Bottom freezers make sense to me. Heat rises, cold air falls. So when you open the door of a top freezer, the cold air rushes out. Open the bottom drawer though, and the cold air stays in. I have a large chest freezer that only needs to be defrosted once every couple of years simply because the hot air does not flow in every time you open the door.

Funny you should bring this up...I just had my 30" GE Model #:GDS20SCSSS installed yesterday (full door, bottom drawer freezer)and compared to my old traditional top door freezer of the same height and width, there is much less usuable and functional space.

The freezer has a large basket on the bottom and above it a pull out ice cube drawer and a pull out basket. These are half width, side by side of each other. However, there is 6 1/2" of space between the top of the bottom baslet and the bottom of the top drawers. This is essentially dead space. I don't have an ice maker, and when trying to make two trays of ice cubes, there's no where to lay them side by side.

The refrigerator compartment is 34 1/2" in length (6" less than the old one) Although the new one is a little deeper and the doors deeper as well, the space is less functional.

With the lower shelf on its lowest position (not as low as I could make it on the old one), and the upper shelf at the highest setting possible to accommodate a wine bottle, the middle shelf is now on 3 3/4".

That being said, I love that I don't have to bend so much to get to the fresh food, especially the vegetable bins.

I guess I'll have to live with this, as I undertand all the other 30" brand models are essentially the same. However, the GE Profile has another full width shelf between the large lower and the small upper. That was the only difference I could discern for an additional $300...seems like a lot to pay for a wire basket.

I've been lusting after a bottom freezer refrigerator ever since I got really serious about this kitchen remodel. Long enough that the top freezer refrig's are starting to look weird and out of date. So, I think it's mostly a matter of what you're used to seeing.

And, with your small galley kitchen, you won't really have a long view of the refrigerator anyway, will you? Not like seeing it in photos or on the showroom floor, that is.

If you've lived with a top freezer all this time and haven't lusted over a different configuration, then maybe staying with the top is the right thing.

Like ci lantro, I KNEW I wanted a bottom-mount freezer model and couldn't wait for the old top-mount to bite the dust. The main problem with the top-mount was that the freezer compartment was particularly large and blocked the line of sight into the fridge area. We had to bend down to see anything and bending down and reaching for heavy items was hard on the back.

We bought our bottom-mount freezer about 8 years ago. At the time, the bottom mount models were less energy efficient than the top mount models. I don't know if that still hold true. It had to do with the energy used to distribute the cold air. I really enjoyed having the fridge stuff easier to see and handier. The top of the freezer door created a shelf which became a handy place to temporarily place refrigerator items while trying to get at items in the back. The downside was that the freezer had a door and I pretty much had to sit on the floor when I wanted to get at anything in it. We pretty much gave up ice since getting at the trays was so hard (no ice maker.)

But I like the counter-depth side-by-side we put in during our remodel 3 years ago best of all!

I use my fridge more than I use my freezer, so I wanted to reach all the fridge stuff without bending down. Plus my toddler kids can't open the fridge yet (the handle's too high). Whatever works for you.

Personally, I prefer a top freezer. We had friends who had a bottom freezer for many years and always went through all sorts of trouble to replace it when they weren't fashionable.

I'll probably wind up with a bottom freezer because that's all that I can get in the size I need, but I dislike rummaging around down there to find that package of frozen peas I know is in there somewhere, and I dislike the fact that bottom freezer models tend to have too much freezer space relative to fridge space, as far as I'm concerned.

Exactly what mls99 pointed out: I go in the freezer maybe a couple times a week. I am in the fridge like a hundred times a day. It made sense when we bought our fridge to have a bottom drawer freezer and it has worked out wonderfully.

We've had a bottom freezer for about 5 years. At first, I thought I didn't have as much space as our old top freezer but after I got things arranged and got used to it I actually think it holds more or at least it's easier to find things since they're more divided up and not just stacked. Ours is some model of Kemore (wider than 30" but I'm not sure how wide) that has a bottom drawer, with two levels (icemaker also on the top level). The bottom level pulls out with the main drawer (divided in half with a moveable divider), then the top is a separate wire basket that pulls out on its own.

I love not having to bend over to get the stuff on the bottom shelf of the frig. I'd never go back to a top mount freezer.

Janran,
How do you like your 30" GE Model #:GDS20SCSSS? I put in a 30" Frigidaire top mount frige. It is great, except for the NOISE that it makes when the compressor is running. How noisy is your frige? Do you notice it when the compressor turns on? Thanks in advance.

Love my bottom freezer...will never go back to the top mount.

People with little kids BEWARE though! Teach them not to climb on the drawer. He didn't even pull it out and climb on it...he just kind of did a 'knee up' action. I caught him doing it once or twice. Pretty soon, we had to have the 'bent' guides replaced. When the repair man came, I gave my son a lesson about what he did....and how he broke it. He's never done it since.

TIP: We went out and bought our son a kitchen step stool...so whenever he needed to get something by himself, he could.

Bottom freezer all the way.

I had a great Amana refrigertor with lights in the freezer and food compartment, Inividual temperature contols i the deli drawer, veg. bins, etc. It was in perfect condition still after fifteen years.
Worked like a dream

I am doing a renovation of a nyc galley kitchen and was afraid the contractors would have difficuly removing it. The fridge weighed a ton.
I ordered a new fridge and the delivery men removed it and then put the new fridge in its place.

Now I have a lg 24inch wide 68inch tall with a bottom freezer.

The color is white and it cost $500 including free shipping and also free removal of the bulky refrigerator.
To top it off they took a personal check after the install.

I like it much better because the interior is logically laid out, easy to clean and food does not get lost in the back.

It is a good temporary fix until I can purchase the liebherr 24inch integrated model.

I am still in the planning stages of the kitchen renovation.

It looks like some lucky little devil will get a brand new fridge for free as a gift.

I am happy to give it to somebody who really needs it.

Kristi -
Actually my model is GDSS0KCXSS. Same as the one I listed previously, except that it doesn't have an ice maker. I think the compressor is fairly quiet. I'll pay more attention to it when I go home.

I prefer good old fashioned top freezer too (and had settled on an awesome SS 30" Frigidaire) but I think I need to go counter depth and there aren't any.

When you're stuck with a mere 30", it's important to use the space as wisely as possible, and I think the top mounts do that.

I have a GE French Door and love it. As everyone else said I go into the fridge multiple times a day and into the freezer only once or twice. At 5'0'' it's easier for me to deal with the freezer below than having to tiptoe to see what's in the back of the top freezer.

One warning--when we first got it my DS got some ice cream out, put it back in, but didn't close the door completely. Long story short ice melted, refroze, and jammed the sides. DS tried to cover it up later by yanking real hard on it, which broke a basket hinge. Now we make sure to have the door open alarm on and haven't had a problem since.

Bottom all the way. Can't beat having fruit and veggies at eye level. I like the freezer drawers, too, as things stay put better in the various compartments/dividers.

We got a Fisher & Paykel cabinet depth bottom freezer a few months ago and I love it! It has a door on the freezer and then three drawers inside that keep everything very organized. Plus it is wide enough to hold things like ice cream cakes, etc. that my side by side could not. Finally, like others here have mentioned, it is so much more convenient to have all the fresh food at eye level.

Good luck with your decision. You should get what seems right for you.

aucmedden, do you have the trim kit, by any chance?

SOmeone said you have a galley kitchen -- if the fridge is going on one of the sides (not the end), the advantage of the french door ones is that someone can get by with the fridge door open. Big plus when you have kids who like to stand in front of the open fridge and contemplate their options.

When we moved into our home 12 years ago, it had a bottom freezer Amana fridge. This was a weird concept to me. I thought it was going to be really awkward. When it was time to buy a new fridge (in 2000), we chose another Amana bottom freezer--this time with the icemaker. It just made sense. We only go in the freezer for ice, to put something in to freeze, or take something out to thaw. The fridge; however, gets use all day long. It is so nice to not have to get on my knees to get in the bins, and I never had to worry about my small children grabbing the milk, juice, or any glass jars, because they couldn't reach them! (A wonderful bonus, as far as I was concerned.)

Our bottom freezer has a shelf with a full-size basket underneath for frozen veggies, fruits, etc. We have a separate upright freezer in our basement for larger items and meats.

I would never go back to a top freezer, but the French door fridges make me drool. ** sigh **

Izbit, the fridge will be on the end as soon as you walk into the kitchen. I love the way french doors look, but unfortunately, I only have 30" max width for the fridge. The only fd fridge that would fit in that space is an LG, and based on comments on this board, I don't want to buy LG.

I currently have (and have only ever had) a top freezer model (GE), and I had assumed I would just buy another top freezer (in SS instead of white). But I am certainly being convinced by people's comments here that I should seriously consider a bottom freezer. I do like how organized the contents of my freezer can be in a top freezer model, and it's easier to check what everything is when it's at eye level. (I'm 5'6", btw.) But I really don't use a lot of frozen food lately - I eat mostly salads and fresh fruits and vegetables (yes, I've been losing weight ;-)), and keep so little frozen food that organization might not be a big issue.

On the other hand, it still irritates me (mildly) that the freezer in a bottom freezer model would take up more of the total space than in a top freezer model. I need more fridge space, not more freezer space! (Here we'll have this big ole freezer containing: 2 boxes veggie burgers, 2 packages frozen vegetables, one Smart Ones chicken marsala frozen dinner, and one half-empty box of Weight Watchers chocolate cookies & cream ice cream bars.)

I still think the pull-out drawer is a little clunky. Auchmedden, I am so jealous of your F&P! I've seen it in the store and think it's just lovely. Counter-depth, too!! I feel they really got it right in the ergonomics department. Unfortunately, it needed to be about an inch narrower - it's 31-1/4" and needs an inch on either side (as opposed to 29-5/8" for most other models in that size class).

I've had a Kenmore bottom freezer for 5 1/2 years and really like the set-up. We are currently building a new home and I planned on a bottom freezer again. I don't freeze much (ice, icecream, frozen pizza). When looking at current models they seem to have less usable space than the model I have now. I can't quite figure out what the difference is but the freezer on my 33" definitely roomier than some of the 36" models I've seen.

That being said I ended up getting a Sub-zero 700 integrated model (based on a consruction error, I only ended up with room for a 30" and I wanted to be able to panel it).

I haven't broken the news to my DH that we'll probably need to purchase a back-up as I'm afraid the very pricey Sub-zero will be too small for a family of 4.

I went for form over function.

I think an important criteria is to think about how many people use your kitchen/refrigerator. What works for a family of 4 or more may not be necessary for 2 or less people. Secondly, your eating/food needs. Some people love to cook/bake and need lots of space for refrigerated items and rarely have things in the freezer. Some are just the opposite.

You may be dieting now and certainly in the warmer months most people do eat fresh produce, etc. But if you live in an area that has true winters, you may find you keep more items in the freezer.

A refrig/freezer is a major investment to last many years. So think long term, not just for this year.

I tend to have more in the freezer thanks to the Tilly food saver system (can keep items sooooo much longer without spoiling or freezer burn, great for when there are sales.)

Everyone is different. Style vs. function vs. need? I looked at the various bottom freezers and decided to once again go with a traditional top freezer as it has just a big open box (one shelf - great for freezing liquid items before putting in Tilly) to accomodate any size package I put in there. Two ice cube trays on top is enough for me. I'm not one who puts anything heavy on the refrig door shelves and I like the simple glass shelves (full size is great for large platters, etc.) for cleaning, the small meat drawer for cold cuts (which go fast) and rarely use the 2 crisper drawers in the bottom, but they are there when needed. All thoughts IMHO are personal.....I've just been very disappointed in the interior spaces in the New Finest and Expensive refrigs...

Lastly, my body does not like all that bending, especially my neck and a little arthritis is creeping in.

My dog wanted a bottom freezer as much as I did because she ducked every time the top freezer door opened. I don't have a second fridge in the garage or a stand alone freezer so I wanted the kitchen fridge to have as much flexibility as possible. I've had a Samsung Quatro (sic) for a year. I just love it. It is a side-by-side on the upper part where the most frequently used items are kept. The two lower drawers have a variable temp setting. The smaller one is only freezer temps. The four settings on the larger one under the fridge range from fresh food to soft freeze (it's perfect for bread). The only thing that won't fit is frozen pizza. It's not a deal breaker. Of course it fits in the freezer of my son's no longer used dorm fridge, LOL. Maybe top freezers have emerged from the stone age and things are easy to find and reach. I wouldn't have one after the set-up we have now.

I will always go for the bottom freezer. It just makes sense for me. I don't lose things in the fridge anymore. I don't have to bend over hunting for stuff, which is much easier on my back.

Well, I guess I am in the minority. I really don't like my French door, freezer on the bottom fridge. I constantly go into my freezer. I bring a lunch to work everyday and go in and out with those blue ice thingy's for my lunch box. I also make a lot of freezer jam with summer fruit and freeze a lot of summer fruit as well. In the winter time I use my slow cooker a lot and freeze the leftovers.

Since I generally cook for one, I freeze leftovers so I don't have to cook during the week when I am tired and get home late from work and a long, long commute. I can put in some frozen fruit in my lunch box and it is thawed by the time I eat it (if I use that instead of my blue ice thingies and it keeps the rest of my lunch cold).

When it comes time to lift a frozen turkey, I will definately be missing my top freezer fridge. I think it will be a back breaker. It is much easier to lift a head of lettuce from the bottom of the fridge than a frozen turkey. However, I don't think I have enough freezer space and I am not wild about the fridge space either. While I know the french door fridge is bigger (it is a monster), it still feels like I don't have the same amount of space in there as my old fridge.

As far as french door fridges go, I liked the combo on the bottom of the GE French door fridge as someone mentioned earlier. It had an extra pull out drawer that I liked a lot. However, the price was the deal breaker. Much pricier than my fridge and smaller to boot. What's with that?

Also being short 5'2", I find I don't put things much on the top shelf of my fridge and there isn't much height on it anyway. If I stacked things in my freezer, it just seemed a better use of space.

I really don't like side by side fridges. Again, I think the freezer part isn't wide enough for what I like and use. What I need are two fridges side by side that fit on a counter. Have cupboard or drawer space below for kitchen gadgets. Now why don't they make that? No bending down and more drawers in the kitchen (who doesn't need more drawer space) and I get the width of my "standard" fridge to boot for my fridge and freezer.

If you have young children, I would consider getting a top freezer. Both of my kids can open the fridge and get an apple or juice box when they want and if we had a bottom freezer they wouldn't be able to reach.

this may not be what you want to hear but i've had every variation and hated them all equally. top freezer: too small and stuff gets lost in the back. bottom freezer was even worse since it was like a deep trunk with things getting lost at the bottom and to the back. side by side was the worst of them all. the freezer was too narrow for me since i bake a lot and coudn't fit a baking pan in there. ...not that i could do that with the top or bottom freezer either.
this time around i'm doing an all fridge and all freezer. no more fooling around; i want this kitchen to work for me. i don't want to have to "make do" or create ways to stick things in such a small and awkwardly shaped space. GL with your choice. i have a feeling i might be being insanely picky!

I was planning to get a FD fridge too but there are several things I don't like about them: opening 2 doors all the time instead of just 1, the freezers seem too big and deep (would prefer more fridge space), there doesn't seem to be enough room for fresh produce, which we buy a lot of.

I use the freezer very little, so I'm considering putting my small chest freezer (currently in basement) in the walk-in pantry, counter-depth all-fridge in my kitchen, and an undercounter ice-maker somewhere. My second option is a CD F&P fridge with internal ice and refrigerator drawers near my prep area.

my new kenmore bottom freezer, french door fridge is the best fridge i've ever used. Fittings and drawer material, not so much....couldn't believe when fridge shopping how shoddy the plastics are in ALL the brands, even high end.

HOWEVER, i hope to never go back to traditional or side by side again. i don't have to open both doors at a time and now i have the space to have mostly "zones" in my fridge like where to put the milk and juice and iced tea, etc.

my last fridge was a side-by-side, and i was soooo tired of trying to fit things that just wouldn't fit, of stacking things, of trying to dig stuff out of the back. the best thing about my new fridge is that when i DO open both doors, i can SEE EVERYTHING. really, everything. it all fits and i can get to it all easily.

i'm not a fan of bending over for everything i need from the fridge a zillion times a day but i realized that the wide-shelved, eye-level nature of it all is the biggest advantage. we've only had ours for about a month but we've already saved where before we would have lost and wasted food. we actually eat more of our fruits and veggies....honestly... and i know it's because they are so THERE and easy.

my kenmore is only 33 inches wide....all i could fit in the space and i opted against an icemaker in the door cause it takes up too much main compartment space. we have an icemaker in our bottom freezer which is plenty good enough for me. the freezer is much more logical and roomy than my side by side and i have no problems finding and using stuff. basically the main drawer (NOT a door, that is really inconvenient i think) is divided in two adjustable sections and one section currently has frozen chicken breasts, frozen fish fillets, a package of pita bread and a half gal of ice cream. the other side has bags of frozen veggies and a bottle of vodka (lol).

the top slide out shelf has the ice on the left 3rd or so on the right are freezie things, waffles, and containers of leftover frozen soups. works great for us.

I love my 6 month old bottom freezer frig. I tend to keep it much neater because I know food has to be in just so to get the drawer closed. I used to lose stuff and cram it in the old top mount. The overflow goes in a deep freeze in the basement. I have a 30" SS Maytag with 2 drawers. I also love the ice maker. Luckily my son in law went with DH to the appliance store to pick out my Christmas present and insisted this is what we needed! DH excuse for not getting an ice maker years ago was that it was too complicated to install. The delivery guys had it hooked up in less than 15 minutes. I have been loving it ever since and so has the rest of the family. I do feel that we might have a bit less frig space but I am still playing with adjusting the shelves. I would not go back.

I'm of two minds....on the one hand, I do like our bottom freezer for the most part b/c it just happens that the top drawer is the perfect size for the frozen veggie boxes I buy...and I store them one deep horizontally...which makes it easy to grab the one I want (in my top freezer I had to go vertical...tough when you want the one on the bottom!) But, only one frozen pizza box fits in the middle, shallow drawer and it doesn't fit in the bottom drawer...so I have to use the downstairs freezer...but I did that before as well so it's not that big a deal.

However, I'm not very happy w/the FD refrigerator...the # of doors isn't a problem as I have a good idea now where everything is so I don't generally open more than one door. BUT....

* The crisper drawers are definitely smaller...approximately 1/2 the size of those in my old fridge....I can't fit very much in either one.

* The configuration of the door bins only allows one easily accessible gallon container per door instead of the 4 in my old fridge b/c the doors are shorter and narrower (I wish I could get rid of the soda rack & move that bottom shelf/bin down!).

* There's also a lot less room for "tall" items. The shelves are so close together and I while I thought that shelf that could be shortened was cool when I saw it...in reality I can't use it b/c it's difficult to get to the things on that shelf with several tall things in front of it and b/c there's not much overall vertical space

* As I said, there's really not enough vertical space in the refrigerator after you factor in the freezer, meat drawer, and crispers...all eating up a lot of vertical space for the entire width!

* Oh, and the water filter & huge light take up valuable real estate in the refrigerator as well!

I've already told my DH that when our old refrigerator dies (will be in basement eventually), we're buying another one...but a cheap one w/top freezer...all fridge would be better but they're too expensive for an "overflow" fridge!

I also miss the pull down bin in the door that I used to keep cheeses in (yes, we have a lot of cheese!).

I do need to take some time to try to organize the refrigerator (not that it'll stay organized knowing my family!) Perhaps then I will like it better.

I do like the options though...cold water in door, a working ice maker, digital temp control, door alarm, and even the bigger meat drawer.

I love my French door model. I was worried about having the ice maker on the bottom; being in Florida, we get ice for drinks frequently. But that hasn't been an issue. We have cold water through the door, the water filter is easy to access and I don't think it takes up a lot of space inside. I use that shelf for jams, pickles and condiments so I just slide short items under the filter.

I don't really understand the concern about lack of vertical storage space. All of my shelves are adjustable, so I can space them as needed. I keep the milk and a juice carton in the door. I put the top right shelf at a height to accommodate a 2quart pitcher; the only other tall items are maybe a catsup or salad dressing bottle and those fit in door storage. I have a very shallow shelf set for an egg carton and yogurt containers.

Even going after ice for drinks, we use the refrigerator compartment many times more a day than the freezer. Yeah, I may have to get a heavy item out of the bottom freezer three times a year for a holiday dinner, but that beats getting down on the floor three times a day for smaller items for me.

T- We love our bottom freezer CD/FD. It is soooo easy to pull out the freezer drawers and actually see what you have instead of foraging around in the top freezer to see what is behind what.

Furthermore, nothing beats having all the food (esp.produce drawers) at human level so you don't have to get down on your haunches every time you want to see what's in those drawers.
It is heaven to open the fridge and see everything at eye level -- and especially if you use the refrigerator more than the freezer, you want everything to be convenient to reach. Trust me. Bottom freezer is the way to go if you can do it.

Well....I cleaned out both my old & new refrigerator and organized everything this past weekend. As long as I don't keep "duplicates," everything fits in my new refrigerator. However, I will have to keep the extra gallons of milk, OJ, etc. in our old refrigerator (soon to be in the basement) and transfer as needed. Ditto for most of the frozen stuff. [We usually have 2 gallons of regular skim + 1 gallon of organic skim milk....plus 2+ gallons of OJ at any given time...plus a bottle of V8 and sometimes lemonade or iced tea. Then there's all the yogurts & milks for lunches....camp/school/work.]

I'm still unhappy about the small crispers....I'm still trying to figure out where to keep all the carrots, celery, peppers, etc in the veggie drawer and the apples, grapes, nectarines, pears, etc in the fruit drawer....they're both so shallow! If I put the "overflow" in the basement they won't get eaten before going bad...and the last thing I want to do is make it more difficult to get our fruits & vegetables each day (especially the kids...out of sight/out of mind!)

While I'm not ecstatic over the CD/FD refrigerator, I feel a little better about it.

BTW...the issues w/vertical space are two-fold...first, there's less of it overall than in a conventional refrigerator and second, while the shelves are adjustable, they only adjust so much....mine any way.

I've had both and will definitely have BF in the new house. The only question is french or single door . . . leaning now toward FD and am glad to read your assessments! We're in an apartment while building and I'm HATING its TF with a passion!! It's killing my back.

I love the way FD's look. But functionally, I like to open the refrigerator door and take food out and put it on the counter without the other half of the door getting in the way.

But I really like the way they look. :-)

Anyway, based on everyone's comments here, and on my own standing for LONG periods of time in PC Richard staring at them, I've decided to go for the bottom freezer! Time will tell if I decide the roll-out drawer is really too clunky after all, or if it's the most brilliant invention since the toaster oven. I'm now deciding between models - either the Maytag (because it's cheaper), or the GE Profile (because it's nicer - wish it were cheaper!). Both are full-door models - not FD. (The only FD *I* would have space for would be the LG, and I've heard too many stories here about them causing fires when the light bulb failed to turn off.)

Anyone have any feelings about Maytag vs. GE Profile?

Let us know what you end up with and how you like it! I'm facing the same decision and would like your input . . . I'm like you about the FD -- one day I think I'd like it and the next day I have second thoughts!

Do NOT get the Maytag. While it is technically owned by Whirlpool these days, it is still made on the Maytag side of the house (according to my appliance guy), while KA, Jenn-Air, and Amana are made on the Amana side of the house.

Don't even ask me about my mother's horrible experience with the piece-of-crap Maytag that she bought and ultimately returned. Amana is the lowest priced of the other three I mentioned - it should be fine.

Or, the GE, as far as I know, should also be fine.

I thought the Maytag was also made by Amana? PC Richard on 23rd St. has a Maytag and a KA right next to each other. You open both doors and they're practically identical inside (the KA has pull-out shelves and an extra full-width drawer on the bottom), and the freezers *are* identical.

Actually, I'm insane enough to have photographic proof. (My digital camera is an integral part of my renovation shopping!)

Here's the Maytag & KA:

Here are the inside doors (Maytag, KA, GE Profile):

Finally, here are the freezers. The Amana style is one full-width drawer inside with the ice on the left. The GE Profile has two half-width drawers (one for ice) plus one full-width drawer.

I can't believe how much analysis I've put into a d***d refrigerator! Hope it's helpful to someone. :-)

For comparison...the GE Profile CD/FD, bottom freezer refrigerator:

Left door, b/c of height restrictions here, only one bin can hold a gallon size (height & width) container...the bottom bin is immovable. The bottom full-size bin is as far down as it can go. (We tried a gallon jug in that bottom full size bin but it was difficult getting it in & out...too tall to be easily taken out/put in.)
{{!gwi}}

Main compartment. Note the full length meat drawer on the bottom, next the 2 shallow crisper drawers, and then the various shelves. The bottom shelves are down as far as they can go.

Right door, only one gallon-size container fits. The bottom bin is as far down as it can go. I don't really have much use for the can rack in the bottom (one there "just because it can be"!)

Light & fan in middle, water filter far right

Bottom freezer drawer

Middle freezer drawer (very shallow)

Top freezer drawer. Note that it's the same depth as the ice maker on the left (can barely see it).

All 3 freezer drawers + ice maker

Wow, they look so much better filled with food! Mine would never look like that - I would open up that big clunky freezer drawer and it would be - EMPTY!!! (Probably everything I store in the freezer would fit in the two auxiliary drawers inside.)

Which is why I ended up going for the Frigidaire top freezer after all. I was in PC Richard this afternoon placing my appliance order (great sale this weekend!). The salesman had already written up the GE Profile bottom freezer model, but while he went off to talk to the manager for a minute, I checked out the refrigerators again. That drawer is so massive. I have so little frozen food. Plus the GE Profile was *literally* twice the price of the Frigidaire. I've had a top freezer all my life, I'm comfortable with it, I wouldn't know what I was missing by not having a bottom freezer. And what if I ended up *hating* the bottom freezer?? After spending $1400 on a refrigerator!!

I switched the order to the top freezer.

And got to feel virtuous that *something* in this renovation actually came out on budget. :-)

Thanks, everyone, for your comments!! They were absolutely helpful. I'm just a wimp. :-)

Congratulations- I think sometimes the satisfaction of coming to a decision outshines the decision! And you are not a wimp-- if it aint broke... why "fix" it? If the top freezer has worked forever for you, why should you change? This is spoken by one with white appliances, and a top freezer fridge as well. (back in the day when my kids were kids etc, it was hard to find a fridge that was not side by side and I had to explain it over and over). So congratulations. You are really moving right along!

You're not a wimp, you went with what makes most sense for you instead of following the crowd, and you'll be rewarded for it. I also don't use a lot of frozen foods and wish the bottom drawer on those FD fridges were smaller.

You did what you were comfortable with and you followed your gut, which is always a good thing! You are the only one who knows what you really need - so enjoy it! And now you have $700 to spend on something more exciting than a refrigerator.

I currently have a bottom freezer but will not be getting another one... the main reason is because my husband and I have decided to go with a retro fridge from Big Chill Fridge! The freezer is on the top. That is fine with me. I think it is a pain to dig around in the bottom for frozen food. We do not have a pull out freezer compartment.

We had top freezers for a long time. When we moved into the house before this one we bought a french door Jenn-Air with the bottom freezer.

It looked nice but it's not the easiest thing to use. We didn't find that there was much room in the freezer and didn't like bending down to get ice.

Also, you have to get down on your hands and knees to see what's in the back of the freezer. It can be embarassing in front of guests. ;)

For this house we bought a side by side.

Well, it was a trade-off. The bottom freezer would definitely have worked better for me in terms of fresh food, which is mostly what I eat. I *loved* having all that stuff at eye level! It just made the refrigerator seem so much bigger and more accessible.

At the expense of the freezer compartment being much less convenient. Which seems reasonable given that I don't keep much frozen food - who cares if it's less convenient when there's so little of it - but the things I really would want to get to (ice cubes, Weight Watchers ice cream bars ;-)) would be a pain.

Anyway, my kitchen is tiny. The bottom freezer fridge was more massive-looking. It would have stuck out another inch or two - not a great thing in a narrow kitchen! I'm cool with this.

Hey, considering I'm cool with this, I'm obviously still obsessing. Well, whatever. I'm still obsessing over my cabinet door choice (which I love), so why not over the refrigerator? LOL!