fridge then pantry then oven stack then drop-off place?

Thanks to all.
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kksmama
10 years ago
Don't forget to work ventilation into your comparison shopping, venting for a grill and/or a 48" range will likely cost much more (including cost of make up air) than venting for a 36" range.