forgot to mention - units are not stackable.

Are your machines TL or FL? With TL, the convenience of moving items from washer to dryer would outweigh any doubt about going with bifold. Also, with FL, you need to keep your doors ajar after using.

The washer is top load, I suppose I can empty washer to top of dryer then slide doors over the washer and load the dryer. It seems like a pain but, on the other hand, the bi-fold will stick out into the hall . . . what to do?

and down the line - what if a front loader is installed?

I would keep the sliding doors. I have had both, and much prefer the sliding doors to the old bi-folds. They are just better closet doors in my opinion.

As to doing the laundry, you can easily just dump the clothing on top of the dryer or into a basket, then load the dryer. Should you switch to a front loader later on, the laundry basket option will still easily work.

I hope our various comments help you think it over and decide what will make you happiest. We would most likely not all decide the same, so it's down to what you prefer.

We had to re-do our laundry closet configuration last year to be able to get side by side machines into the same space. We used to have stacked front loader with dryer on top. Ours is located in the master bathroom. We had bi-fold doors prior which made for nice ease of use and clean lines/look when closed. We tended to keep the bi-folds open a fair bit however to allow more air flow to the washer to prevent mold or mildew. It made for an unkept look with the doors open in our opinion, but was better than mildew.

Anyhow, in an effort to keep the space workable if and when repair time comes, we choose not to do bi-folds because the bi-folds would have to be removed and rehung for machine or plumbing servicing. We have friends who could not get their bi-folds to ever hang properly after being taken down and we thought why not hang drapes or curtains instead of sliding doors or bi-folds in our situation? We did put up a nice rod and have drapes instead of doors until we come up with a better idea. I like the look of closed doors better, but really, the air flow to the washer is great in our case now when I have the drapes closed. It was a give and take in our case.

I hope you come up with a good plan for your laundry closet. Best of luck.

PC Weary, HIsown and Sea Sea - Thanks so much for your considered responses, which are very informative. I have had bad luck with bi-folds in the past also, and your comments re sliders being better doors make sense. I also like the idea of a curtain to hide the space. The builder did use nice heavy sliders so they seem sturdy. Maybe that outweighs the convenience of the bi-fold. Perhaps I will just keep the sliders with the option down the line of using curtains if the sliders don't work out. That would also have the extra bonus of not hassling my contractor who has been a saint throughout this messy rehab.

Sounds like a good plan! I'm sorry you are still having to rehab your home so long after hurricane Sandy...It's nice when it's over and done, but it's hard to go through.

FWIW, my girlfriend has nothing on her laundry closet. No doors, no curtain. It is in the upstairs passageway between her kids' rooms. She has a really nice cabinetry above. The paint matches the passageway. She keeps everything put away, and it looks surprisingly nice. Who'd a thunk it? I feel lucky to have a dedicated laundry, albeit minuscule. But I wouldn't discount an open space if it helped functionality significantly and was in a moderately discreet location.

I would prefer the bifolds. Bifolds are annoying--but having to close one side to open the other would make me absolutely crazy and I would hate it every single time I moved a load of laundry.

In this situation, bifolds are the better option. As stated, to have to close one side, to open the other, just to move clothes from washer to dryer will get annoying fast.

Have you considered french doors?

Bifold. No question in my mind. Barn-door style sliders are fine for passage doors where they can move out of the way. I dislike them for closets of any kind as they block access.

I asked the builder why he put in sliders and he said it was a mistake and he would put replace with bi-folds. I really really liked the French door option but that would cost another $400 to buy and put in wood trim and install. That's not in the budget so I'm going w the bifolds. Thanks everyone for your help!