Joe
Mine are 37=BD" and are fine. They were lower and before adding nice new countertops we removed the base and added a taller base, 8", with drawers in the base. Now we have some nice larger drawers to hold flat things. Best thing we ever did to a kitchen.
The drawers take up 90% of the volume of the base. I don't like to let volume go unused.=20
Bob AZ
Thanks very much for all the responses, guys. I have not met his wife but he is about six foot five or six. The *Custom Cab* Shop is trying to push them away from modifying and I imagine that is because the have jigs and templates for the standards, so the suggestion to just raise the kick zone is a good one.
I'm going to Print out the rersponses and pass them to the owner.
Thanks again!
I'm 6'0" and my wife is 5'7". In each of the last 3 houses we've lived we made the finished height of the kitchen cabinets 37.75" and the bathroom cabinets 35". The upper cabinets bottom at 18" above that.
Hardly anyone notices the height difference unless they're doing something at a cabinet. The most usual comment comes from women who are in the kitchen with my wife. They often remark that they don't have to bend over so far, find it more comfortable to do 'whatever', and openly wish their's were higher.
After this many years of the higher cabs, going into a house with the standard 36" makes me feel like I'm working at about knee height -- that extra 1.75" REALLY makes a difference.
Tex
Here's one more...
For height, have him measure floor to venter of navel with normal shoes and add one inch. If they have normal body proportions that should work well for them.
I'm 5'8"+, my wife 5'2". I built all our cabinets - including lavatories - so the tops are between 37 & 37 1/2. No more aching back bending over a lavatory sink! :)
That's the nice thing about "custom" ... you don't have to live smack in the middle of the bell curve. ;)
However, does your wife complain that when she washes her face water runs down her arm and drips off her elbows onto the floor?
That's the biggest complaint that I've heard from users of non-standard (high) height bathroom vanities.
As a builder, if you're going to err on the low side, the bathroom vanity is the place to do it. Most are a 1/2" lower than the standard kitchen 36" countertop.
Proof of that can be seen in the height of off-the-shelf pedestal sinks, which are almost always lower than custom built cabinets you see.
Nope. One does need to keep the sink well forward though.
As would one of the drawer type.
Mark (sixoneeight) = 618
Sliding kick under the cabinets, just a wild idea. (sixoneeight) = 618
If you have room consider 48 inch deep base cabinets. While not a standard dimension, it leaves plenty of room for small appliances and stuff like canisters and still leave plenty of room to work. Shelves can be put on rollers to access the stuff in the back, and drawers ban be made deep also, just be sure you have the floor space to extend them.
As far as counter height is concerned, make them to be a comfortable height for the owners. If this is higher than standard and resale concerns are an issue, then build them with a higher then average sub base that could be removed if the future buyers prefer a lower counter top.]
Ideas on the upper cabinets might be to bring them out from the wall as accessing the back might be difficult. The space to the rear can be wired to accommodate some lighting.
Form follows function. If the home owner is springing for custom cabinets building them to their spec's costs only a little more but forcing their backs to accommodate short countertops is a pain forever.
Also consider mounting the dishwasher at a height that is more comfortable to load and unload. This will save lots on bending.
A very interesting idea
I find that 36" works better in the bathroom than the more common 32" vanity height. Less back strain, more storage underneath with better accessibility. Though we do have a 32 incher in the guest bath for the sake of the grand kids.
"Leon" wrote in news:gRmSg.10859$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net:
But he put them in the kids' bathroom. Suffice to say his wife was quite pleased that she didn't have to clean the kids's sink anymore. The eldest child was 5 and couldn't reach the sink at all. I think they wound up buying a step-stool for the kids to stand on.
This is the same genius that glued posters to the wall using epoxy glue. Why? He didn't want any unsightly residue from the "poster putty" left on the wall.
When ultra-genius panelled the stairway he did it during the coldest day of the year when the RH was at it's lowest and had been that way for a couple of weeks (-20 degrees for a low and no humidifier). He cut the panelling to fit perfectly between the stair stringer and the ceiling. When spring came he almost took his fingers off coming down the stairs. The panelling had expanded and bowed out to where there was now about 1/4 inch gap between the railing and the panelling.
Then there was the time he bought a really nice mitre saw that did compound angles, etc. It was a really nice saw that was the best on the market at the time. What did he buy it for? Cutting firewood for his fireplace. He kept it on his back stoop. It was junk 1/2 way through winter. When I asked him about it that spring, he said it quit working so he tossed it out. He added that he would never buy another tool made by that company like it was the companies fault it quit wording after it laid out all winter in the rain and snow.
I am willing to bet some serious money he tossed out the Unisaw my father gave him. That is probably a good thing. He would have cut himself or one of his kids in two with it...lengthwise.
This is the same guy that cut a 4 inch hole in his roof for his TV antenna mast. He said he didn't want to put a tripod up on the roof because it might leak. When the living room and kitchen ceiling came down he tried to blame the shoddy roofing materials. I laughed at him.
This is the same guy that refused to get his well pump fixed and supplied his house with water from a hose that ran over to the neighbors house some 200 feet away. That went on for over 6 months. One day the health inspector came out. What the health inspector said was interesting. Suffice to say he had a pump installed the next day.
Super genius has also pulled some other stunts, but I can't remember what they are right now. He used to work for Caterpillar. They couldn't fire him so they made him a manager. He crashed and burned as a manager and was "let go" in less than 6 months after his "promotion". He still say he was laid off. I know different as my wifes uncle was an upper manager at Cat. It was a lay-off of one.
Yup....he puts the "fun" into dis-fun-ctional.
I learned to stay the hell away from him. So far so good. We are 2000 miles apart now. Now I don't have to listen to the stupidity. It seems like it was always something stupid every week. Living near him was depressing.
Works well if one has arms long enough to drag knuckles on the floor; otherwise, it would be a tad difficult to reach stuff on top of the counter at the back.
ROTFL!
Please post them if you remember them.
-- Mark
Agreed. This is rather entertaining.
"CW" wrote in news:m7ITg.8329$UG4.748 @newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net:
As I recall them I will but I am afraid that some may be skeptical about super-genius' antics. For those that dispute by expereinces, plase just ignore them. As for the rest, this will make Red Green look smart.
Ergonomically speaking...
standard height of 36" for kitchen cabinet/countertop combo is for an average height person of 5'6".
It's "acceptable" to go to 40/42 (I forget which) height.
Sections for pastry kneading (etc.) are comfortable at 30" (for a stnd height person).
12" deep upper cabinets can be as low as 14-15" above the counter, depending on what's going on below.Range hood height is usually higher, esp. for gas.
Sink cabinet is more comfortable higher than the stnd 36" (usually).
Don't be afraid to vary the heights for comfort. Sounds like these folks would be rather unhappy w/stnds in some spots (since you mentioned the guy is 6'6").
Unless they're planning on reselling rather soon, they should go with a design that suits them. People do change kitchens, I think it's about every 15 years, and new owners down the road might want to change the "dated" style anyway.
Just a quick, couple cents worth of thoughts. Renaya
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