I had stacked with a pull tray in a closet. It was fine functionally and not much bending. But I did use the pull tray a lot and I had a counter behind me.

A lot would depend on your height. Can you reach the dryer easily with your laundry at eye level? The washer is the same no matter what.

My laundry is in my kitchen. I really needed the countertop. What would you use your countertop for? If it's not that usable then I would probably stack it. The most important thing to my mind is a large laundry basket so that when the clothes are dry you can scoop them straight out of the dryer and let them drop directly into the basket. You can then put the basket where you need it height-wise and fold the clothes from the basket.

Probably best if I share a couple of pictures. The room is small enough and I had trouble capturing everything in one picture.

The first one shows the counter/cabinet area which would be blocked...the area to the right where you can just see the water connection would all get covered if I had the machines side by side.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61646136/laundry1.jpg

The second one show the water connections, the vent, and the power outlets.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61646136/laundry2.jpg

I am 5'10" so accessing the dryer when stacked is not a problem.

My main reasons for reconsidering stacking are:

- Easier to work with side-by-side when the machines need maintenance.

- Easier to transfer clothes from washer to dryer.

- I could potentially use the top of the machines as my counter space, even without a shelf.

- Easier to move the machines if I need to clean the area behind.

Now that you see the pictures, what do you think is better?

I would not stack (and if I needed it, I would put a counter top on them) based solely on the hook ups. I don't understand your comment that the installation costs are the same. If you stack them, you would have to move the dryer vent (unless you're going ventless) and that would cost some money,

Thank practigal. I didn't realms I would have to move the vent. I thought it would just require some kind of extension coming out of the dryer to hook it to the vent. Indeed, if I had to do any of those things, there would be cost.

i had shown these pictures to the saleslady and she didn't mention anything like that. But then again I think that is something that their installers are supposed to evaluate.

If you buy this at a big box store they won't charge extra for installation because all that is required here is for the items to be attached, but you will have to have the electric cords and hoses that are sometimes, but not always sold separately from the machines. You want to buy a dryer that vents to the rear. You need to measure your space to see how wide your washer and dryer can be. If the space is 60 inches across, the washer and dryer together can be 54 inches ( 27 inches wide each) that leaves 2 inches of space in between them and on either side of them. If your sales lady failed to mention that the dryer vent would have to be dealt with you need a new sales lady find somewhere else to shop. That is a shocking disservice to you. Dryer vents are supposed to go immediately up the wall, hot air rises. It will be a really big deal to break into the new wall and install the vent through to wherever it goes on the outside. Since that cost and dirt and trouble (and by the way you would want to move the 240v electric line too) can be completely avoided if you buy a machine that fits the current dryer vent. Your new machines can be installed as fast as they can get them there should be no trouble at all.

Sadly, I have not come across knowledgable sales people at any of the stores I have shopped at from big box to speciality stores. In fact, many of the smaller speciality stores do not even do installation. Maybe that is just a reflection of the appliance business--there is not much money to be made and so folks prefer to go get trained in something, e.g. healthcare, where there is more money to be made.

This particular store is a smaller speciality store, but since they are far away the delivery cost is high and they are not charging anything extra for the installation.

FWIW, I have shown the pictures to sales people at several stores and none have bright up the issue of the vent.

And the space is 60" wide.

I would keep the sink and definitely stack. Will the pull out there will be a small surface. If the faucet swivels it can be moved out of the way and a board put over the sink for additional counter space. If stacking, I'd just be sure the doors can open fully. With the space as pictured that's the biggest consideration. Shame to lose the sink otherwise seems to me.

rococogurl, I won't lose the sink, just access to the counter space to the right of it. The first picture is what you see as you walk into the room. The machines would be installed against the right wall. The space between the wall and the start of the counter is 60". The doors would be able to open fully with no problems regardless of whether I go stacked or side-by-side.

The faucet doesn't swivel, but the front part pulls out, just like most kitchen faucets these days; it's actually identical to the one I have in the kitchen.

practigal,

I just called Asko. They said the vent needs to be within 4 ft of the dryer, and the dryer can vent from 3 locations, two of which are at the bottom. So I think I should be OK there. But thanks for mentioning the issue.

Ah. Assumed you were installing in the space between the sink and wall -- not adjacent?

Here's the room layout.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61646136/laundry.pdf

Does this make sense? If I stack, I would put the stack where the dryer is.

Askos are small enough you can do what you want. Before buying asko make sure you live in an area that they can be serviced.

would you put hanging space between the counter and the stack? Or one of those hamper baskets with hanging above? For me, hanging is very important but may not be for you. If so, and the doors can work, why not stack. You have the counter. That open space is perfect for hamper, trash can etc. seems to me. But, of course, depends on what you need.

rococogurl,

I won't need hanging or a hamper. If I were to hang clothes, I would probably do it in the master bedroom since it has a ceiling fan. But I've never hang-dried anything so far, because I didn't have the ability to do so.

I probably won't use a hamper either. I just put my laundry in regular plastic baskets.

The main reason I would like counter space is for folding, but I could just go back to the bedroom and fold there.

If I stack, I want the pull out tray so I can place the laundry basket there while pulling the clothes out of the dryer.

practigal,

I don't think service would be a problem. Unlike the Liebherr fridge I just bought, which a couple of installers/repair folks tried to steer me away from, I have not heard anything about the Askos. There are several dealers that sell them in my area, but only one had it on display and it wasn't powered up.

I know I can go either way, just want to make sure I'm not doing something I will later regret. Right now I have a slight preference for stacked, but if there's any significant issues with, e.g. vibration, that would make side-by-side better off, then I'd be willing to go that way. Side-by-side will be slightly cheaper because I won't have to purchase the pull-out tray. The no-cost stack kit does not have a pull-out tray.

After looking at your layout. I say "side by side" for sure. The vent is not placed correctly for a dryer up in the air/stacked position. The vent tube will have to make a "U" turn to hook up to the wall vent outlet. Each 90degree turn equals a 5' straight run of venting. There is a limit to recommended vent runs for different dryers. It could be 30' or it could be more. So if you brought the dryer vent out the side of the stacked (which BTW adds an automatic 5' equivalent in my Miele) you then turn down+5', then to the wall=5', then up=5'. That is 15' (to 20' if you have to add 5' when brought out of the side like my Miele) of run just to get you to the wall. That's how I see it from what I've read while remodeling my laundry area. Now I believe I you said that the vent could come out the bottom, but I wouldn't think it could do that if it was on top of the washer.

You are not losing the counter space to the right of the sink if you put the washer perpendicular to that cabinet run. It might be a reach, but no much more then a typical corner in a kitchen. You could put a basket there that you could pull towards you if you want to use that space as storage.

I would have them side by side as @practicagal remarks, with a counter (or not) placed above the set. I would have a hanging area above the set that spans the width of that wall with the W/D.

Good catch enduring!

enduring, I guess I'll have to look more into the vent issue. There's a cabinet that sits across above the sink/counter.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61646136/laundry1.jpg

Reaching that is going to be a problem as well, with side-by-side. I don't really need the storage space, so I could live without it. The entire cabinet is empty now. :)

I missed the upper cabinet :/ That nixes the hanging bar too. You could mount some of those cute drying fold down racks above your side by side set like this Houzz image.

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Enduring, that is the picture of the laundry room fantasy....!