There are a lot of things to consider when purchasing a washer and dryer. Interior size, depending on if you do big loads or wash comforters, family size, front loader or top loader etc.... You can get a gas dryer if you have a gas line run to your laundry area. It sounds like you have a gas line to your house. I would hop over to the laundry forum and ask a few questions. You can do some research over there and probably find all your answers.

SORRY - YOU ARE ON THE LAUNDRY FORUM! and I am brain dead. I'm sure some of the folks here will help out. Again, I apologize.

meg,

Most homes in the US are wired for 220v for the dryer and 110 for the washer. Of course, there are also some 220 washers that you can plug into that outlet, and then plug the 220 dryer into an outlet on the washer.

There are many excellent choices you can make, but in a nutshell, you have to decide if you want a top-loading washer or a front loading washer. There are also high-efficiency top-loading washers that are different from front-loading washers.

The front-loading washer gets its effectiveness from the horizontal drum which carries the clothes through a wash solution at the bottom of the drum as it tumbles. It is very effective.

I'm not quite sure how the top-loading high-efficiency washers wash. I think they thrash the load around the bottom with a little water. I envision more friction and less gravity than with a front-loader.

Most front-loaders are of Euro or Asian descent, and have smaller capacities and higher heat than North American models.

Research all you can. That's the best advice I can offer.

If your laundry room is of adequate depth for a front loader, would you have the vertical clearance to stack the dryer on top? That way you would have plenty of room for a drying rack.

Well, we're back and that was quite the education. We went to Best Buy and they didn't have the biggest selection but it was informative. For example, the only 24" deep w/d was a small capacity unit meant for an apartment. I also learned that I will probably need an additional 5" of clearance in the back for the dryer hose since the builder didn't put it in the center; instead he put it in the corner of the room.

Does anyone have a photo of their dryer sitting 10" from the wall? (I need 5" for the hose and 5" for the "bulge" in the back of the dryer--or that is what the salesman explained to me.)

I also looked at the stacking option. The salesman thought that I might be too tall for that arrangement to be comfortable. So I kind of went through the motions and even if I used a basket to empty the wet clothing into, I wouldn't be next to a counter to rest it while putting the clothing into the dryer. Something to think about.

Anyway, I'm going to go to Sears and a "boutique" appliance store tomorrow and see what they say.

Thanks for your help and please keep the info coming!

10 inches? I've never once seen a case where that space was required. In a situation where you would need that much space for the hose then periscope venting would be a better option. Inquire about that with your salesman where ever you stop.

Even though HE toploaders are much nicer than conventional toploaders, frontloaders are still definitely the ideal way to go. Remember that larger capacity frontloaders do offer many more benefits than just the ability to wash more clothes as well. Extra cycles are nice, but often times can be emulated on a machine with less cycles and a lower pricetag.

Also pedestools are nice, but if you're the type that folds clothes when they come out of the dryer then it may set the tops of the machines too high to comfortably work on.

And finally the biggest piece of advice I can give is that if any of your salesmen seem sketchy on their info/performance then find a new one as soon as you can.

I, too, think the 10" must be wrong. But when I looked at the backs of most of the dryers, they had a hole for the dryer vent hose in the middle of the machine, at the bottom. To get to where my builder put the outside vent part, the 5" hose will have to go around the back part of the dryer--the part that sticks out in back. Maybe the depth of that bulging part varies, but I saw some with 5" back panels. That's something I'll have to clarify today.

Good point about the pedestals making it too hard to use the top of the machine as a folding surface.

Also, if I go the stacking route, since the water hookup is already there on the left side, and I stack it on the right side, I will have the hoses running from the left to the washer on the right. And the electrical cord will also be hanging there from the left to the right. Won't that look bad?

I wonder if there's some kind of folding shelf or table I could put there that would mask the pipes and cord, and be a surface to lean a laundry basket on, and, I could probably put a clothes drying rack in that space too. Hmmm. It might even be worth it to have it custom made for my ideal laundry center. I'll have to work on this.

Thanks again!

Meg, I have my front loaders stacked, mainly because I don't want to have to bend to take things out of the dryer. I just lift the clothes directly from the washer to the dryer - it takes 3 or 4 bends to get them all, but that's not too bad.

Mine are stacked right in the middle, with a small table on either side - NOT an ideal arrangement, but it works for me.