Very glad someone is still using this thread. My stackable w/d in 2nd floor condo is older Maytag workhorse INSIDE CLOSET. Most stacked laundry centers are 27" wide and mine was installed by removing side wood strips but not actual door frame. Never a problem for many years. 3 nights ago felt carpet was wet outside w/d closet and found out washer had water underneath it. I had NOT done any laundry for past 2 weeks so figured it was leaking just from residual water in pump (now assume it would've leaked sooner if pump) or from leaking water intake hose (can't move unit to look even if I knew what to look for or outtake hose/pipe has clog/blockage. Had to turn off water at main since can't turn off at machine because it's BEHIND stacked units. Dried water on floor under washer in closet and eventually no more water leaking under washer. Now stuck between repair man and plumber deciding which one will come out to investigate. Don't even know if 30 year old Maytag workhorse parts are available. Some tell me to just get new stackable laundry center but not to expect it to last more than about 10 years. Found out this isn't unusual conundrum because by the time the repair man checks it out & say's it's the plumbing and I have plumber come out to see it water outtake is blocked I'll have spent half price of new stacked laundry center. Have to turn water main back on tonight because I need to collect much more water to flush toilet, wash hands, etc. Never saw example of how much water it takes to flush a toilet but need a lot more. After I turn on main for short time to collect more emergency water I'll see it washer leaks again and hopefully that will tell repair man and plumber which one has best informed guess if it's washer failure or outtake blockage. I know most people are going to tell me to scrap the old stacked w/d but it's been without any problem & it's a solid built pair of appliances. Am I soliciting advice in error when it comes down to my uninformed analysis of whether to money at repair of either machine/outer hoses and/or plumbing outtake blockage? And NO....once service and/or plumbing people hear it's stacked w/d they don't call back or tell me they don't send 2 people for initial call but can't tell me how one person is going to pull out very heavy laundry center to assess problem. GE stacked laundry centers don't get best reviews but they're the bulk of the market if you want at least average 3+-4 stars from all sales/review places. If anyone has advice on this situation please let me know. Have the feeling people who frequent this or "appliance" discussions will be of the mind to just get a new unit and dispense with all the guessing between repair man, plumber and myself isn't worth it given the age of the units even though I'll never get one that's a long term workhorse like my old Maytag laundry center. Maybe I just have to accept built in obsolescence of never appliances, HVAC, etc. and get on with it. But, but, but....sigh.

If you decide on an LG washer, don't bother with the fancy features like steam, etc. but do get one with an internal heater (if it has a Sanitary cycle then it has an internal heater). We got a simple LG washer with a heater on a black Friday special at Best Buy for $500 (we did opt for a matching dryer exactly because of the stacking need, that was also $500). So the whole set was $1000. I'm very pleased with Best Buy's installation service, and very happy with the new washer. Sears service is not what it used to be. Most of their sales people don't know anything about the products they sell.

You have listed the one and only advantage to this method, which is to save space. We own a condo in Chicago where square footage is at a premium and having a "laundry closet" is our only solution so we stacked. If I had the space, or could make it work any other way, I would put them side by side. If you have the room, do as many have and put a countertop above your side-by-side machines for folding. Or pedestal-mount them for added height (you can't use pedestals when they are stacked) and storage below. When the machines are stacked, they are more difficult to pull in and out for service. Also, chances are that your dryer will outlast your washer. If you're not enamored with the Duets after 7 or 8 years and you've designed your space to only accept stacked machines, you'll be hard-pressed to slide anything other than another Duet (or maybe another WP model) under your existing dryer. Others may chime in with thoughts, but those are mine. Enjoy your new home and setup either way!

A few comments: First, what susie53 talks about is not a stacked set. It's a "laundry center". That's a one piece unit, not a pair stacked together. Similar function but different than a stacked set. Laundry centers can be a top loader with a dryer or a front loader with a dryer. The top loader unit is usually a lot cheaper. As already said, if one part goes, you're going to replace the whole unit. I imagine it's conceivable that you could separate them but I wouldn't go through the effort. Next, don't forget that Sears Kenmore is NOT a manufacturer of appliances. They have other companies build their units so just because Mom and Aunt Bertha both have Kenmores, doesn't mean they're made by the same company. They bid them out to be built to Sears' specifications. Frigidaire, GE, LG,,Whirlpool, etc, all build washers for Sears under the "Kenmore" name. Similarly, Whirlpool owns a number of brand names, including Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana, Inglis, and a variety of others. Front loaders take longer than top loaders to run a cycle, it's part of the design and the way they work. You can get a shorter cycle in various ways but especially with a heated front loader it can take upwards of 2.5 hours (maybe even more) to run a load. Many people have trouble changing over from top load to front load for this reason. One big problem with front loaders is people put too much detergent in it or the wrong kind of detergent and it kicks up so much suds that it's going to keep rinsing and rinsing to try to remove it. I like the concept of a stacked unit but would have to go with laundry center with a top load since I have issues with bending over and a front loader is not practical for me unless it's up on a high pedestal. Although some have done it, it's not recommended to put a stacked unit on a pedestal because of the weight, height and other safety reasons. I don't believe in buying "matched" sets of washers and dryers. Seldom do they have a dryer with proper capacity paired to a washer. The general guideline is to double the washer capacity to determine the dryer capacity required. So a "4.0" capacity washer should be paired with a minimum of an 8 cubic foot dryer. Seldom is. Capacities are also often misleading but that's another story. That bi-fold door sketch is a laughable example of fraudulent advertising. Bi-fold doors FOLD. DUH! The space you lose is 4 times the thickness of a door. The sketch shows you losing nearly 1/3 of the opening. But people are gullible and will buy into this type of fraud. I'm not saying that changing the hinge system is bad, but whoever did that sketch was exaggerating. And you don't need special hinges to accomplish this, as you can see from the sketch. Standard hinges mounted differently will accomplish the same thing. Good luck on getting the house and a smooth closing.