Re: The Fridge
Hi nanci2539,
I think I can answer your question, I have been a Kitchen & Bath Designer for 20 years, for remodels and new construction. In both cases, though most often in new construction, the reason for the non-built-in look is cost.
Contractors can make a large profit in the kitchen, by using inexpensive appliances and cabinets called "builder grade". They look good but these cabinets have few if any features such as roll-out shelves, lazy susan's, dividers, durability, etc.
To build in a refrigerator you need 3 pieces that are expensive upgrades at this quality level, two - finished both sides and one edge each, 27"w x 84"-96"h panels, and a 24" deep upper cabinet that is sized height-wise to compliment the chosen refrigerator.
I agree with your husband up front anyway because there really isn't any choice.
When we were in TV last spring we were told that no alterations were allowable pre-sale...that is discouraging for me regarding new construction (seems wasteful) so we will probably buy a resale home and tear out the kitchen and remodel to my standards.
If a tear out is not in your plans you could have a local cabinetmaker make the the pieces I described above to match the existing cabinets in the home you purchase. If a tear out or update is in your plans, I hope to continue my design career in TV sometime next year (got to sell our house 1st, hopefully in the spring). Based on what I saw, I could be pretty busy. Then again do retired people cook?
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