Speaking of fridges, love or hate your French door model?

[RedAngie]

When I got my new fridge a few years ago I considered a French door model, but the bottom freezers all seemed like they would become disorganized dump bins. So I got a side-by-side instead. It works very well for me.

Just finished remodeling my mother's kitchen in order to sell her house and DID get a French door because I know a lot of people currently favor them. But I really don't like it.

 

[tvguy]

When I got my new fridge a few years ago I considered a French door model, but the bottom freezers all seemed like they would become disorganized dump bins. So I got a side-by-side instead. It works very well for me.

Just finished remodeling my mother's kitchen in order to sell her house and DID get a French door because I know a lot of people currently favor them. But I really don't like it.

Wow, refrigerators aren't normally included in a home sale.

 

[bdcp]

Love my french door fridge. Having had side by side, I appreciate the width as well as the depth.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Wow, refrigerators aren't normally included in a home sale.

Here they are almost always and boy if you don't you can expect people to request that you purchase one for them! In the process of selling 4 properties over 17 years we've found people seem to expect all appliances inc. the washer/dryer. Me? I prefer to purchase my own appliances and have always put in that they existing appliances do not convey! The properties we've purchased the owners didn't like that request because they had to dispose because their new properties came with appliances.
Whew, that said I prefer my side by side to the freezer on the bottom. We've had both and I would not have another french door for any reason.

 

[tvguy]

Here they are almost always and boy if you don't you can expect people to request that you purchase one for them! In the process of selling 4 properties over 17 years we've found people seem to expect all appliances inc. the washer/dryer. Me? I prefer to purchase my own appliances and have always put in that they existing appliances do not convey! The properties we've purchased the owners didn't like that request because they had to dispose because their new properties came with appliances.
Whew, that said I prefer my side by side to the freezer on the bottom. We've had both and I would not have another french door for any reason.

Wow, when I sold my mom's house 2 years ago, when I interviewed Real Estate agents, the fridge, washer and dryer were all things I asked about. All 4 agents said appliances that are not built in are considered personal property and had to be removed. And as personal property, they could not be included in a real estate sales contract. Like I posted, I ended up paying to have them removed.
I agree, I would want to pick my own. Same with heating and a/c if it needed to be replaced, or a roof. I certainly would ask for money off to replace them in the offer, but I want to pick the replacements and have the warranty in my name.

 

[bdcp]

Wow, refrigerators aren't normally included in a home sale.

That depends on where you live. Some areas it's common practice to include them plus I remember hearing years ago that some areas require some appliances automatically convey, but I can't remember where, etc. Also, some loans can require specific appliances. We're in Virginia now and have also owned in MD. We've only owned one used home, but I can't remember seeing a listing that didn't include all kitchen appliances (and usually washer/dryer too). It's just easier and new homes usually include a full kitchen package (stove, fridge, dishwasher) as part of the house.

 

[tigercat]

I looked at the french door and side by side when we were replacing our fridge several years ago. I quickly decided that neither were really good at all for me. I went back to the fridge on the bottom and the freezer on the top. I am only 4' 8" tall and the other fridges would never have worked for me. I couldn't reach most of the fridge. I could however reach the freezers quite well. However, I don't really need to get into the freezer as much as the fridge.
tigercat

 

[RedAngie]

Wow, when I sold my mom's house 2 years ago, when I interviewed Real Estate agents, the fridge, washer and dryer were all things I asked about. All 4 agents said appliances that are not built in are considered personal property and had to be removed. And as personal property, they could not be included in a real estate sales contract. Like I posted, I ended up paying to have them removed.
I agree, I would want to pick my own. Same with heating and a/c if it needed to be replaced, or a roof. I certainly would ask for money off to replace them in the offer, but I want to pick the replacements and have the warranty in my name.

It could be regional, or it could be changing times. When my parents first bought this house new, the builder supplied the stove and dishwasher, but they had to buy their own refrigerator. There wasn't even an option to get it from the builder. (They chose avocado in 1973). I suppose the refrigerator, and W/D are personal property, since they're not built in, but everything is negotiable, including things like window treatments.

A lot of buyers favor move-in-ready houses these days, so that's why I put in a new fridge when I remodeled the kitchen. If a buyer wants me to remove it as a condition of the sale, I will.

I flipped several houses here in NJ, Delaware, and in the LA area, and every buyer wanted the kitchen to be complete.

 

[bcla]

Here they are almost always and boy if you don't you can expect people to request that you purchase one for them! In the process of selling 4 properties over 17 years we've found people seem to expect all appliances inc. the washer/dryer. Me? I prefer to purchase my own appliances and have always put in that they existing appliances do not convey! The properties we've purchased the owners didn't like that request because they had to dispose because their new properties came with appliances.
Whew, that said I prefer my side by side to the freezer on the bottom. We've had both and I would not have another french door for any reason.

When we bought our house, the refrigerator came with the house, although there was nothing official. In fact, the seller wanted to pass on an old chest freezer but we insisted on it being removed before we took possession.

Also, I can't figure why they're called French door refrigerators. French doors are supposed to be double windowed doors.

 

[Wendy31]

Wow, when I sold my mom's house 2 years ago, when I interviewed Real Estate agents, the fridge, washer and dryer were all things I asked about. All 4 agents said appliances that are not built in are considered personal property and had to be removed. And as personal property, they could not be included in a real estate sales contract. Like I posted, I ended up paying to have them removed.
I agree, I would want to pick my own. Same with heating and a/c if it needed to be replaced, or a roof. I certainly would ask for money off to replace them in the offer, but I want to pick the replacements and have the warranty in my name.

It depends on the circumstances of the sellers/buyers & of the houses being sold, but I think things are changing.

When we bought our first house in 1997, the only appliances that came w/ the house were the stove & dishwasher. We wouldn't even have thought to have asked for the refrigerator. We were renting at the time, & I remember DH finding a used fridge to buy so that we'd have a fridge for our new house.

When we sold that house in 2003, the buyers asked us to leave the fridge, but we declined because the sellers of the house we were buying were taking their fridge. They still purchased our house even though we were taking our fridge (& washer & dryer).

I thought that fridges & washers & dryers always went w/ you when you moved! LOL!

However, my niece bought a house about 6 months ago that had been flipped, & all the appliances (including fridge & washer/dryer) were included w/ the house. Actually, most of the houses she looked at included all the appliances, I think, but she was looking at starter/flipped homes. My inlaws purchased a new house this past spring, & the fridge was included. However, in that case, the owner of the house had passed away, & her children were selling the house.

When we were appliance shopping this past week, a few of the salesmen asked us how long we planned to stay in our current house & urged us to keep that in mind as we considered which fridge to buy. Again, leaving your fridge when you move is new to me, but, apparently, it's becoming quite common.

 

[bcla]

I recall when my parents bought their current (long-time) house, all the appliances came with it, including a free-standing dishwasher and a combination washer-dryer. The washer-dryer was a single chamber. Even so, my folks took the washer and dryer from their previous house and even dumped the combo appliance at their old house.

That free standing (rolling) dishwasher was odd too. It wasn't plumbed and had to be connected to a faucet via a special coupling adapter.

 

[dclpluto]

Love

 

[hopemax]

We have an older house, and so the kitchen is small, and the fridge space is small. If I didn't want an apartment style (freezer on top) which I hated, I had a choice of 2 French Door style (LG & Kenmore, we went with the LG). The Fridge part, I love, love, love. Especially, when we pick up a family size pizza from Papa Murphy's. Can't put one of those in a side-by-side (had one of those growing up). I can store most of what we use in the doors or drawers, so I can leave the main part for large things. The Freezer part is only okay. It fills up too fast, so I have to be careful when shopping at Costco or Trader Joes. And the ice maker tends to dump the ice in a way that it is funneled behind the bin and the drawers into the great void (they eventually evaporate away). But even with its issues, I prefer the freezer to the freezer-on-top styles. That was limited space too.

 

[OhMari]

I do not like my French Style door refrigerator at all. I had a side by side Fridgiaire twice and my dh wanted something different. Our freezer is a dumping area. You can never keep it organized. I do have 4 compartments, but when you pull something out, something falls in its place. Nothing fits properly in the refrigerator area.

I have all stainless steal appliances and I cannot wait for this trend to get old. I do not have that many fingerprints, but I wipe down and clean the appliances, but then you have to go back and wipe down all the water marks.

 

[nkereina]

We have a GE french door style and like it. The fridge part is large enough and I always have room. The adjustable shelves and shelves that go in and out are nice as well. I agree with others in that the freezer is difficult to keep organized but we have a large freezer in the basement we keep most of our stuff in. We do have water and ice in the door, and there is a secondary ice bin in the freezer part that also fills up since the one in the door doesn't hold much. I will say that the ice maker on the door sucks. If you try to get ice from the dispenser, you'll get one or two cubes before it jams and you have to remove the ice bucket only to find a glacier of ice cubes clogging up the hole.

My parents had a side by side their whole lives and switched to a Fridgidaire french door style about three years ago and they hate it. They did just the ice maker in the freezer which has been fine, but don't find the freezer has enough room for them (forget about frozen pizza boxes) and they don't like the lack of shelves/space on the doors compared to their side by side.

Just depends on your preference and how much stuff you keep in the fridge and freezer!

 

[tvguy]

It depends on the circumstances of the sellers/buyers & of the houses being sold, but I think things are changing.

When we bought our first house in 1997, the only appliances that came w/ the house were the stove & dishwasher. We wouldn't even have thought to have asked for the refrigerator. We were renting at the time, & I remember DH finding a used fridge to buy so that we'd have a fridge for our new house.

When we sold that house in 2003, the buyers asked us to leave the fridge, but we declined because the sellers of the house we were buying were taking their fridge. They still purchased our house even though we were taking our fridge (& washer & dryer).

I thought that fridges & washers & dryers always went w/ you when you moved! LOL!

However, my niece bought a house about 6 months ago that had been flipped, & all the appliances (including fridge & washer/dryer) were included w/ the house. Actually, most of the houses she looked at included all the appliances, I think, but she was looking at starter/flipped homes. My inlaws purchased a new house this past spring, & the fridge was included. However, in that case, the owner of the house had passed away, & her children were selling the house.

When we were appliance shopping this past week, a few of the salesmen asked us how long we planned to stay in our current house & urged us to keep that in mind as we considered which fridge to buy. Again, leaving your fridge when you move is new to me, but, apparently, it's becoming quite common.

I guess I have been watching too many of those HGTV shows from Europe where people not only take the refrigerator with them, they take the stove/oven and dishwasher! The American couple's are always shown as being shocked when they tour the first home and there is no stove/oven or dishwasher, in a couple of cases, they were renting and had to go out and buy their own oven/stove and dishwasher.

 

[tvguy]

It could be regional, or it could be changing times. When my parents first bought this house new, the builder supplied the stove and dishwasher, but they had to buy their own refrigerator. There wasn't even an option to get it from the builder. (They chose avocado in 1973). I suppose the refrigerator, and W/D are personal property, since they're not built in, but everything is negotiable, including things like window treatments.

A lot of buyers favor move-in-ready houses these days, so that's why I put in a new fridge when I remodeled the kitchen. If a buyer wants me to remove it as a condition of the sale, I will.

I flipped several houses here in NJ, Delaware, and in the LA area, and every buyer wanted the kitchen to be complete.

Other than strapping the water heater to the wall, which is required by law, I didn't do a thing to my mom's house. It was a 1,750 square foot house built in 1960, with the original stove, oven, furnace and air conditioner. Bathrooms had newer toilets, but still had the original pink tile.
Realtors said don't do anything more. But that house is an area where the minimum lot size is 1/2 acre, close to the city, where this type of house is commonly torn down to make way for a 6,000 square foot McMansion. It was the only house sold that year not torn down.
As it turns out, I got an "as is" offer from a speculator, with the buyer paying all closing costs. It was the only house sold that year NOT to be torn down. Speculator put about $120,000 in remodeling in it.....took out walls, took out one of the 2 fireplaces, cut the laundry room into thirds and removed the back door, left one third as the laundry room, make one third of it a walk in closet for the master bedroom, and used one third to expand the master bath, changed the foot print of the kitchen and plumbed in a high end gas stove. Funny thing is, they didn't replace the 53 year old furnace or air conditioner. They sold it for $175,000 more than they bought it for, a year after finishing the remodel which, figuring in the commissions they paid, property taxes, and remodel, leads me to believe they lost about $50,000.

 

[mom2my3kids]

I hate mine, I don't like having the freezer on the bottom..

 

[Simba's Mom]

I am in the minority - I hate it.

Although I don't totally hate it, I'm not a fan. We just bought one a few months ago to replace our side by side. The side by side never had enough width in the freezer for me, and besides, I loved the looks of the French Door style, so that's what we bought. Well, now I find that there's not enough room for tall stuff. So I find pros and cons-side by side-small freezer; French door-short distance between shelves. With the side by side we went out and bought a small chest freezer for the garage to deal with the small freezer issue. So I wish we'd bought another side by side this time.

 

[Turn the Page]

My parents have one like that and while my mom loves the fridge part on top she hates having the freezer on the bottom. Like others have said, it becomes a dumping ground. You always have to dig for things. In her model, and I don't know if all French door styles are the same, the freezer is one large, pull out drawer and there is a smaller pull out draw on top that you always have to shut in order to get to the stuff in the main drawer. I wonder if there are models with a freezer door that swings open like a regular fridge door?