New kitchen -integrated or freestanding or washer-dryer

[PollyNew]

I am looking to buy a new kitchen in diy-kitchens but cannot decide which washing machine/dryer I should get.
Free standing just look ugly ( I don;t have utility room), integrated - limited choice ,expensive and possibly can ruin the kitchen if leaking , integrated washer -dryer - I used to have a combined washer-dryer years ago and it didn't dry well - not sure if they improved since .

Any opinions welcome !!

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MNHQ

As you say, integrated - limited choice ,expensive. I'm not aware of them being more likely to flood or cause more damage, but I'm not a plumber. Non- integrated don't look too bad in my opinion, but it's what you think.

Most of mumsnet hate washer-dryers. They take a lot longer to dry (although this is also the way with modern low energy separate washers and dryers). Also it's more to go wrong (or rather if one part breaks you have to replace the whole thing, if that makes sense). If I dried everything it might annoy me, but I use the dryer part of my washer-dryer only for towels and emergencies (like middle of winter when it's been raining for a month). For me, it works fine. And for me, it will dry a full load of towels, or a full set of super king bedding (in the depths of winter). It just takes time - but you don't need to supervise it so that's not a huge issue for me.

I have a freestanding washer/dryer and they work well. I used to have an aeg, but now a Bosch. I think the cheaper ones don’t work so well.

My DD redid her kitchen, but didn’t want integrated. She designed the kitchen so that her washer/dryer is ‘inside’ one of the cabinets.

She’s got it at the end of a run. You need to have a deeper worktop than usual, and a width more than 60cm. The space is filled with a cabinet door of 60cm and a removable fitter panel (about 10/15cms), and the plinth needs to be easily removed too. Oh you also need to allow some clearance under the worktop.

So most of the time the washer/dryer sits behind the cabinet door, but if the machine needs to be pulled out etc then that can be done too.

A kitchen fitter should be able give advice.

@sleepymum50

I have a freestanding washer/dryer and they work well. I used to have an aeg, but now a Bosch. I think the cheaper ones don’t work so well.

My DD redid her kitchen, but didn’t want integrated. She designed the kitchen so that her washer/dryer is ‘inside’ one of the cabinets.

She’s got it at the end of a run. You need to have a deeper worktop than usual, and a width more than 60cm. The space is filled with a cabinet door of 60cm and a removable fitter panel (about 10/15cms), and the plinth needs to be easily removed too. Oh you also need to allow some clearance under the worktop.

So most of the time the washer/dryer sits behind the cabinet door, but if the machine needs to be pulled out etc then that can be done too.

A kitchen fitter should be able give advice.

That’s a really good idea! You could even stack the washer and dryer to save space