There's no way I can say whether *you* can live without them. A lot of the issues have to do with design. If you have the sink so you could put a board or something over it, it would expand your counter space. Perhaps stacking the washer & dryer would help? Do you have issues with bending or anything that requires the pedestals?

Depends on how tall you are. Remember you have to put the detergent in the machine at the least. My DW is 5 2" and she can not see the top drawer with the pedestels. She like to use the top as a folding tap well that is out with the PD.

I have the pedestals...a waste of money IMO. I wished I didn't have them so I could use the washer tops for folding. Its not really possible when on the pedestals because of the height and my height. Also, I would like to have a counter top over the washer and dryer. I vote for SAVE your money.

Ive considered taking my WD off the pedestals, but reading about the bolts need to move them scares me to try.

My girlfriend has the Duets and when she first got them she had her pedestals organized with her small boxes of detergent and boxes of fabric softener, but I've noticed since then ,she has all her stuff either piled on top of the washer, or next to it...they are not practical for everyone because a lot of stuff doesn't fit...larger bottles of detergent and such, products bought at Costco...look at the laundry items you have on hand and see if it would all fit and if you would mind getting to it in the drawer everytime you wash a load.
They might offset some vibration issues if their going on the second floor, something to think about...
And do you really need a laundry sink? I insisted on one in my second house, but really did not use it that much.
However, YMMV....good luck!!

My sister has the pedestals and loves them because she doesn't have to bend as much. She buys in bulk at Costco but transfers the soap, etc into clear cannisters that fit in the drawers so that hasn't been a problem. However she has a folding counter opposite her WD. I currently don't have the pedestals but I think I'm going to go for them because of the bending issue. My WD is in a small closet but I usually fold my clothes in my bedroom (across the hall) anyway. I'm also pretty tall.

I don't have them, and would not have bought them if I needed them. I would have built something instead at the height I needed, and not so high that I could not use the tops of the w/d.

Without a pedestal, the washer and dryer will be close to the floor. If you have back issues, you will want to raise them a bit.

W/D pedestals are incredibly overpriced. If you know someone handy, they could build you pedestals for much much cheaper.

I have them and I love mine. I am tall and I have neck problems, so they are really essential to my being able to use the machines. I had hoped to stack mine so that I could free up some counter space, but my old washer died before I could change out my cabinets. I have since realized that things have worked out better for us. We are about 5'8" and 6'0" and both of us are comfortable using the machines.

I do agree that using the pedestal drawers for laundry detergent, fabric softener and such is silliness. We never even considered doing all that bending and reaching down for it. Our laundry supplies go in a cabinet above, but we use the pedestal drawers for things like vacuum cleaner bags, dust rags, some pet supplies. They are great storage for things you don't need as often.

i love my pedestals.....wouldn't be happy w/ my front loader without them (and i like the performance of my front loader!) i stack folded clothes on top of them (can't open cabinets above then, but that doesn't have anything to do with the pedestals!)... i don't know how some people fold...i guess some people lay everything out on a flat surface---i "air fold" i guess you could say, so i can't relate to wanting to lay clothes down to fold.....

I was determined not to pay the outrageous price of the pedestals, so I made measurements then went to the local lumber company and bought some 2x8 boards and built my own heavy duty pedestals at a total cost of $40. This prevented any vibration and moving which is common with the pedestals that optionally comes with the machines. I then painted it with Kilz, then put on a couple coats of glossy white. Works like a charm and I saved a lot of money.

I didn't get them... very expensive for not very 'usable' space in my opinion... plus I have a hanging rod over the tops of my machines, I hang most everything right from the dryer, and then toss the rest on the top of my bed to fold... Use the top of the washer for a basket of cleaning rags and container of laundry soap, and the top of the dryer for collecting clothes that are in need of mending or gifting to charity. covered both tops with non-slip foam mesh, Height (or lack thereof) of machines is not an issue for me

I was planning on not buying them but my father bought our pedestals as a Christmas present. He insisted we needed them.

I was willing to live without them becasue I could always sit on a chair if, in the future, the bending bothered me. Besides the laundry basket usualy sits on the floor so to get the clothes out it does not seem like that big of a deal.. unless you have a bad back. :)

I think I would rather have a counter top than the pedestals if you are picking between them.

Again, it comes down to personal preference. When I got my HE3 set 5 yrs ago, I did not get them because of where they sat and the floor where the wd were was already elevated. When I moved into this house, the laundry room was 7'6" long by 5'6" wide. So I got the peditals to raise them up with me being 6'2" tall. In 2006 I had that laundry room converted into a bathroom and created a new laundry room elsewhere. The new laundry room is 6'x 14'6". I have cabnets over the wd, and they still sit on the pedestals. I now wish I had taken them off the pedestals and stacked them, thus runing counter and cabinets down to the washer and dryer. 20/20 hindsight. I mostly "air fold" as busybee3 stated, except for sheets which I fold on the bed. You just have to look at how you do your laundry and plan from there.

I replaced my old Neptune FL with a new set of Samsung's this week. My old Neptune set on the floor for almost 10 years. I love the pedestals. I debated between just making a stand or buying the actual pedestals. I was concerned I wouldn't like the height and then would be tearing out the built in.

I don't have a problem with the detergent height and I'm 5'3". The only thing I've noticed is the pump is a little noisier with it being on a metal pedestal opposed to the floor. The noise is obviously carrying through the metal box. I'm comparing it to my old Maytag FL. However, the new Samsung doesn't make the "airplane noise" that the old Maytag did. Even when the Maytag was new it was a different sound than the new Samsung is making. Also, since they are so light weight, I would also be concerned with certain brands walking the floor.

As far as folding, I always take it upstairs and fold or hang. The only thing I fold, in the laundry room, are the towels. Today I just stacked them on top of the units. No problem. We always come through the garage, so you can see the laundry room. So all dirty clothes are behind cabinets or in the chute. All the clean clothes are taken upstairs and either folded or hung up.

Making a platform would not be difficult, especially if you don't put drawers in the front.

I love my pedestals for several reasons. I use the drawer for my basket. I also use the drawers for extra cleaning products, light bulbs, vaccum bags and so on. They are out of the way of my daily stuff I use. I don't know what I would do without them. But truly it is all about preference.

I do not have pedestals and have never missed them. I do have Bosch machines, so the controls are angled so that they are easy to see while I am standing. I'm 5'8", so I guess if I had to bend over to see the control panel I might want panels, but otherwise I see no need for them.

I have WP Duet Sport W&D...no pedestals.

We have cabinetry above for storage. I wanted to put a counter top over the machines....and make them both unobtrusive, as I also use the laundry room for extra counter space when entertaining...as such, since the view into the room is from the side, it looks more like a butlers pantry than a laundry room. The pedestals would have put the machines on visual display....and therefore screamed "LAUNDRY ROOM".

At 5'7, I don't find the bending to be a problem....if at some point it becomes an issue...I'll just use a low small step stool as a seat. :-)

I am going through the very same decision! I am building a new home and will have a stacked WD in the 1st fl mudroom and in the 2nd fl 6x10 laundry room I am torn with the decision of whether to have my FL WD on pedestals or no pedestals with a longer counter top. I also struggled with the decision of whether or not I needed a sink that would take up valuable space if it didn't get much actual use. My plumber needs my decision this week since I told him I may need him to lower the water hookup since I don't want it to show if I go with the counter over the WD. What did you end up deciding? I am going to look at the appliance store tomorrow to finalize WD decision and am really stressing over the pedestal decision. I wish my laundry rm had been designed larger but we had a 6.0% lot coverage issue to deal with and the room sizes had to squeeze smaller. :(

Eyegolf
Colts Neck NJ

funny eyegolf, i'm in colts neck too! for some reason i thought the allowable land coverage was 5%?

maybe my husband made that up to get the house smaller? hmmmm.....

in any case, my washer and dryer were delivered last week, sans the pedestals. if at any point it becomes a problem for me i'll just hire someone to do the wash. or maybe i should just go ahead and find someone now?

The lot coverage % depends on the zoning in your particular area of Colts Neck so 5% may be accurate for your zone. Is your laundry room completed? Are you doing a counter over the WD? I had some inspiration photos of some great laundry rooms with the WD under the counter and plumber and appliance guys both thought that the water hookup would not be to code if that same set up were done with water hookup below the level of the counter like I had wanted. So then I figured I may as well have them up higher on the pedestals and switched my worries to the vibration issues of 2nd fl laundry room. Ughh. I am tiring of all of these decisions and not being able to find solid answers. What section of Colts Neck are you? We are renting a house on Blackbriar since we tore down our previous house to build the new. Is your siding on yet? I'd love to see it because I remember your posts on the building forum. Are you going with the Vac U Flo Hide-a-Hose central vac? I'm thinking your project is a bit further along than mine is. Off to try to make some more decision!
eyegolf