Well, you're going to have to measure it out. It is my understanding (let others chime in) that front loaders (washers only, I guess?) need their doors left open most of the time.I have a long and narrow laundry room, with the washer and dryer against the long wall, next to the back door. Like me, you probably have doors at the long end of the room. Will your doors smack against an open front loader door, when people walk in? Will people easily be able to navigate the laundry room with those front loader door(s) open? Because of those issues, I have high capacity top loaders, and I love them!

My laudry room is a similar size, 7.5 feet long and 71 inches wide. It has a door on each end and is the entry from the garage to the house.

i have an LG front loader and it’s not a problem there. I leave the door of the washer completely open while the dryer runs then slightly ajar the rest of the time (lg has sort of a magnet catch that keeps the door ajar). No mold and we have no problems walking through the space.

There is 4 inches behind each machine and the washer is in a drain pan.

I think you both confirmed what I already knew but was hoping for a different outcome. But that's ok. I've made peace with needing to stick with top loaders. lol It's probably for the best as it seems that they aren't made to last much past 5 or 6 years. So I've read anyway. Mrs. S, which top loader do you have?! Thanks so much for your help!!

pl_1121 Thank you! Good to know! I was considering LG, as it was only 29" deep. Can you tell me which model that you have?! Hmmm, now you have me thinking.... maaaaybe. But you do have an extra 3 inches! lol As far as doors, they all would clear ok. We were able to move a door and get a more narrow door for the closet at the end of the room so that if we went with front loaders, that the door would open.

NO to the new top loaders! Absolutely awful! The mandated "improvements" render them useless. Forget a towel? Wait five minutes for the automatic lock to release. Want to select your own water level? Can't do it, the machine weighs the load and selects it for you. You should be able to route the water hoses into an open a stud cavity, allowing the front loader to be almost flush with the wall. Sixty-eight inches in depth, minus thirty for the machine, still gives you a thirty-eight inch aisle. Wipe down the rubber gasket after the last load and leave the door ajar - no mold. PS, avoid the Korean brands (LG, Samsung) as they are not "ready for prime time". I have a Frigidaire "Affinity" which came with the house. When it dies I'll buy a Speed Queen.

L R, I hope it works out fine for you. The set we bought a year ago is LG...top load washer. It's been great. It does give the option to change the water level. Shop for features that fit your needs...NOT brand. You'll see negative reviews about every single brand out there. We bought our new LG set because our 4-yr-old Whirlpool washer died. The 5-6 years you mentioned is what I've been told, too.

I've heard good things about Speed Queen. I did look at them but couldn't find one that was the right fit for me.

My front loader is lg wm3875hwca. I bought it 8 years ago so I don’t think this exact model is being sold anymore. It was the biggest capacity they had at the time. It is 29 inches deep. Here’s how it looks in the room with the door fully open and ajar.

Why not the appliances on the 5’8” wall so you have more space out frontand I have Bosch W&D front load washer I just leave a facecloth hanging over the door to keep it from closing never have had a prblem with mold BTW my W& D are 10 yrs old i do at tleast one load every day and sometimes 5 loads if all the bedding needs doing at once , never had a service call and still love them.

@pl_1121...looks good! :-)

@pl_1121 Your laundry room looks almost identical to what mine will look like when it's finished being built. My drying vent is on the side of the wall... (the wall that has your closet door). I wish it was vented in the back. I forget why the builder didn't do it. Your room looks great and doesn't seem tight at all. Thank you so much for the picture! Did you say already how close you got yours to the back wall? It seems that the most shallow front loader is just a little over 29" (lg), as far as I can find.

Patricia, Unfortunately the plumbing and venting is already installed by the builder. I guess we could switch things around after we moved in, but I'm not looking to do immediate remodeling with added expenses in a new house. I considered stacking though. I will actually have a small utility sink next to the washer and dryer on that 7ft wall. So right when you open the laundry door you will see the sink, washer, then dryer, then walk in closet at the end. Very similar to pl_1121 's picture. Thanks so much for your input!

You all have given me a lot to think about. I love Houzz and the community on here! Thank you so much for taking the time to write. It helps me a lot. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! And if any more ideas come to mind, please share!

Here are some photos that I took a few weeks ago of the venting. I'm posting incase someone see's them and has any ideas or input to further help me. Again, I don't know why the venting wasn't in the back. It's like that in the model. But our house is a little different than the model and I think they did it this way for a reason. Any changes now would cost me over $500 plus whatever the cost would be to make the actual change. I was considering trying to buy a dryer that has side venting but the vent is tucked tight in the corner, which I guess would make for a straight 90 degree shot from back of dryer...(if I'm making sense. :/ )

I have a middle-of the road Samsung. Yes, I know Samsungs have had issues. I got a great deal on it. We are high users--that washer/dryer does about 2 or 3 loads a day. I loved the idea of Speed Queen, but I didn't see where they had such a large capacity machine as mine. I don't pay top dollar for a machine because when they breakdown, it's a disaster and nightmare for my family. I have ZERO time to run to a laundromat, and my kids have sports uniforms that HAVE to be washed sometimes every single day.

Here's why this middle-of-the-road model made sense for us.

I used to have a more expensive brand that got to about 2-3 years old and started having problems. It was under warranty, but after hosting smelly, disgusting warranty people who might or might not show up, rarely had the parts they needed or could correctly diagnose, or who conveniently say "Oh, I can fix this, it's not under warranty for this part, it'll be $300" and that type of thing, I threw in the towel, and called a qualified, excellent repair person who I pay out of pocket. He never rips me off, comes right away when I call, and is helpful. So, now I know, I'd rather have him over than any warranty people. But I can't live with constant repairs, either, because it's too time consuming, and our laundry is so important. So, the machine is more of a workhorse for me.

Here's what I like about my Samsung (keep in mind I'm not expert, ok). It works. It's 3-4 years old now, with no repairs (yet). It has huge capacity. It sings a pretty song when the load is done. I can drop anything in after it starts, just by pushing a button (it doesn't take more than 3 seconds to click open). The biggest thing that allows me to keep whites white and dirty uniforms clean is Oxyclean. There's nothing I can't get out with Oxyclean. The only thing I don't like about the Samsung is you can't adjust the water level-bummer. So, that's my story. Everyone has to make their own choice, based on their circumstances.

Hi L R. My laundry room is only a few inches larger than yours at 88" x 71" (versus yours at 84" x 68"). My counter is 30" deep and the washer and dryer are 27" but project out a bit so there is roughly 4" behind them. I have front loaders and they work well for me.

I'll be honest - there isn't really enough room for two people, but I'm the only one in the LR 99% of the time. The washer door does swing in front of the door when fully open, but that door is to my master closet so it is usually open anyway when I'm putting laundry in the washer.

Hope this helps.

I think you’d be fine with a front loader. The door you see at the back of my laundry room leads to my garage and it’s 32 inches wide. Since you have a closet at the back of your laundry room the door should be smaller which will give you a little more space in front of the dryer.

Both my washer and dryer are 4 inches out from the wall and the dryer vent is directly behind the dryer.

i pulled out my dryer manual and saw that it does have the option to vent from the back, side or bottom (you do have to buy an adaptor kit to change it from back). If you configure your dryer to vent to the side you can push it closer against the wall. My dryer is LG dlex3875.

@edenchild Thank you! I made an error, I said 7ft but it is actually 86" x 68. Every inch counts at this point. lol So your Whirlpool washer is only 27" deep?! I guess newer front loaders are bigger/deeper than previous models. Your setup looks great!

Thanks for the compliment, L R.

My washer is only a year old, model WFW90HEFC. The manual says the washer is 33" deep but that includes the door at the front and whatever projects at the back. I just went and double checked and the top is actually 27" deep. With the door fully open, the manual says the whole unit is 53 1/4" deep.

I don't know if I misled you, but I apologise if so.

BTW, I suspect that your dryer is side vented simply because there was no room at the back once the plumbing stacks and heating vents went in.

I also found the following in the dryer manual:

"This dryer can be converted to exhaust out the right side, left side (all models except long vent), or through the bottom. If you prefer, you may contact your local dealer to have the dryer converted."

You should make sure the dryer you select has this option.

@edenchild, Thank you! I looked that up too and saw that option. I'm hoping that I can do the side vent option but wondering how it will line up? The side vent on the dryer is about 10 inches forward from back of dryer, but my wall vent is back in the corner. It's like I need everything to line up perfectly on the side in order to get it closest to the wall. I'm looking at this product https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPwiNSOZBDY  and wondering if it will help. It's called Magvent 180. There's also a magvent 90.

I live in a condo with a 5 ft wide closet that is about 30 inches deep. I have two apartment sized machines. My previous washer died (it was designed for Recreational vehicles use.) I purchased an Electrolux frontloader which is only 24 inches wide and 25 inches deep, a newer model offering this year. I am still using the old dryer, a Majestic. The washer is still fairly new to me but it will hold a set of super queen size sheets. I have space enough for mops on one side of the machines and an ironing board on the other side. It is not pretty - still need to work out the shelving.

Hey All!! I took the plunge and bought maytag FL W and D!! It's nerve-racking trying to figure it all out, but you all REALLY helped me so much! Especially by sharing your pictures! I'll try to remember to post a picture when it's all done and ready. :)

I wanted to come back to post some pictures of our laundry space. 1) Because I said that I would. 2) Because you all really helped me and maybe this thread will help someone else in a similar, tight space laundry room AND still wanting FL :) Now, we just moved in 2 months ago, and I live with chronic illness AND my 1st born son just got married!!! So this isn't pretty yet! But I still love it! It's tight but works fine for our needs. I'm also loving my Maytag FL. Never had FL before! I got a great deal on the pedestals and have NO regrets lifting the W and D up to a more comfortable level for the sake of my back. I can still fold and put things on top of them. I'm 5'2 so.... if that helps for reference for other vertically challenged people. ;0)

hi

did you end up using the magvent?

I did not. Fortunately everything worked out for me not to. However, I'm still thinking that I may try it (if I can make it work for my setup) because it seems like it would make cleaning the vent regularly much more easy.

just ordered it will share my experience