Wow! That laundry room on page 19 I would love that! It is too bad they didn't mention the GE brand as it has a vented dryer and because if you look at its ratings on Home Depot and Lowes you'll find that it is very well rated and it's about the same price as the Electrolux both of which are much less then the Bosch, Asko, Miele group. (Can you tell I like my GE vented dryer (the vent is about 1 foot long)?) I cannot guess at the insides of the Miele dryer but to me the main issue with the new fire code is that you use ducting that is also fire resistant, no more plastic ducting. You still have to keep the entire run clear and if the run is too long you really should be looking at a condenser type dryer instead of a vented dryer. The advantage of having a vented dryer disappears where the vent run is long or where the vent ducting is located in a place you cannot clean it. Unfortunately, I do not think that most people bother to clean their dryer vent even once a year.

I currently have a set of Duet HT that are stacked and really like them. However based on the performance of my parents new Speed Queen's, when my Duets give up the ghost this is what will be replacing them: http://www.speedqueen.com/products/stacked-washer-dryers.aspx?mn=ATEE9AGP173TW01#build-your-own The things are whisper quiet on the spin cycle and even though I have the duet HT with the high speed spin, my clothes are rarely stuck to the inside of the drum as regularly as with the Speed Queens on high speed. For the stuff that tolerates high spin speed that cuts down on the drying time too.

In this instance, I might recommend our Speed Queen unitized if Miele is out of budget. While not without minor annoyances, it handles all but king comforters with ease, and is built like a tank. It has a shallow footprint at 28” so will look more sleek than most inside a closet. It will, however, be 27” wide and I think the Miele LiGi is 24”? enduring, correct me if I’m wrong.

Olychick, that depends on the design of the machine. What specific brand and model do you have? As I said, a "stacked" set that essentially has the washer and dryer built as a unit typically has provisions for service access without removing the dryer. A frontloader washer and dryer pair that are separate machines but are "stackABLE" and can be installed with the dryer set atop the washer is an entirely different thing. Some Whirlpool and Maytag frontloaders for example, don't have a lower toekick panel for access to the pump. The entire front is one piece, which requires the top panel be removed first, then the control panel comes off, then the front panel is removed. The top panel must come off to reach the water inlet valve, the dispenser drawer, or the control panel and board. The top can't be removed if the dryer is sitting on it.