Would you rather have your front loaders on stands or on the ground?

[1GirlTwinBoys]

Just wondering what would be better for resale value?  Don't know if this matters, but my laundry room is also my mud room so it's a small room immediately off the garage.  Having the granite over them is nice for folding clothes.

[Amy in NH]

I'd worry about the washer shaking the granite and perhaps cracking or dropping it.  We have a folding table next to our pair.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

The granite is already over the washer/dryer and it's no problem at all.  I'm thinking of taking the granite out and putting them on stands.

[BrookValley.]

On stands, definitely. Ours have a simple wood shelf above them for storing detergent, etc. Not fancy, but convenient and organized, which is what I'd prefer in my laundry/mud room. I'd be aggravated mine were on the floor.

[TechWife]

I don't see why you can't do both. I think having the granite counter over them is a fantastic idea! Mine are on the pedestals and there is plenty of room on the top to add in a shelf or counter of some kind. Since ours are in a closet, it would have to be removable so that we can get it out of the way when we need to work on the machines. 

 

 

[Veritaserum]

In our last house (which we built, so I had a ton of design input), I had my front loaders on the ground with a granite counter over them. We moved a few months ago. In the new house, there is a built in raised floor area for the washer and dryer. While it is easier to reach inside, I hate the break-up of the visual line and I really, really miss not having the counter over the top. I did not expect to hate the new set-up this much.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

Yes, I thought everyone would love having the counter for folding the clothes.  I'm really surprised by the votes.

 

[Veritaserum]

I wonder how many voters have had both set-ups. If all I knew was the raised way, I might think that's fine. I know what I am missing by not having the counter, though. :-P

[SebastianCat]

Mine are on the ground, which helps when your kids are loading or unloading the laundry for you!  

 

I'm not sure which I'd prefer.   I've never actually seen the pedastals up close - do they have drawers to use for storage?   Would laundry detergent, dryer sheets, etc. fit into them?   I don't think I'd pay extra for pedastals that don't double as storage, or that aren't tall enough to fit a bottle of detergent.

[Tap]

stands, I have a bad back.

[Veritaserum]

Here's my old laundry room (counter over the top):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d4xevu9wnui338a/Photo%20Sep%2008%2C%2012%2018%2026%20PM.jpg

 

Here's my new one (raised):

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g38xkrhivua25oc/Photo%20Sep%2008%2C%2010%2029%2022%20PM.jpg

[Jackie]

I'm thrilled when my preschooler wants to move the loads of laundry about so I don't have to bend over and do it. They're the perfect height for her. I'm only five feet tall and they're still inconveniently low for me. I rarely fold clothes at the machines; I prefer to dump the load on a bed near the dressers to fold. I'll need to replace at least the dryer this summer and maybe I'll spring for the stands this time!

[DawnM]

I like the counter over the top better, much better.

[tammyw]

I like having the counter space over top. Otherwise, it's really just wasted space, and honestly, I'm not good enough to put clothes away immediately, so I like having the counter space to store piles of stuff.

[Berta]

Mine are on pedestal drawers. I like the look of the ones with the counter top, but for me that would be way too low. I hated having to bend down into my top loaders, that is why I bought front loaders. My daughter has scoliosis and the raised front loaders are much better for her back too. If I had room, I'd put a counter top with the raised W/D on one end so it doesn't look so broken up.

 

Edited for clarification: I wouldn't put the counter top over the W/D, I'd put the W/D on one end, then at normal height have a counter top run down the rest of the wall.

[Ellie]

I don't know if I'd want to bend over to get stuff in and out of the washer/dryer. Mine are on pedestals. I take the clothes out of the dryer and put them in a basket, then take the basket into the family room to fold the clothes.

 

Perhaps if I had a large, beautiful laundry room, I'd want to stay in there and fold the clothes, but I don't. And I would still not like bending way the heck over to put clothes in/take clothes out.

[Carrie12345]

Mine are stacked, so my washer is too low and my dryer is too high.  I'd *love* to have them at normal heights!

[gardenmom5]

I've done both.

on stands they are too high to be useful as a counter that you actually use as a work surface.  so decide which you want more - work surface?  or ease of getting stuff in and out?

[texasmama]

I have mine on pedestal drawers.  I lived with them not on stands for a few months while I was pg.  I am 5'10" so it was not easy to stand on my head while pg to get the laundry out.  I was glad for the stands.

[zoobie]

I prefer them on stands. I never fold clothes in my laundry room, but it's not a fancy laundry room. There's the extra freezer and storage and cat litter box. Grab and go! 

 

That being said, I would not change the existing structure of the laundry room if you're selling the house. The granite sounds lovely and I'd do some Pinterest-y stuff like put out the big, glass jars (a few bucks) with soap and really play that feature up.

[Janie Grace]

Here's my old laundry room (counter over the top):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d4xevu9wnui338a/Photo%20Sep%2008%2C%2012%2018%2026%20PM.jpg

 

Here's my new one (raised):

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g38xkrhivua25oc/Photo%20Sep%2008%2C%2010%2029%2022%20PM.jpg

Your old one is prettier (love the look!) but I'd take the new one over it, due to back issues. Leaning over that far is uncomfortable. I do like the storage drawer, too.

[Wildcat]

I'm 5'7" and mine are on the floor. I wanted to use the tops of the washer /dryer for quick folding/basket storage, plus I didn't think the pedestals were worth the money.

 

I don't bend over to get to my laundry.... I just drop to one knee and get everything out. Even when I had a top loading washer, I still found myself on one knee when rooting around in the dryer, so I figured I would try the set without the pedestals and buy them later if I decided I wanted to change my mind. I haven't regretted once not buying the pedestals.

 

I also have a bad knee, and don't have an issue with the way I have been doing things. I have been doing this for eight years now and haven't had any issues.

[Wildcat]

Here's my old laundry room (counter over the top):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d4xevu9wnui338a/Photo%20Sep%2008%2C%2012%2018%2026%20PM.jpg

 

Here's my new one (raised):

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g38xkrhivua25oc/Photo%20Sep%2008%2C%2010%2029%2022%20PM.jpg

 

I like both of those set ups!

[ErinE]

I've had both setups and I prefer it without the drawers. We had to have a pan underneath our washer so we couldn't use the drawer. The dryer drawer grew more and more gross as time passed and I had to regularly clean it out.

[Joker]

I refused to pay the money they wanted for the stands, so mine are on the ground. I just sit on the floor and fold the the clothes and then move the ones from the washer into the dryer. I actually enjoy it. We don't have an actual laundry room though as ours are just in a cut out in the hallway.

[redsquirrel]

Well, mine are in my basement and no one sees them but us. We have them up on a platform made from cinder blocks and plywood and it works just fine. We can't keep them on the floor because we get water in the basement.

 

As a short person, I can't imagine it would be that comfortable to fold over the laundry, stand or no stand anyway. It would still be tall for me. But DH and the boys wash/fold all the laundry anyway. They prefer to fold while streaming something on Netflix, lol. They wouldn't want to stand in front of a machine and fold.

 

 

[RanchGirl]

I would rather have the counter space than a washer and dryer on risers.  But what I really want is a stacked washer and dryer with built in cabinetry around it.  As soon as our 20 year old wash and my 30 year old dryer die, this is what we're planning to do:

 

 

 

 

[kroe1]

I lay my clothes out quickly onto the top of the hot dryer. Each piece gets smoothed out and then the next piece gets placed on top of the others and smoothed out one at a time. The smoothing and heat from the dryer top keeps me from ever having to iron.

 

I need an obligatory "other" because granite on top would prevent me from getting the advantage of the hot dryer. Also it is then very difficult to pull the appliances out from the wall at repair time. The stands make the dryer too tall for me to use the top.