Mariek... Thanks for posting this question as well as your solution. I'm ready to start this same project. I have a very similar setup.. so your experience was so helpful to read. Thanks again.

This thread just saved me so much time! Thanks

mariek--Any chance you could please post a photo of the inside of your sink cabinet to see the water shut offs and drain pipe? My laundry will be moved to an upstairs walk-in closet (College son is losing his big closet!), so it doesn't have to be a "beautiful" space, but I'd love any kind of a counter on top of the appliances, and it would be great to hide that box. Have you had to pull out either appliance for service and, if so, was it difficult with them boxed in the countertop unit?

I ran into this on a gulf-front condo with a wash machine in the kitchen. I tiled around the box and siliconed a Corian access panel over the box. It nearly disappeared and everyone, including inspection, was happy.

Swimmomruns the hose behind the washer is flexible and I can pull out the washer easily. Only the water pipes coming into the room and shut offs are inside the laundry sink cabinets. Since I was opening up that back wall the plumber was able to move the pipes to behind the sink cabinet. My previous laundry set up had the taps sticking out of the wall behind the washing machine. The pipes were replaced and relocated and the wall repaired. The back/side of my sink cabinet has many holes in it for the washer overflow and shut offs as well as the sink shut offs (it's a mess but no one sees it). I will try and post an actual pic of my sink cabinet asap (right now I'm away from home for a bit).

Joseph that sounds like a good solution. I wish we could have used something like that or even one of those schluter Kerdi board shower niches for this. Or even if they made the box in stainless but that white plastic is so ugly! We spent a bit on backsplash since it's a small space and wanted it to look nice (it's our wine cellar as well) I almost cried when the contractor brought out the white box for the washer taps. Luckily the plumber was there and came up with this solution.

Swimmomruns here is a pic of the inside of my laundry room sink cabinet. The clear taps are my water shut offs for the main line to sink taps. The red and blue pipes with brass taps are my washing machine shut offs. Very accessible inside the cabinet.

Mariek it looks like you have an LG washer and dryer similar to the ones that I had delivered yesterday. It also looks like your dryer is fairly close to the wall. How close is it and how did you get it so tight? The hole for my vent is behind the dryer on the floor so the piping has to make a turn and it is currently 10 inches from the wall so the machine is sticking too far out. Any suggestions on what I can do would be appreciated.

Sorry for the late reply. Yes I have the lg pair and we used the lower right side access. If I had used the back I could not open my back door! My installer popped out the access panel and I bought a length of venting with an elbow joint. We reattached it to the vent exhaust using furnace duct tape (the metallic one not the vinyl) and had it bent out the side. Not expensive but a bit of wiggling around on the ground to get it inserted and attached.

The vent tube that came with the dryer was straight and too short to use on the right side. I've kept it but had to buy longer vent tube and a elbow joint so that the exhaust can come out and then bend to exit out the right. Rather than straight out the back. I hope you understand what I mean. In all it might have cost me $20 for the vent tube, elbow and tape.

My husband was able to better position the vent so now it only sticks out about 5+'inches which is much better. I'll have to investigate whether my LG model has side access. Thanks for the tip.

Disclaimer: I'm not a licensed plumber, I just like getting into the technical details - this is my interpretation, and if you can find a plumber who agrees then hire him and treat him right ;)

Here is the code for box height, which I am currently going through. I HATE the look of these things it is the worst - and the truth is everybody is doing it wrong (except Marie, who has an awesome solution).

There are really two issues here, which are complicated by the use of a combination supply+drain box. The code only requires a certain height for the drain portion of the installation, not for the supply part - for 'standpipes', which is what the drain portion is, we have some rules:

OK so what does that mean? They measure it from the 'trap weir' not from the floor height, and require 30 inches for a washing machine. Sounds good. But what's a 'trap weir'? I made this to explain:

So if a plumber recommends a 42" measurement to the bottom of the 'box', he is using this 30" minimum + 4" trap height + a 2x4 along the bottom of the wall - meaning he is installing everything in the wall. Sounds like, to me, if the trap was installed in the floor framing below (like you do with showers, etc.) then the box could be lowered down lower than 42" - but you'll have to tell your plumber to install the trap below the floor, at least from what I can tell (and I'm not a licensed plumber, though I do have a copy of the codebook and I find it very helpful when having these kind of arguments with guys who want to do it the same old way).

OK now you've got some flexibility on the drain location. What next?

Well, the manufacturers have their own requirements. For my use, I found out that 30" to the top of the drain was high enough based on Whirlpool - you can get the installation guide for your washer and check it out for yourself.

Meaning if you put the box at 30" from the floor, and do a trap below the floor, you'll be both within code and within manufacturers requirements. But is it low enough to keep from seeing it?

Height of the washing machine is listed as 38 1/2" tall. Oatey lists their box size as 6 1/4" tall. So 30" + 6 1/4" = 36 1/4", which is below the washer height. And if you add a counter top, then it's way below it.

OK so that is all I have time to go into it right now - I suppose there is some reason to have the valves accessible, but this seems minor to me. I like the idea of putting the shutoffs under the sink. I also saw somebody mention needing to shut them off if the washing machine is full of water, it will be hard to move. OK. But you're going to need to move it anyway to get it out of there so who cares. Another option: put it behind the dryer. There is no code saying it has to be exactly behind the washing machine - move it over a bit behind the dryer if the plumber bellyaches.

ALso, this is one more big reason to just do stacked washer+dryer - it effectively covers the hookups. And is that an admission that the valves can be concealed after all? So many questions and misinformation - if I get time I'll research the supply line part and see if I can get some answers...

Other resources: https://www.oatey.com/products/supply-boxes/washing-machine Oatey is the place which makes a lot of these. They have metal ones available as well.

KJM:

You can only lower a trap if the final height still provides the required pitch for the trap to drain.

Sophie?

Thanks Josh for the clarification! My method would only work if the drain/sewer is lower than the trap.

2014 post

European washing machines (such as Miele) have anti siphon systems and do not require a minimum drain height. In fact the installation instructions for the Miele even say you can drain the machine into a floor drain. For the past 25 years we have had a Miele washer and dryer installed under a counter with the drain and supply lines in the wall under the counter. Yes, they are inaccessible and that is a concern but so far (knock on wood!) we have had no problem.

I have the same problem, and would love to know how to hide this without moving it! Joseph Corlett seemed to have a solution, but I do not see an after pic.

I'd mount a 14" shelf just below the picture.

Mr. Corlett,

Thank you for the advice! I also want to put a countertop over the washer and dryer. So a 14" shelf would look ok? Thanks again:)

Mr Corlett,

I was referring to the pic of the one you did at the gulf- front condo where you put a corian panel over the box in the kitchen. Is there anyway to elaborate on that install?

Mr Corlett: the pic of the gulf front condo....says pic before panel....could we see the pic post panel?

This is exactly what I would love to do. My layout is similar. Do you have more details on the hookup in the sink. Also what's the length wall to wall where the washer is.
Thanks