DH and i are both 5'5" and ours ended up being 37.5" after the granite went in. I love it! Its in no way too high. I think the 38" is what you should go with. I'm afraid that 39" might be too much for someone else if you ever decided to sell later on. I have had shorter people at my house and no body has ever 'freaked' out over the height of my counters. As a matter of fact, it somehow gives my kitchen a better look. I go into kitchens with a counter height of 36" or a little less now and it just feels 'small'. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it, but i can 'see' and 'feel' it. this all happened by accident for us. we planned the standard 36", but my cabinet man goes above and beyond with his work. after he builds cabs, he delivers them and them puts a custom fitted 3/4" plywood top with sides on them. Kind of like a box top. Then by the time we added the 3cm granite it was higher than we figured. the only drawback is that my range sits about 1/4" lower than my counter. I've raised the stove as much as possible by turning the legs on the bottom that are used for leveling.

Our counters are 37" high and seem perfect for us and we are the same height as labradoodle and her DH. We had much more of a problem with lower upper cabinets so we raised those to 25" which makes the kitchen appear much more open. We may have a problem at resale with those but we only have 3 so it wouldn't be a big deal to lower them at that time if we get a lot of negative feedback.

I have noticed in the past few years that new homes were showing taller bathroom vanities so I don't think people would necessarily notice a taller than avg. kitchen counter. Hope that helps!

We have a double island kitchen with both island counter surfaces at 38" high. We also have a cleanup/scullery area with a farmhouse clean up sink that is part of the kitchen that also has the counter at 38". The separate side run of cabinets with the refrigerator and microwave is the standard 36" high in consideration of children and really short people. This area functions as a breakfast and sandwich area.

My old house that I moved into 25 years ago had custom cabinets at 38" high b/c the prior owners were both so tall. Back then it was the only house available in our market and although I was appalled at what I thought was the way too high counters I just decided to live with it. Over the years I learned to love it and even had a cutting board in constant use that added another inch and half to that height. This is why the new house has the higher counters.

One thing to consider is body proportions---leg and arm length vs. torso---in deciding proper counter height. Actual top of the head height doesn't tell the real story. Also, especially since I'm older now and my knees and feet not as resilient as in prior years, I wear a chef type clog whenever I'm prepping and cooking for an extended time. That definitely gives me an additional couple of inches of height.

Finally, I am 5'5" maybe but everyone else in my family, DH and the children who all turned out tall, really appreciated the higher counters. HTH

Thanks, everyone! Taller counters feels "right" for me, I just wasn't sure how rare or odd it was out there in the big world. Resale is not on the horizon at this point so we'll go for it.

Teppy--- good point about the stove winding up lower. I'll put that on my list of problems to solve.

labradoodlemom--- I'll go check out the local cabinet shop, see if they have anything at above average heights. I was thinking about stacking chopping boards on my current counter to try to get the effect...

qs777--- It hadn't occurred to me that vanities are getting taller, but I guess that's the point: we might not notice right off but might really enjoy it!

flseadog--- I also often wear clogs or use an antifatigue mat, so at last I can raise the counters up to meet me, ahhh.

How tall are the ceilings? I wanted taller counters but my ceilings are only 8', and I felt like I'd loose too much upper cab space or too much space btw cabinets.

My stove, at least, has feet that can make it taller. I'm not sure how MUCH taller, but at least a couple of inches.

Is there anywhere you could do some lower counters as well? Ours are 37" and for the most part are okay, but I really wish I had a lower area for kneading dough.

I wanted 38" and got about 37-1/2". They are good. I'd still like 38", but I don't think I'd go taller. DH is shorter than I am and he's okay with them, but we were unsure and kept the island at 36" to be safe.

I am almost 5'2" and my last house was owned by a man who was 6'4" and built the home himself. The microwave started at the center of my forehead. The laundry room cabinets started above my nose. The counters were 38" and every ceiling in the home was 9', both downstairs and upstairs. When I bought the house, I knew this--it's hard not to notice feeling like a munchkin--but my 5'10" daughter loved it! It never hindered me from purchasing the house and I learned to have stepstools EVERYWHERE! I still can't reach the top shelf of a closet, even in a small rancher, so no matter where I am, I am vertically challenged!

Build it for what you want, not for the resale.....what's the saying, "Built it and they will come?"

Just my humble opinion from down here :)

Julia Child once said her counters were built high for HER use (she was 6'2") and anyone that didn't like it could get a stepstool. LOL.

I have higher counters and I am only 5'7.
I love having higher counters.
Go for it.

I prefer about 38 inches. I am 5'8" and this feel comfortable to me. I have seen them too high, though! So I wouldn't go too much over 39, IMHO.

I was just reading about this... "The ideal height for food preparation is 2 to 3 inches below your flexed elbow."