I did a 24" SZ freezer and 36" SZ fridge in my previous house. Loved that set-up.

Do it!

Note: both freezer and fridge are hinged on the left side, which worked best for this particular kitchen layout and the way we used it.

There is no refrigeration superior to SZ. Nearly 43 years of experience with the brand here.

That being said, do you really need that much freezer and fridge space? We find the 42” FD SZ to be more than sufficient. Plus, almost 8 years old, and no issues; never needed a service call. Our first SZ, a 36” over/under, was still going strong at 36yo, when we sold our former home.

SZ now makes a 48” FD fridge, which they didnt have when we bought the 42”.

Frigidaire Professional 1769865 66" Side by Side Refrigeration Pair ($6K)

Frigidaire Professional 1241025 Frigidaire Professional 66" Side by Side Refrigeration Pair ($6.6K)

If this is just about not losing things in the back, you might try a French door fridge -- because so much stuff goes in the door, you can basically see almost everythingn on the shelves. It's amazing!

Nearly all Subzeros are built ins, rather than counter depth models, so you may need cabinetry alterations to go that direction too— even more $. Once you alter cabinets, you’re committed to built in models of that size if you need replacements. If the main annoyance is things getting lost, maybe try a variety of organizing bins in your existing fridge. You can pull the whole bin out & see what condiment was hiding in the back easily. Or you could try a non-sub zero counter depth model. If you end up going the subzero route, I’d get a smaller fridge/freezer unit and have a regular fridge/freezer elsewhere if you really need the space.

Actually although most people want the built-in or integrated look, you can use them freestanding with the proper bracket. They make metal side panels for them as well.

Consumer reports year after year says that SZ is NOT the most reliable refrigerator... but the customer service and quick repairs put it at the top of customer satisfaction.

I was going to do 42" Dacor french door because of the CR high ratings but I decided I'm going to order a 36" Thermador but then also get a double convertible refrigerator drawer for across the kitchen.

@Paul F: "I decided I'm going to order a 36" Thermador..."

Remember that BSH often sells virtually the same appliance under several brands. For example, the Bosch B36CT80SNS ($3500) is virtually identical to the Thermador T36FT810NS ($5000).

• Bosch Specs
• Thermador Specs

The badge on the door -- or in this case not on the door -- can be expensive!

I have no idea how many people are in your household, to want 72" worth of frig/freezer, but with 7 of us living here (4 are young adult high intensity athletes with big food needs), we have a built in 48" kitchenaid.

So, if you have such a need for large interior space, consider putting a frig/freezer in your garage or other area near where you unload your SUV from Costco or Whole Foods or wherever you shop for that much food. We have one we bought 15 years ago at HD for $400, and that thing will keep on trucking forever. Whereas, the Kitchenaid door was never on there properly, and the gasket can't really be replaced without replacing the whole door, and it's been that way for 20 years. So, on the good side, it still works after 20 years, but on the bad side, it's had a bunch of little things go wrong over the years, and again, the door isn't right.

If I had to do it again, I'd do Subzero separate columns. I would NEVER have ice or water auto dispensers, nor would I even have an icemaker in a built in.

We used to keep an undercabinet refrigerator for drinks, but energy bills got so high here in SoCal I unplugged it, and we keep drinks in the garage unit.

The other thing to keep in mind is that if you truly don't need all that frig/freezer square footage, think what else you could put in that space: built-in microwave, more pull-out drawers, another cabinet for your holiday china.... cabinet for air fryer/ice cream maker/popcorn popper, wafflemaker, etc. I'd rather have the extra cabinet space, if it were me.

@wdccruise Good to know! Thanks. I need to find out if there is an equivalent to Thermador T36IB905SP.

@Mrs. SDoes SZ make freezer columns without any icemakers built in? I thought they all came with them by default and you have no way of removing them? I agree they are best without them but can you get one without?

@YolandaHave you considered Bosch? You can get a 30" column for $7k, which is $2k less than a SZ 30" column. But even that's still very expensive and kinda rediculously priced. The only reasonably priced built in column fridge I can think of is Frigidaire 33" column for $3k and $3k for the freezer. I hope more people can give you other brand suggestions for columns

Electrolux also has a column fridge. But now having studied the Electrolux and Frigidaire I don't like their shelving. At all. Frigidaire can't be reconfigured and focuses on way too many door compartments. Electrolux, same thing, very door heavy, barely any actual drawers or shelving.

Subzero, Thermador, Miele have more shelving and more drawers. But you'll pay double the price. Maybe see if you can enjoy a french door built in fridge instead column, that will open up many more affordable options. And easier replacement due to universal sizes.

Do not do it. If you have that much extra cash, spend it to upgrade to a safer car. It will save your life in an accident. No sense in being dead with a nice fridge.

How many are in your household? Great idea below about an extra fridge elsewhere. Heck, you could pay to have a professional organizer do up the interior of your fridge with fancy Container Store gadgets for under $500.

I own a subzero and still, dont believe the hype! Snap out of it, come to your senses.

Not the columns, but we have two Sub Zeros… best money we have ever spent in refrigeration. 9 years later and not one service call. My husband who is thrifty, was skeptical on spending so much on a fridge. He was convinced when the power went out for 3 days and the ice cubes in the SZ didn’t even melt. Our produce lasts for weeks. The build quality and technology SZ uses is second to none. That being said, if I couldn’t afford it I would look at alternatives.

We have the 66” Frigidaire set and love them. Ice maker is amazing and we like how the space is laid out. You do have to have three outlets behind the fridge because there’s a heater coil that goes between the fridge and freezer. This wasn’t disclosed to us at purchase so we had to pay the electrician to come back…

I have thr fridgedaire columns with built in kit 16 yrs old not one issue and honestly there is not a fridge on this earth I would pay 20K for Mine are now 5K for the pair I can think of many things I could enjoy with the rest of the 15K Mine are the commercial rated ones so not fancy inside but I have used the Electrolux ones for clients still less than any SZ not to mention always make sure there is service in your area too.

We have the panel-ready columns—30” each. We were not able to get the freezer without an ice maker. We just turned that off. We moved our old 36” all-fridge to our mudroom. At 13 it is still going strong. We are very happy with Sub Zero. Zero issues so far.

Get the Frigidaire set. For $20k it ought to make breakfast.

@Paul F: "I need to find out if there is an equivalent to Thermador T36IB905SP."

Not BSH products but Liebherr HC2090 is extremely similar and $2000 less.

• Thermador specs
• Liebherr specs

If the shallow depth and things getting lost in the back is the only reason, I think there are other options.

But the Subzero I bought 20+ years ago for a very tiny kitchen is still going strong and my friend who told me how stupid I was for spending $6K then has had 3 refrigerators since then.

I am getting another SZ for this kitchen because I have 25-1/2" to a non moveable doorway, and am tired of my bottom of the barrel 24" deep apt type fridge.

There's not really a right answer.

My subzero all fridge is 25 years old. Only 1 service call needed in all that time. i just had the insides replaced bc they were finally starting to fail, and looking forward to another 25 years.

I see things all the time that I would love to own.

These motion sliding countertops are just amazing!

https://eggersmannusa.com/motion-sliding-countertops/

Then I judge against my reality. 10x10 galley kitchen, live alone, have a guest or two 3-4 nights a week.

When I was younger I tended to buy more things that weren't necessary. As I have aged I have found that my values have changed. Stuff isn't near as important as experiencing new things or spending time with the people I love or best - sharing time with the ones I love while experiencing new things or places.

I'm not spending as much on things. I am renovating the house that I purchased, but I'm not getting the most expensive materials. I splurge a bit here and there, try to buy quality, but I don't need the Bugatti or Roles-Royce. A Toyota or Honda will be fine.

My mom had a SZ Refrigerator and a SZ Freezer in our kitchen plus a refrigerator freezer in the pantry and another one in the basement. Her passion was cooking and she fed 14+ people every night. She didn't think twice about getting the best appliances. My dad didn't think twice about the money she spent because he loved her cooking.

Only you know how much you cook and what your personal priorities are.

Is the money spent on the pair of SZ's going to bring you more joy than spending 1/4 of that on the refrigerator/freezer and spending the remainder on a vacation or a new car or your kids college fund or your retirement fund?

Every dollar can be spent one time. . . what will optimize the joy factor bought with each dollar?

I do love things to be organized. I hate finding something lost in the back of the fridge.

I have fallen in love with these rolling caddies for in the fridge

Video:

https://www.amazon.com/vdp/e4eae0a0614749b78be3ce1521c59b1d?ref=dp_vse_ibvc0

Product

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V79TSKQ?pd_rd_i=B08V79TSKQ&pf_rd_p=5795aee5-71f0-4369-b632-e8c78407f2cf&pf_rd_r=TKRDHBWZ95PZ1HJVG94S&pd_rd_wg=9CGsw&pd_rd_w=BDHIN&pd_rd_r=e8889d01-7b50-4a4c-bdf7-118a9973624d&th=1

Absolutle insanity that people are coming here to comment that you should purchase these $20,000 fri/fre set. That lady's pic is nice but that wood paneling plus install alone is another $3,000 probably. Unless you're loaded or wliling to work long and hard to pay it off, it's utterly wasteful.

The die-hard Subzero crowd always makes me giggle. Their shelves are literally plastic. Plastic, people, plastic. $20,000 plastic ya'll. And their NASA scrubing air filter is an extremely clever marketing ploy once you've researched enough into it. It's nothing fancy but gets people's eyes full of stars.

Your question says to convince you not to buy it. Here's my attempt at that : plastic shelves lol

Like all other appliances, I doubt the SubZero appliances made today will compare in quality to those made 25 years ago.

But this OP starts by saying they don’t want to spend 20k on a fridge. which is a reasonable premise. mostly i’d question wherther you truly need 6’ of fridge space, as this seems like overkill for most people and personally i don’t like the appearance as its too overwhelming for most kitchens. my feeling is if you have that much space things are going to get forgotten and rot. more is not always better! but for me a fridge is a fridge and i’d rather spend the extra money on something i’ll appreciate the upgrade on. my LG meets my needs just fine and is doing just fine 8 years in.

Discretionary Spending Shaming. Love that term. Honestly it is all relative. We were in a business which allowed us to go into many, very expensive homes. Our kids worked for us as they each reached high school age. I told them not to be jealous of those people who could obviously afford much, much, much more expensive homes, cars, trips, clothes. I reminded them everybody has a budget, some just have a bigger budget. I have known women who were always dressed in high fashion but drove 8 year old cars. I have known some people who have the latest car, but live in a plain condo with cheap furnishings. Everyone chooses what is important to them.

I love SZ and we’ve always had the built in 48” RF until this house. There was a huge clunky LG fridge almost hitting the island that we replaced with an Electrolux Icon all fridge column. No freezer in the kitchen. We were going to put the Icon all freezer unit in the garage, just steps away, when I found the Samsung 24” convertible fridge / freezer unit. They can be switched from fridge to freezer (although i dont know why anyone would want to do that). You can order door to open from either side, so if you buy two and set them side by side you have the look of a 48” fridge / freezer and can build or arrange your cabinetry around it. Each unit is around $750 to $800. We’ve had the one in our garage for about a year with no problems. The Electrolux units are about $3500 each (or were) so you could do a set of those for $7000 or a set of the Samsungs for less than $2000.

It really depends on the finish and equipment in your kitchen. If you have a pretty standard house with standard appliances I don’t know that a SZ would be a good choice. The Electrolux set would probably not look out of place (warning, you have to buy the additional trim kits for those and then fond someone to install them, the deliverers dont do it). If your kitchen is builder grade or slightly above, the Samsung set would look like a nice, but not too nice, upgrade. It doesn’t have an external compressor, which to me is one of the hallmarks of very expensove refrigeration.

Mark Peterson, I didn't know that about Subzero (that they all come with icemakers). But there is this thread that has some advice:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5728080/high-end-fridge-freezer-or-freezer-only-w-no-ice-maker

And I guess some people don't connect the line. But could you theoretically just remove the icemaker? It's making me wonder if I could remove the icemaker from my Kitchenaid.... Hmmm.

Yes, they only come with icemakers, they stopped selling one without an icemaker. I am not going to connect the icemaker in mine--you can use the ice bin for storage, I don't know how much space the mechanism takes up.

Our freezer icemaker we could easily unscrew and take out. contractor put in water line because he thought we were weird but it’s not hooked up. The ice storage bin is great for putting things in. this gave us a lot more space. we now have small chest freezer to so less of an issue.

I agree with the comments that everyone chooses how they want to spend the money they earn. I think the question is, assuming you can afford these appliances, should you buy them.

Here is my experience in 10 homes (moved around quite a bit for work, now retired). About 25 years ago we owned KitchenAid refrigerators and I swore by them, had great experience with them. Had a KitchenAid fridge again more recently maybe 7 years ago and they are not the same product, I was disappointed.

Had a GE Monogram fridge about 10 years ago and had multiple issues with it.

Have had SubZero fridges and freezers in my last 3 houses no issues, keeps produce and meat fresher longer. We will install these again in the home we are currently building. I don’t like water dispensers or ice makers in my fridge as they seem to take up too much more valuable (to me) refrigeration space. I turn off the ice maker and use the space for storage. I have only had separate columns so can’t speak to side by side. We use panel ready.

We are in a rental while our home is being built, and there is a French door Samsung here and I don’t like it at all. The doors don’t seem to seal well and I don’t like the shelving. It has many digital features.

We are building a multi generational home on a large acreage lot. My son and his family will live there in their house and we will live in the main house. Since they are younger, SubZero is not affordable for them. We went to the same appliance store and looked at multiple options on all appliances, mainly for their benefit as I was pretty set on what I wanted based on my experience over the years. The salesman, told us that Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Jenn Aire are made by the same manufacturer with Jenn Aire being their high end and Kitchen Aid has “suffered” due to that positioning. He said that the new GE Monogram line ranges and refrigerators are very high quality competing on functionality with Wolf and SubZero. They are pricey though.

A few years ago, we had a suite of Thermador appliances except for the SubZero fridge we purchased, just what was in the home we purchased at the time. We had a repair guy come out to fix an issue with the dishwasher. As we were building the house at the time (yes another one of our moves), I asked him about appliances, specifically if money was not an issue which appliances would he buy. He said Thermador. We had planned to use SubZero and Wolf so I asked him why not those, he said he didn’t know much about them, while he is certified to work on them as well, he hasn’t had to fix them. His view was that they don’t break - I am sure they do but is must be fairly infrequent.

Hope this is helpful. Would love to hear what you decide.

Go with Gaggenau. None of that cheap crappy plastic feeling inside the refrigerator. Looks pretty inside and out

Get a cheap fridge and spend the money on two weeks of cooking lessons and wine in Tuscany. Your life will be much improved for it. We bought a 12 year old used SZ for $2K, have used it now for another 12. Best of both worlds!

Just this year it developed a freon leak and I was having conniptions about what to do, turns out all the repair parts for our 1999 fridge were still available and we were able to replace the coil and are now good to go for another couple decades.

I'm going to do it. It will be my splurge. BLIMEY! .... SHOOT ME NOW...lol.... BUT.... LIFE IS SHORT.. AND IT WILL BE MY SPLURGE!!! Too many horrible Houzz reviews about the Frigidaire columns. Like, real real bad. And the reviews on Subzero never fail to amaze me.

Quick question for those who have these.

I want to double check with ya'll that for a standard install (not flush), that you only need 24" deep???

I would have figured a few inches behind for airflow would be necessary, but according to their online dimension guide, nope, It will fit snug up against the back wall at 24" exactly. Wow???

Can ya'll also confirm that you don't need any additional inches on the sides either? For example, two 36" models side by side, according to their chart, says the opening only needs to be 71 3/4" .

SO YOU DON'T NEED ANY EXTRA INCHES FOR THE DUAL INSTALLATION KIT? DOESN'T THAT REQUIRE SPACE??? WHERE DOES IT GO?

I've seen two 36" models together in person, they were snug up against the cabinetry but I just wanted to check there isn't some magic going on. It's very different for a standard depth fridge...where you need some gaps around it in all direction for proper venting or it will break.

I suppose all Subzero venting requirements are met through the frontward facing grill. .. cool

GUIDE HERE : https://www.subzero-wolf.com/-/media/files/united-states/product-downloads/sub-zero-wolf/installation-guides/sub-zero/classic_series_ig.pdf

Topics:

• Why is a dual installation kit needed?
• Dual installation kits for Sub-Zero units
• Why does moisture form between units that are installed side by side?

Answer:

Dual installation kits are needed when two or more Sub-Zero units are placed less than 2" apart.

• Moisture occurs between units installed next to each other due to more heat generated.
• Dual installation kits do not add to the opening width. The heater is flat, and no additional space is needed.
• The kit prevents moisture and includes trim to fill the gap created when two units are installed next to each other.
• The kit needed for dual installations is determined by the unit that is able to accept the heater on the side facing the other unit.
• It is possible to do a dual installation of a 648PRO with another unit. A 2" filler is recommended for proper clearance, as there are hinges on both sides.
• If units are placed closer, use the dual installation heater on the other unit, using the heater appropriate for that model.
• The kit is needed in any application where the units sit less than 2" apart, regardless of filler material.
• The instruction sheet for each kit includes a components list of what is included with that kit.

Yolanda, did you end up going with the Subzero? I have two Frigidaire 32" columns (1 fridge, 1 freezer). I have had them for about 15 years, but the refrigerator has been rebuilt 3 or 4 times - new compressor, evaporator, copper lines, etc at a cost of over $1000 each time because I didn't wnat to mess around and change the cabinetry, etc for new ones. But now it is starting to go again and rusting inside. So I want to go with something that has the least chance of needed more work. Spending that kind of $ on a fridge and freezer is crazy, but it is crazy to spend liess and have to replace them every 3 years as well. Just wondering how you made out? New Frigidare models have terrible reviews so I am leaning SZ.

When talking about spending 6k or 14K or 20K on a fridge, I think the most important thing to think about is the value it provides. When you open a Sub Zero (or Thermador, Miele and other similarly priced units) it feels like a high quality fridge . When you open those Frigidaire unit, the build quality feels similar to every other mass market fridge. In my opinion, either a basic $2-3K fridge with dual evaporators or a SZ classic series is the best Value. Also, remember when you go to sell your house the SZ will be much more appealing to buyers than the Frigidaire units.

You have likely already bought a Sub Zero … or not. May I offer this insight. We are in the process of replacing our 1984, 36”Sub Zero over/under (ie, that is fridge over freezer). Yep, 1984. The only reason we’re replacing her is because we’re completely renovating the kitchen, and the layout and cabinetry will change. In 1984, the homeowner had her installed with cabinet ready panels, and she’s lasted through multiple kitchen makeovers, and she’s still running strong and producing ice. Yes, we have replaced both her compressor and ice maker, yet that cost us about $1K, which is a lot, but significantly less than replacing her. These parts were replaced in 2006 and 2008, respectively, so the unit at that time was 22 to 24 years old. Do other manufacturers make parts for their units after all that time? She has zero rust. She’s a beauty and a beast. I’ve read many reviews from consumers disappointed in their high-end (eg, Viking, Thermador, etc.) refrigerators. This is info for you and for other consumers who may benefit from this insight. We’re going to spend about $50K on a 36” SZ column fridge, a 36” SZ column freezer with a 24” SZ beverage center in between them. Never thought we’d spend that kind of money, but these appliances have been the easiest decision in this project. BTW, I don’t work for SZ.