We are getting ready to put in a 16' built-in buffet/bar in our dining room. We will have upper and lower cabinets/drawers with a countertop and sink.

We also want to do built-in wine cooler and ice maker (have easy access to water inside the wall).

Any recommendations for built-in wine fridge and ice maker? I know both can be problematic so not entirely sure where to start.

TIA

cbminers said:

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We are getting ready to put in a 16' built-in buffet/bar in our dining room. We will have upper and lower cabinets/drawers with a countertop and sink.

We also want to do built-in wine cooler and ice maker (have easy access to water inside the wall).

Any recommendations for built-in wine fridge and ice maker? I know both can be problematic so not entirely sure where to start.

TIA

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2 separate devices or 1 combo device? What sizes do you have to work with besides the 16" depth? Width, height? Location on floor or elevated?

The lower cabinets will be standard depth, likely counter height, 16 foot run.

Definitely want two separate devices (or at least I hadn't considered there might be an ice maker wine cooler combo).

Here is one of the photos on my wife's pinterest board. Again, we are talking 16' long.

Will this supply ice all the time for your house or only for drink mixing?

Have you considered a sink for the bar as well? Reason i ask is most larger ice makers require a drain line and if you have to put one in already, you might as well have a sink there for convenience.

Thanks for your responses.

We are going to put in a sink, even if a small one.

I can see the icemaker being used on a daily basis but also a scenario where I run it more intermittently. We won't RELY on it for ice.

Dont know on brands but as for the style, one of my good friends had a dual fridge put in like one of these and its fantastic. Lets you keep beers/soda on one side and wines on the other.
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Appliances-Beverage-Coolers-Beverage-Wine-Combos/N-5yc1vZc4fc

Your budget will really determine what you go with on that.


As for ice makers, they went with a freestanding one that sits on the counter rather than a built in one. Its much quieter than the built in ones but it does produce less ice.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/NewAir-50-lb-Drop-Down-Door-Portable-Countertop-Ice-Maker-Stainless-Steel-and-Black/1002626012

Something like this might work and gives the guests a water dispenser as well for any drinks that need it instead of them filling from the tap.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frigidaire-26-lbs-Freestanding-Ice-Maker-and-Water-Dispenser-in-Silver-EFIC227-SILVER/308673400

If more ice is needed, a design like this might meet your needs but its looks might be iffy to the misses. Plenty of nicer ones but prices go way high on these.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Costway-110-lb-24-in-H-Built-In-Ice-Maker-in-Black-and-Silver-Stainless-Steel-EP21967/311236003?

I agree with all ideas here
but I know ... as a second thought/consideration ...
NO ONE ever regrets money spent on Scotsman
https://www.build.com/scotsman-cu50pa-1a/s1302487?uid=3097083&searchId=Ka2qIK5QUq

No maintenance reported to me yet
More ice than even a fisherman requires or wild parties
Freshest ice stays on top, old questionable ice gets melded, drained out at bottom

Ice trays are upside down so when sprayed with water only the purest water sticks & freezes

Thanks. I like that wine fridge. I think freestanding ice maker is probably out of the question unless it's one of the countertop type.

Damn. That's a nice looking ice maker.

cbminers said:

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Thanks. I like that wine fridge. I think freestanding ice maker is probably out of the question unless it's one of the countertop type.

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Ya, freestanding needs room to breath to keep itself from overheating and not making ice efficiently. If its going under/inside the cabinet, gotta go with the built-in styles.

Remember most real ice makers require a floor drain or a pump to a drain. The ones that are basically a refrigerator ice mechanism in a small freezer are bad, you want one that washes the ice. I have a 20 yr old marvel that is an oem from hoshizala that has been excellent. Bought for 600 and will be sad if it finally bites the dust. Been able to buy pumps and other small parts and revive it a couple of times.
Also not a fan of the ones that build a sheet of ice and dump on cutter. Go for cubes.
Scottsman makes pebble machines like sonic. Very popular but expensive.

I have Hoshizaki ice maker
Avallon wine/beverage dual zone fridge

We bought a Maytag ice maker in 2010 expecting it to maybe last 5 years. It's still going strong after 2 moves and re-installations. I recommend getting the extended warranty on any of them because they are going to have some sort of issues.

Depending on how much wine y'all drink/store, you might consider a wine column/tower. We have one that we put beer in the lower drawers as well. We also have a Scotsman nugget ice maker that we use all the time. It is still going strong after 6 years.

Does the Scottsman require cleaning at least every 6 months?

Hoshi does, and it needs a high end water filter front end.

It seems to be twice a year. It has an indicator light that turns on when it's time to clean. It takes about 30 minutes to do it. There isn't a filter that we have to mess with.

+1 on the Scotsman. Have had one for about 4 years now and its still going strong. Maintenance is pretty easy, just an occasional clean out but its easy and there is a light indicator that tells you when it needs to be done

I'd be very interested in getting more recs on the wine/can fridge combos. We're looking to rip out some of the cabinet space under our wet bar to put one in and the reviews are all over the place.