I would love to move our wm and drier upstairs but our last house was a hundred yrs old and my husband felt the floorboards wouldn't cope with the vibrations of 1600 spin so hay stayed in the kitchen which had a concrete floor. Our current house is new and, again, he felt the chipboard wouldn't be solid enough and they're in the corner of the garage. In the US, a laundry cupboard on the upstairs landing is de rigeur!!

We have a washer/drier and it's perfectly fine. In the past we'd had one which wasn't too good on drying so we went to 2 separate machines. Anyway, before this house we were in rented for a while with a good washer/drier so decided to get one for this house. There's just the two of us so we don't have huge wash loads but it does a good job on the bedding which is a full load. But don't go for the cheapest. False economy. Ours is a Siemens iSensoric. Worth the outlay for us.

Some people do put their washing machines in the bathroom. For me that’d be a no purely because of convenience. I just want it in the kitchen so I can hear when it has finished its cycle. So you have a dishwasher one side of the sink and you want to put the washing machine the other side? If it’s a freestanding washer then remember the depth will need to allow for pipes/waste so you will need more than the normal 600mm depth worktop to put it under unless you’re happy for it to protrude. If all you’re wanting to do is move it from the utility to the kitchen, then you just need plumbing and possibly the removal of a base unit (you don’t say if one is already in). If it’s a space then it’s a relatively easy job. Just ask a plumber for a price.

Miele machines do vary considerably in price. Is the bottom of their range within your budget? They really are great machines. l can only comment on other appliances by the two manufacturers you mention. l have a Neff double oven and wouldn’t buy another. It cooks more on the left as opposed to the right when baking cakes. l also have a Neff fridge that goes into a semi freezer mode when it takes its fancy. l got rid of my Bosch induction hob. Swapped to an AEG. Much better. My preferred brands are Miele and AEG and l would also consider Siemens