High(er) End Appliances...

[StaticCling]

DAB, remember that cutting board? I'll be doing it relatively soon.


We were initially going to do a Kitchen "makeover" on a budget, but we have decided to go all relatively all out on this project and do it to our liking...and as a selling point if we decide to bail in the next 5 or 10 years, which there is a chance.

Our initial 14k budget has now been upped to 30k-40k for the kitchen remodel, and with that, I am thinking about making the move to high end appliances.

Does anybody have any opinions on Wolf, Thermador, Viking appliances? What about refrigerators? Sub-Zero?

I'm not going to do a total gut, our cabinet boxes are in great shape, and the layout is tolerable, so that will stay...most likely will be going the Cabinet Refacing route...

THX in advance.

[Cybercowboy]

My two cents. Thermador cooktops are great, and I also really like their ovens. My dad has them, I have them, my sister in Palm Springs has them. Very good.

No-one, ever, has been sad they bought a Sub-Zero fridge. They cried at the price, but never once was sad. I however am sad that I didn't, because the counter-depth GE Profile we got, at roughly half the price of a SZ, is mostly a piece of shit. I mean, it still works, but the water filter had to be bypassed permanently, a light no longer works in the refrigerator and you have to replace a $1200 module to FIX A LIGHT, and I could go on but you get the idea.

Wolf cook tops are nice too, honestly the main thing is 6 burner, gas, and don't skimp on the cabinets or counter tops.

[DAB]

Our GE Profile refrigerator died after 5 years, 3 months. Replaced with Frigidaire.

Didn’t plan to spend 2k on that this year.

[Cybercowboy]

So, the consensus is don't get a GE Profile fridge.

Just so you know, our fridge was like $6k, and the equivalent Sub-Zero was $13k or so. IIRC

There is the option of just buying $1800 fridges for the rest of your life, which is fine too.

[DAB]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

So, the consensus is don't get a GE Profile fridge.

Just so you know, our fridge was like $6k, and the equivalent Sub-Zero was $13k or so. IIRC

There is the option of just buying $1800 fridges for the rest of your life, which is fine too.

[bill_daniels]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

So, the consensus is don't get a GE Profile fridge.

Just so you know, our fridge was like $6k, and the equivalent Sub-Zero was $13k or so. IIRC

There is the option of just buying $1800 fridges for the rest of your life, which is fine too.

Ouch. I think my Frigidaire 26' cost about $ 800, but it's been a while, at least 10 years or more. Everything still works, only replaced the water filter.

Maybe I don't even want to know what a new one costs.

[bill_daniels]

Originally Posted by DAB

This information would have been a lot more helpful.....5 YEARS AGO!

Fixed that for you.

[mrvette]

Back about 17 years ago, when I had a functional skeleton, I redid our kitchen here, blew out the bearing utility wall, about 6' worth to the gas ledge of the garage, adding 100' under HVAC, built a laundry hutch inside so no sweating over the laundry......made my own island range hood for 300 bux, roof vent fan large pipe straight to roof, made my own cabinets, wife bought maple cab doors for 900 some odd bux outta Arkansas, cabinets are 42" to ceiling, made my own counter tops right here in garage....ceramic tile the floor, relaced the sliding door out back into the Atrium which is tiled also, and the thermal door and the Atrium were FREE....600 bux worth of concrete pumped into back yard so we have a larger country kitchen type thing so the cook now faces the rest of the LIFE in the house, not secreted away in some unseen corner the way my Mother was 70 years ago for all her life....

Appliances, I took the water filter outta the icemaker line, why bother?? it's city water so why bother?? Fridge is a 33 wide and 68 high top freezer, have a small 4' chest freezer in the corner, fridge runs well had to replace the fan in it...woopie doo....Propain range runs off BBQ cylinder, Dishwasher was replace some 12? years ago 150 bux, used....fixed the door latch for 30 bux...it works well, disposall picked a time when I was outta town so the her kids replaced it.....

To rebuild the entire kitchen was 3500 bux......even today, I find it hard to believe spending 13 grand on a damn fridge....I don't car WHO made it....NFW.....I be nice and go 2 grand.....or buy an oldie but goodie from daze gawn buy for as much as 500 bux.....

I don't care if the kitchen has 600' of space, in Californica even....35 grand is just silly $$$$ spent on WHAT???

[Rob]

Hate to think what it will cost to replace ours when that time comes.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Dixievet

Attachment 29638

Hate to think what it will cost to replace ours when that time comes.

That's about the size/shape/layout of my folks kitchen that I redid back in '92 or so.....

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by DAB

Our GE Profile refrigerator died after 5 years, 3 months. Replaced with Frigidaire.

Didn’t plan to spend 2k on that this year.

The GE Profile built-in units are what I'm specifically talking about, they are quite a bit more than the one like you had but built with the same apparent lack of quality and longevity you've come to expect from outsourced Chinesium.

[snide]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

So, the consensus is don't get a GE Profile fridge.

Just so you know, our fridge was like $6k, and the equivalent Sub-Zero was $13k or so. IIRC

There is the option of just buying $1800 fridges for the rest of your life, which is fine too.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a brand new $1400 fridge for $800.

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by Dixievet

Attachment 29638

Hate to think what it will cost to replace ours when that time comes.

The thing about Sub-Zero is that they can actually be repaired, have a great warranty, they have dual compressors, and are essentially a fridge and a freezer, each one independent of the other instead of like most fridges where the freezer air gets routed to the fridge. But you pay dearly for this as you likely know.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

The GE Profile built-in units are what I'm specifically talking about, they are quite a bit more than the one like you had but built with the same apparent lack of quality and longevity you've come to expect from outsourced Chinesium.

Why in hell you think I buy used appliances?? not just cost, but reliability.....

anybody want China made CAR parts?? basically no choice today, I know...

Wait till Won Hung Lo car factory starts putting GM outta business.....

[snide]

Originally Posted by Dixievet

Attachment 29638

Hate to think what it will cost to replace ours when that time comes.

Just use your Elio money.

[lspencer534]

I bought a SubZero refrigerator when I remodeled the kitchen almost 25 years ago. It isn't flawless, but light years ahead of the typical refrigerator. The only repair it's needed was a new thermostat; the ice maker is a little iffy on making ice, but it eventually decides to make ice.

The cost of the SiubZero back then was less than $4,000.

The cooktop/grill in the kitchen island is KitchenAid. It's now almost 25 years old and still going strong. Same for the GE double oven. The GE microwave has been replaced once, and the KitchenAid dishwasher is about 10 years old.

The original dishwasher was a Bosch, supposedly quiet and built to last; it was neither. It was just expensive junk. It lasted about 4 years

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

KitchenAid dishwasher is about 10 years old.

The original dishwasher was a Bosch, supposedly quiet and built to last; it was neither. It was just expensive junk. It lasted about 4 years

KitchenAid is the way to go for a new dishwasher. You can get a nice one for about $700 tops, stainless inside and out, and they can actually be repaired if needed. Bosch, LG, and other "high end" brands suck and are overpriced. I have a buddy who works at a "high-end" appliance store that caters to new home builders and remodels and he recommends KitchenAid dishwashers 100%. Ours cleans much better than the LG that lasted about five years and cost more than 2X as much. It always left residue on the glasses, like pieces of sand that would cause floaties in your drink. Hated that thing and when it broke there was no fixing it.

[MadInNc]

Been through 3 fridges in 15 yrs... 1st Kenmore, second and worse Electrolux. Now on LG. I just budget ~$3k every 5 yrs for inside house.

Still have a Roper in the garage which is 20+ yrs and won’t die Beer is always cold

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by MadInNc

Been through 3 fridges in 15 yrs... 1st Kenmore, second and worse Electrolux. Now on LG. I just budget ~$3k every 5 yrs for inside house.

Still have a Roper in the garage which is 20+ yrs and won’t die Beer is always cold

I have a circa 1997 GE fridge in the garage, replaced the ice maker in it once, but now it needs another new one or something but don't really care. It keeps everything nice and cold and survives even when the garage is quite warm.

[StaticCling]

Great to know on the Dishwashers fellas, thank you.

I currently have a Bosch that is a GIGANTIC piece of shit. The first one failed within 2 weeks, was replaced under warranty, the second one has worked intermittently for about 4 years. Actually, I haven't even used it at all for about 3. It's a joke.