article

Which is Best: Freezer on the Side, Top, or Bottom?

By Blanche Evans via Realty Times

bluehammer

Most homes don't come with a refrigerator-freezer, so that may be the first item you purchase for delivery after buying your home. But where do you start?

Measure carefully and take the dimensions with you when you shop for a unit. With about a half-inch of clearance on either side, you'll know if it's worth it to you to do some remodeling. What you don't want is a unit that sticks out far beyond the cabinetry, or encroaches on the doorway. The refrigerator should look organic to the kitchen. Here are three types of refrigerator freezers to consider.

1. French door, bottom freezer. The elegant French door style opens with one or both doors at the same time, allowing for a broad view of what's available to cook and eat. The French-style refrigerator tends to work best for cooks who prefer lots of vegetables and fruit.

Overall, cubit foot storage capacity is slightly less than other models, but the convenience of the short door swings and wider shallower storage shelves make this style a favorite. French door refrigerators are also available in counter depth size, but they tend to be more expensive.

2. Side-by-side refrigerator/freezers. The side-by-sides are still popular but they tend to be deeper so it's easy to lose sight of items and forget they're there. But, they have some advantages over other models -- they're less expensive than the French door models, and they offer nearly equal freezer capacity to the refrigerator side. This can work for users who cook more frozen dinners than fresh foods.

Side-by-sides are also convenient for users who don't want to do a lot of bending over to find items. Many models will offer pull out shelves, but usually not all the shelves pull out, except in more expensive models. From a kitchen design standpoint, side-by-sides have less of a door swing radius than other models, and can easily fit in spaces that other refrigerators can't.

bluehammer

3. Freezer on top. Remember how often you used to have fill up plastic ice trays? The freezer on top style has improved with age, and a solid choice for energy and expense conscious buyers. Less expensive than other styles, these are also the most reliable, according to Consumer Search.

Features such as ice/water dispensers on the door are not usually found on freezer on top units, which is one reason they rate so high in reliability. Believe it or not, water and ice dispensers are the number one reason for refrigerator repairs. Also, there will likely be more bending to see into the refrigerator compartments.

If you're trying to fit a small space in an older home, small home or apartment, the freezer-top style also offers the most versatility in size ranges. It's a good choice for cooks who don't store much frozen food and enjoy stocking up on cold drinks.

Visit your local appliance dealer and practice opening the doors of display refrigerators. Bend down and pretend to take foods out of the bottom drawers. You'll quickly learn which configuration is right for you and your budget.

Want to estimate your home improvement costs before talking with a contractor? Claim your home for free with bluehammer to estimate costs, secure your home inventory and learn more about your home.

* THIS REPORT IS AN OPINION THAT MAY BE INACCURATE AND IS PROVIDED SOLELY AS AN INFORMATIONAL TOOL NOT DESIGNED TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE ANSWERS. ALL ELEMENTS ARE OFFERED "AS IS" AND BLUEBOOK EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS, AND GUARANTEES OF ANY NATURE, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABLITILY, NONINFRINGEMENT, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, ACCURACY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL BLUEBOOK (OR THEIR SUPPLIERS) BE LIABLE FOR ANY GENERAL, DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE RESULTING FROM USE OF THE PRODUCT, INCLUDING : (1) RELIANCE ON THE MATERIALS PRESENTED, (2) COSTS OF REPLACEMENT GOODS, (3) LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, (4) DELAYS OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTIONS, (5) AND ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF INFORMATION) WHETHER OR NOT BLUEBOOK HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Know what you should pay for your home improvement projects with bluehammer.Claim your home. It's free!

Popular


You Really Should Inventory Your Personal Property

A home inventory is a smart way to safeguard your valuables, saving money and time.

6 Smart Updates To Make To Your Bathroom

The idea of renovating your bathroom can be overwhelming, but you don't have to knock down walls or gut the whole thing to make it feel new again. Making smart updates can get you closer to the look you want without the big budget, or the big hassle.

Chimney Liners: Does Your Home Have One - Do You Even Need One?

You rely on your chimney being safe. Whether you use your fireplace for wood-burning fires, you have a furnace that vents through your chimney, you utilize a wood stove or gas insert, your chimney needs to be able to handle heat and sparks without allowing damage to your home. Stone or brick chimneys can be made safer with a flue lining that helps to move heat and gases up and out of your home.

8 Clever Ways To Zone Off Space In An Open Floor Plan

We've fallen for open-plan living in recent years. After all, not many of us have a formal room just for company anymore. And with modern building materials, we don't necessarily need every room to have four walls to keep it at a comfortable temperature. But although an open plan may bring the space, light, flow and garden views we desire, it can also feel problematic to organize into zones - and prove distracting to share. Enter the glass partition. It makes room division simple yet doesn't starve spaces of light or compromise the open feel. Decorative, at half or full height, framed or barely visible, a glass partition can work in every environment. Check out these designs.

Replacing Your Kitchen Refrigerator

Refrigerators are the most important appliance in the Kitchen.

13 Decorations to Pair With Beautiful Dark Walls

Dark walls, from inky blue to charcoal and black, are refined and dramatic - but decorating around them without making your space feel too dark can be tricky. If you've been thinking of painting one or more walls a deep, dark hue, these ideas for color and decor pairings should help.

10 Ways To Transform Your Trashy Old Furniture Into Standout Pieces

We know. That antique sideboard or set of chairs you got after your grandma died is sentimental, but also completely clashy with every other piece of furniture you own, not to mention out of touch with your general sense of style.

8 Amazingly Easy Tips For A Pet-Friendly Home

For many of us, it's an absolute pleasure to share our homes with our four-legged best friends. But there's no denying that our pets can sometimes lead to wear and tear on our homes. Yet with careful planning and some redesigned elements, we can enhance our house so that it's conducive to our pets and ourselves. If you live with a beloved pet, the following design trends and home-living tips are sure to promote a home that's comfortable for everyone -- and everything -- that lives there.

Using the Homeowners Insurance Report to Gauge Your Insurance Coverage

When it comes to knowing how much homeowners insurance you need, running the Bluebook Homeowners Insurance report gives you insight into the potential costs to rebuild your home and the value of your home contents.

Is Your Home A Burglar Magnet?

The thought of a home break-in is terrifying, but are you doing everything you can to prevent one? You might be making critical mistakes that make your home a burglar magnet, or, at least failing to take advantage of easy fixes to make your home less attractive to thieves.

See More Articles