Standard counter height is 36" above the finished floor and is what all appliances and cabinetry are designed to work with. Any deviation from that has to be done with great care with semi custom, or with fully custom. The easiest is to leave all of the perimeter counters at standard height and do a taller island with a thick butcher block for prep.

Starcraft article on ergonomics.

[Houzz article on kitchen counter height. [(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/the-kitchen-counter-goes-to-new-heights-stsetivw-vs~19380526)

Thank you for the article crl_ . According to the first one my height should be 39-40 inches. Probably won't go that high, but I'm definitely going to play around with 37 or 38...

I'm getting custom cabinets and a rangetop so the only appliance to work around would be the dishwasher (which ideally should be elevated as well, but I don't have enough countertop to spare to do that).

I'm tall (5'9") and do a lot of cooking as well. I have a thick cutting board on feet that raise my main prep area to a more comfortable height (about three inch elevation). This would be an inexpensive way to find out if/how you could live with higher counters. I do use the standard counter height for rolling out dough and other baking tasks thought. Also.....Watch out for those really deep sinks. I find a deeper sink tends to bother me more than the counter height. You have to reach or bend down to get stuff....could bother your back.

My stove is standard height and I don't have issues with that. I do have mats at my sink and stove that are used for cushioning, raising me up about 1/2 inch, but they don't impact anything.

How to calculate your ideal counter height (it takes two people for this):

1. Hold your arms straight down next to your body.
2. Now, bend your elbow 90 degrees
3. Have someone else measure the distance b/w the floor and your elbow (you can't do this yourself and get a precise enough measurement)
4. Subtract 6"

This gives you your "ideal" working counter height.

Standard base cabinets are 34.5" tall, including the toekick. The thickness of your counter material will determine the final "height" of your counters.

If you want taller, consider a thicker counter material or perhaps building up the cabinets b/f installing the counters.

However, be aware that raising the counters usually means raising the upper cabinets the same amount. Why? Because standard backsplash height is 18" b/w the counters and the upper cabinets (or light rail if you have a light rail on the bottom of the upper cabinets).

I know some are going to say it doesn't matter - but it does matter if the only workspace you have is under upper cabinets. Manufacturers of small appliances work to the "standard" 18", so often you need that space if you have a coffeemaker, mixer, or other small appliance on the counter (or if you use them on the counter) under uppers.

If your primary workspace (prep) is on a peninsula or island - with a water source - then it might not matter. However, if that island or peninsula does not have a water source on it, you will most likely end up prepping next to whatever water source you do have - so be sure that counterspace has an 18-inch backsplach space.

Oh, and don't forget that other people need to use the counters as well, so you may have to either have two different counter heights in your kitchen or compromise by "splitting the difference". (But, the Prep Zone should be comfortable for you since you're the main cook.)

I am 5'11", and we did extra tall counters with ikea cabinets by just building our own taller toekick bases to rest the ikea boxes on. We built up a little 2" platform for the dishwasher to rest on as well. It turned out well because the extra toekick height let us run all the new electrical and plumbing runs in the space below the cabinets - the waste lines needed the extra height for the slant and some power ran under the dishwasher - so we saved a bunch on plumbing and electrical labor. I also got a 2" thick butcher block cutting board for around $100 that permanently sits on the counter for chopping. The whole setup is so comfortable to work in!

One word of warning: make sure you are not too low for the dishwasher you want. We didn't realize they are different heights (not by much, but enough). Turns out our counters are slightly lower than usual and the Bosch we bought would NOT fit. We ended up with F&P drawers but it was a hassle.

Make sure you measure well!

Thank you everyone!

I currently use tall cutting boards to raise my prep space and while it works, it would be so nice to be able to work on my whole counter comfortably!

I'll be sure the make the adjustment on the uppers as well (ceiling is vaulted so they can go up...)

I've been following GW for a while and am so excited to finally be able to do my own kitchen!

DH is 6'6" so we put the sink side of the counters at 38" and the cooktop side at a standard 36". Works well for us - I prep on the short side and he preps on the tall side. The sink is deep so it's actually not bad having the counter up so the bottom isn't quite as low. Definitely recommend having an area where shorter people can prep if needed - we also have a pull out cutting board that locks in place on the high side as another option (maybe a good idea if you want everything taller).

My cabinet maker just told me that his cabinets are 37 3/8 once finished with a granite or quartz top. So I think I'll stick with that. Thanks

Great topic. Our counters are 36” standard. My hubby is 6’2” I am 5’7”. My counter height is perfect for me; hubby does little cooking. It does make sense if you are taller to have taller counter heights.