No, I haven't needed to service the washer or dryer at all. (It probably helps that I bought Mieles, as they've been trouble-free little workhorses. I'm opinionated about buying as much quality you can afford at the outset, to avoid problems later on, which has served me very well in this instance.) As far as accessing the dryer vent, I haven't actually ever done that. It vents down through a crawl space and out the foundation of our house. (You make me wonder however if it's time to go check on that, to see how much build-up there might be.) I don't seem to get an overabundance of dust, and am pretty meticulous about keeping the mesh lint screen cleaned after every dryer load, so that's probably helped. The washer is a tight fit, but can be moved. We need two people to actually pick it up (a couple of inches) to move it out, but have only needed to move it once in the time it's been there. (That was in the beginning when I had the sheet metal pan made, which took some time to procure and set into place. I also went the extra mile and bought metal mesh supply lines for peace of mind, knowing that moving the washer or dryer would take some planning!) The turn-off valve is at the back of the washer (behind the laundry basket) and rather hard for me to access as I'm short and don't have long arms. The Mieles are deep, rather than wide and because of this, I keep a step ladder (just in case) at that end of my home in my closet, so I can reach it quickly if the need ever arises. Hopefully it never will, but I did plan for the eventuality. This is absolutely some of the best space planning I've ever done. I can't tell you how easy it is to deal with laundry at this stage of my life...you'll just have to experience it yourself! If I ever have to move from here, I would repeat every detail exactly as is, in a heartbeat. Good luck!

We had one in the hall/kids' bath when I was a child. My mother loved it. That bathroom had a vanity that consisted of a 36" tilt-out hamper directly under the sink, with a bank of drawers to either side. It was very convenient for our clothes and towels and for sheets when changing the beds. Nothing smelled, and this was in FL back when A/C was used only in July and August, not all the time the way people do now. (There was an annual argument and whinefest about when it was hot and humid enough to turn on the A/C.) The whole hamper assembly could be lifted out if they needed to get to the plumbing, but IIRC, it took two people to do that. EDIT for typo on hamper width--it was 36", not 48". Still pretty big, given the depth of it. This post was edited by writersblock on Mon, Jul 1, 13 at 11:20

I know the answer is form over function but I never understood putting a counter top over machines that already have a clean easily wiped down surface put there by the manufacturer. I don't believe I've ever seen a topless washer or dryer. Never going to be a problem for me since I cannot imagine using my front loader without a pedestal. We hope to maybe do an inside laundry in the future. My valve box will be to the side of the washer. Have no desire to climb over the washer to reach it. Pulling out a washer is no small task either. A front loader can weigh from 175 to 250 pounds. That's dead weight. No rollers like a fridge has. And that is without a load of wet towels or jeans in it when they are most likely to need it. Murphy's law.

I love our laundry chute, but note the last paragraph of the above cited Bob Vila article. Local codes might ban them as a fire hazard. Just check and be sure! Funny story...I had a friend who remodeled her 1920s home and closed up the first floor chute opening. She kept the one from her second floor down to the basement laundry room. She was doing laundry for a trip and threw all her “good” clothes down the chute to launder. They got hung up somewhere between the second floor and the basement! What to do? She called the fire department. They came with hook and ladder truck, firehats, etc. And pikes. Yup. They reached up from the basement and pulled all her clothing down....shredding it beyond redemption! Lesson learned! One. Item. At. A.Time!