All columns are expensive. Can you survive without a column?

There is Frigidaire but ... not sure that fits with good performance and low maintenance.

You have a plan for ice?

I have to say, not having a freezer in the kitchen is unusual. But I guess it depends on the distance from the prep kitchen. Not sure that I would ever prep in a prep kitchen. We have an appliance kitchen so to speak but it is small and not as bright. So I would never want to prep there. We have a vege sink in there but it doesn't get used for veges. For the citrus and when juicing - sure. But real prep is always done in the proper kitchen.

I appreciate your thoughts from experience. It is difficult to imagine how much/and for what purposes I will be using my prep kitchen since I've never had one. The freezer would be very easily accessible from the kitchen. It will be separated by a wall from the refrigerator. The freezers I have been considering (Fisher Paykal, Jenaire) have ice makers.

Have you considered Thermador? I haven't looked at pricing for any of these brands in few years, but I have a Miele fridge column and went w Thermador for the freezer. The inside of the Meile is like refrigerator heaven to me in aesthetics and function, but I actually liked the Thermador freezer interior a bit better and I believe it was $2k less than the Miele at the time. In my kitchen, they are both paneled and also not right next to each other. Thermador has a pretty good reputation for reliability (SZ is probably the consensus #1 in this category) and I'm guessing is less $. Thermador also has soft close on the drawers and push to open feature on the door. I didn't factor those into my decision but they are a bonus. Except when my wife leans against the door and it opens on her. :-)

I have a separate 24” SZ in my kitchen and I am generally happy with it but it’s too small, it wish I would have gotten a larger freezer as we buy our beef and pork by the half and fish/seafood from a local fisherman twice a year.

I love having separate fridge and freezer set ups.

Thank you Paul S. I will check out Thermador which I suspect will be less than the SZ.

I do like the idea of having a separate fridge and freezer pennfire. Currently, I have a bottom mount freezer and I am tired of digging for items. I typically don't buy a lot of meat so I feel that the 24" will suffice.

I meant that going into a prep kitchen for ice would be annoying. For me at least, but it sounds like it isn't that far. Ice is just the most common thing our house goes to the freezer for.

On your comment about meat, the majority of our 30 inch column is not meat. I blame Costco primarily and not just because the large portions, it is their practice of carrying some things from time to time. So we buy them out when the Quinoa/Kale combo is around.

Our other issue is a vegan sausage that is only carried by one Walmart in our area. So we buy them out every 3 months when we go there. Then there is the end of the season garden left overs - tomatoes and green peppers. And lastly, the batches of chicken stock (ok that comes from meat).

So don't sell yourself short on 24 in if you have 60 refrigeration. I just don't think it is a good balance and will perhaps be a resale issue. We have 30 inches of both - subs. Remember the ice maker/storage hurts the freezer's capacity so even balanced, the fridge has more room.

I recommended the Thermador columns to a friend doing a renovation that involved some odd sizes. She loves them. They look really sharp. You should seriously consider the Thermador.

Your comments are appreciated David. I do have room for the 30". I am working with a kitchen designer who has yet to give me the design. Unfortunately, I struggle to visualize the end result so I will definitely take your suggestions into consideration when consulting with him.

Homechef59 (I like your name by the way) I will check the Thermador out. I have priced out JennAir, Liebherr and Fisher Paykel. Thank you.

What I remember is that the Thermador prices were within 10% of the sub. In my somewhat traditional area, the sub still has the cache. There was something we didn't love about the Thermador at the time but I can't remember. I wouldn't hesitate to get Thermador but don't expect to save big money.

Yes, I am suspecting a heavier price tag. The quotes I have from the three I checked out have a spread of $2000 with JennAir being the most expensive. The SZ was $2000 more than the JennAir. I guess I'm putting more weight on my refrigerator as that is more important to me especially since I am very disappointed with the Viking I currently have.