I don't see a problem with that. Just had a look at a Whirlpool installation manual and it said to leave one inch at each side, but that is just to reduce noise transfer not safety issues. Electrolux even says zero clearance in needed. Just make sure you have enough room (opening) for the dryer's air intake and try to keep the vent hose air straight and short as possible. Alex

There was a similar silver colored tool packed with my vanity light fixtures and it is for tightening/ loosening a plastic ring that holds the glass shade in place. It is another place were you can't get your fingers in so you need the tool if you need to remove the shade for any reason. If your fixture has glass shades look inside for a ring holding the shade.

I'm no plumber but I can tell you that we did this on our fifth floor level (when the baby came) and I've never regretted it. We actually went ahead with gas to the dryer as well. We were on an outside wall so we vented out the back, and the drain we used was from the tub we removed so it was probably a bit easier than what you're doing. We used the water access from the old tub as well for hot and cold. The one mistake we made is to hire a dork who put the water shut off valves way in the back of the closet that we enlarged for the stackables. If we had to turn off the water in an emergency it would be a challenge. He did the same with the plug in...it's BEHIND the washer and dryer, and we couldn't reach it if our life depended on it. Think about the locations of these items :) We're having our new GC on this job fix the water access problem with a discrete door in the wall outside of the closet. We left the wiring as is. Our closet is right next to a bathroom as well. We had to relocate the door of the bathroom to make room for the closet so keep that in mind (debth of the closet) as you decide this). Even with the few booboo's...we love the laundry upstairs. We also have one on the first floor for larger laundry (linens etc).

Sarah, no worries at all! Believe me, I belabored this myself. You're exactly right. The units could move back in my setup. In my photo above that says "see the hose back there," it's showing the hose not entirely tucked into the space that is designed for it. So Miele has correct dimensions, and that drawing is exactly as they are built. The thing is that I put the box with plumbing on the right (as you're looking at the doors of the machines,) and I believe it's a shorter route to put them on the left. See the Miele drawing of the back of the machine and that will make more sense. I was going to ask you anyway, since you're space is tight but you can move a wall, where do you want the shutoff to be? I remember you said you really needed a plumber/contractor to work it all out, so I wonder if you have found one. Truth be told, you'll be able to work it all out in terms of the dimensions, but knowing where your existing electrical and water supply/drain are will be necessary. I think I told you before that I was sold on the Miele because there's no issue for access when maintaining the machines. Whirlpool evidently had the brilliant idea to place the lint clean-out in the back for their HP dryer, which means paying a tech at least 2X per year to pull the thing out just to clean it. Anyway... Also remember you're referencing in your first image the requirements for putting them in a closet. If you're not doing that, don't worry. And if you need more photos of the setup I have, please don't hesitate to ask. As I hear the laundry humming now, I think about all the questions I had before making the leap. It was a lot of work, and certainly expense too, but it's all worth it, and I hope it will be for you as well :-) p.s. Do you have a local dealer? That might help your questions. I asked mine to stop by while we were in construction, which he gladly did. In retrospect, I should have asked earlier. Those are the people who will be installing and servicing (hopefully not) those machines. And yes they're pricey....you do get some extra help for that. Good luck and keep me posted.