Perhaps im missing something, what is the problem ? I have 36" tall vanities (kitchen height) and my wife is only 5'1", she loves the height. Please let us know what problems you are encountering.

That is pretty much standard height on bathroom vanities. We have built 7 houses and are on our 8th. We also have a cabin at a mt. (#7) and for some reason the vanity height there was 32" which I love (5' tall) but husband (6') likes the vanity at home better. So, on our new house we are now building (#8) we are compromising 34". Our cabinet people said you could go any height but 36" is standard.

Well, 36" is common, but it isn't standard, in the sense that typical bathroom vanities (if you order bathroom vanities, as opposed to using kitchen cabinet in the bathroom), are 30", not 34.5" (so when you add the countertop, the standard bathroom vanity would be 31.5" instead of 36". Still, many people, myself include (I'm 5'2-1/2") much prefer the higher vanity. In fact, during my remodel, we used the kids' bathroom, and it seemed ridiculously low to me.

My master bathroom vanity height is at 37", which I specified and find quite comfortable. In guest bathrooms, I went with 34", which is closer to the height most people are used to in a bathroom -- but lower than I prefer.

Isn't your kitchen sink at 36 inches? Try washing your face, brushing your teeth there a few times. Perhaps this just feel wrong because you aren't used to it...

But if you've given it a chance and still don't like it, lower them. I really don't see why it would be so hard. Chances are the vanity has a couple of inches of adjustment, and lowering the mirror is simple unless its an in-wall med chest and your drywall is done. The light will be fine where it is.

It would be insane for an adult to use a step stool at his or her own sink when the situation could be put to right for a couple hundred bucks.

Hey, I can fully understand. We bought a 36" tall bathroom sink and I HATED it. HAAAA-TED it. I'm 5'2" and the sink hit me just below the b**bs, which made it uncomfortable to lean over to brush teeth and wash face. I felt like a little kid. We switched it out for a 32" high sink which I like SO much better. (In our remodeling-the-kitchen plan we had intended to lower a section of the kitchen counters to a height more comfortable for me, probably 32", because working at the conventional height counters gives me upper back and shoulder pain. That's just with chopping and general preparation, forget kneading bread! I cannot knead bread dough at our current counters without getting up on a stepstool.)

I agree that it should be not that much of a disaster to lower the vanity. If you're only lowering the vanity by an inch or two you shouldn't need to lower the light fixtures at all and probably not even the mirror. If the mirror is one of those giant ones glued to the wall with nothing around it, you could frame it nicely with some wood trim (paint or stain to match either your window/door trim or your vanity) and hide any gaps between the mirror and backsplash. Surface mounted mirrors (not glued on) are insanely easy to relocate. I'm not sure there would be any need to lower a recessed medicine cabinet, if all family members can see themselves comfortably. Just patch drywall underneath it if necessary.

Our bathroom cabinets are 34 1/2" tall, not including the marble. The makeup vanity is 30" tall. We are 5'7" and 6'3", and the cabinet maker recommended the taller height. We like the height. When I wash my hands in someone else's bathroom I feel like I'm using a child's bathroom. You get used to it quickly.

What kind of sink and faucet did you guys get? With the taller vanity I would get an undermount sink, the vessel would make it even higher. I was looking at a arched faucet for my tall vanity. I don't think that would work though. Now I'm thinking a shorter faucet with a long, straight spout would work.
What did everyone get for their faucets?
Donna