I like the 2nd picture and I would put a sink in the cabinet you have pictured. You already have water hookups nearby. When washing clothes I use our utility sink to clean spots before tossing into washer. The guy that built our home many years ago suggested adding a sink---I would not have thought of it--and I thank him everyday since we use it so often. For a folding surface you could keep a board next to cabinet to set on top of sink to make a flat surface.

My W/D are side-by-side and I just fold on top of them--no board on top so some items fall between them.

Can your wife comfortably reach the dryer if it is stacked? At 5'1", when I tried playing with stacked units in stores, it did not feel comfortable. I felt like I had to really stretch and reach to get stuff from the dryer, and that if a sock or underwear were toward the back of the dryer, I would need a stool to get it. That was not something I wanted to deal with. Has she tried the units you are looking at in the store, they could be smaller than the LGs I first looked at.

I also like option 2 because you could put a sink in there. However, I have to agree with jcrowley99, my first thought was that those dryer controls look pretty high up. If you don't plan on installing a sink then I would go with option 1. If the cupboards sit too far back you could ask a contractor if you could "box" the back area to bring the cupboards closer. Or you could just keep a small step stool in there to make reaching the higher shelves easier.

Hailefinn brings up a point I hadn't thought of yet. I knew that DW would have to stretch to use the dryer controls if stacked (at least one stackable unit has the dryer controls on the bottom, but that limits us to a single model or small subset of models). Since setting the controls is pretty quick and easy I thought stretching or a small step stool might work for that. What we haven't yet tried is reaching in to the back of the dryer cavity. That might be difficult and standing on a step stool while pulling out clothes or stepping on and off could be dangerous. It looks like we may have to do the units side by side.

About the sink: There's a bathroom about 3 feet from the potential laundry area. Is a sink still worth it?

I think the only opinion that really matters is your wife's. Personally I wouldn't want to have to step up onto a stool to use my dryer. I don't think it is practical to load and unload laundry standing on a stool.

I almost have both! Stacked in the city and planning to have side by side in a second home. Personally, I'm looking forward to the side by side with a long counter on top to fold, etc. and lots of storage above.

I am 5'1.5" and have no trouble with the stacked washer and dryer. We really like having the counter space- and I prefer that to a sink. One other consideration is the storage for the laundry detergent, softener, etc.

Have you given any thought as to how to get a side by side in that space? Do you have enough opening width to get one unit in, push it over to a wall and shove the other one in along side of it?

Aside from the side by side vs. stacked decision and the logistics of getting the equipment in and hooked up, consider two other factors...

1) What needs to done if service is required. Lots of commercial equipment is designed for near 100% service from the front, but the same isn't true for home equipment.

2) Access to the W/D drums. If you have the W/D right next to a side wall, the doors on many units don't give you 100% clear access to the drums because the thickness of the door/window is obscuring part of the drum opening. Experiment by taking your W/D and restrict opening the door till it would hit a side wall. Some models are better than others.

Those are good points gordonr. I have a top loader washing machine so it doesn't matter if that unit is 100% clear of the opening just so long as you can comfortably reach in and out of the drum. And if you can fit your dryer in, then you shouldn't have a problem with access to the drum. You may not get the drier door to open a full 180 degrees but you dont really need it to.

As for servicing, you will end up pulling them out each time but how often is that? My set has been going for almost 20years and I had to change the drier belt once.