A deep sink would be more of a problem for a taller person. My sink is 10" deep (less, with a sink grid), and it's fine.

Do you not have a DW? I don't spend 30 minutes a month washing dishes!

Lowering the counter is an excellent idea, if it's just you. I'm 5'4", but my DH is 6'4", so we went with standard height. My MIL was also tall, and built her kitchen with taller counters.

I have a farmhouse sink that is 9" deep. It's not a problem at all since I'm right up against the sink. Just make sure the edge of your sink is as close to the edge as possible for your reach if you're not doing a farmhouse sink.

I am 5'3" (barely) and am keeping my cabinet height at 36". I've gotten used to it over the past 40 years.

5'2". 10 inch deep. No problems. No regrets.

5'3.5" give or take. 10" deep sink. no problem with the sink depth. However, the width of the granite in front of the sink has more of an impact on my "reach" and therefore, my back, than my sink depth. Often wish that strip of granite was just a little bit narrower.

5'4". 9.5" deep undermount sink, no problems. My countertop is 3cm CS quartz on standard height cabinet, my cooktop is also on the same run as the sink, no problems for me either.

I currently have a integrated Corian sink, the larger deep side is 9 inches deep and the prep side with disposal is 7". For new kitchen I will stay close to this depth. I am 5'0" with standard height counter. Like Cpartist, I'm used to it. I think adding a pastry station with a lower counter for rolling dough or kneading bread is an awesome option for those who have the space for it, while leaving most of the kitchen counters at standard height.

I"m 5'3" and have a 9.5" undermount sink with standard height counters. Works great for me. My previous sink was 10" deep with standard height counters and that depth was perfectly fine also.

Wow, thank you for the responses!! I'm 5'2" and was worried about a 10" sink depth but you guys have put me at ease. Now on to the question about lowered counters....I will start a new post for that one. Love this forum!!!

I am fine with 36" counters, but I would be happier with lower I am sure. But, DH is 6'4" .... What someone said above about the really important part is the rail ... very important. I had about beat the counter guy to submission when we were discussing the rail. Counter guys want it as thick as possible to reduce the risk of breaking it. So - pay attention to that detail.

My sinks are 10" and 8.5" deep, from top of counter to bottom of sink. Counters are 35.5" from floor (we went with "standard" and I think the cabinet maker assumed we'd put granite on them which would have brought them up to 36". I'm 5'1". The sinks are fine--if I was handwashing lots, I'd probably prefer the 8.5, but maybe not.

The big issue I have had with sinks is how far back they are placed and even more, how close to me the faucet spout reaches. I have 1.75" of counter between the sink and me and it's good. A farmhouse/apron front would also be good but the spouse balked. :)

It's very very important for the short sink user to have a faucet with a long spout!

LOL, Nightowl....just picturing you beating the counter guy into submission. Too funny. So how many inches did you end up with between the front edge of counter to front edge of sink? What is ideal? 1.75" like Fori?

Fori -- as for sink spout, do you mean that a pull down is absolutely necessary? I want a high arc faucet to accommodate tall pots, right?

Ditto what AnnKH said about the time spent washing dishes!

I'm 5'3" - 5'4" and the deeper the sink, the better. I formerly had a 9" Blanco Silgranit sink that I adored. It was top mounted since we had laminate counters so it wasn't like we got an extra 1-2" from undermounting it but I would have welcomed the extra depth. I'd be happy with a 9" or 10" deep sink...8" would be fine probably but pushing it and like you said, it's nice to hide soaking pots/pans. :) I also bathed our 2 Maltese in that sink and it was perfect.

The clean up sink is an apron, so problem solved there. The prep sink rail is 3.25" The negotiations started at 5" for him and 2" for me. If we had gone with the original caesarstone, I would have insisted on no more than 2.5. We ended up with my husband falling in love with a marble slab, so I gave in a bit to ensure peace throughout the land.

I much prefer the pull downs. They tend to have a longer reach anyway. Some of the plumbing sites let you search by "spout reach". (It might not be an issue if your sink isn't that large front-to-back.)

Once I had a sink that was too big front-to-back AND set back too far. I ended up replacing my nice faucet with a totally awesome double-jointed number form Chicago Faucets...

5' 2" - 10" deep apron front sink in standard height cabinets...no issues whatsoever. My hubby is 6'2" and he has mentioned that if he did much washing of dishes it would bother his back...but he doesn't so it's not an issue for us. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my deep, big ol' sink!!!

My wife (5'3") loves our 10" deep sink. The only sink we ever used that was too deep was when we used a laundry sink for a while during our build. I had to put a spacer under a dish pan to use it. Our new sink is a 43" two bowl monster, and the extra size is really nice. We still use the plastic dishpan as filling a sink that size would waste a lot of water, and we only hand wash a few dishes at a time.

Our sink is 9.5" deep and counters are standard height. Works great for me (5'3"), but the sink depth makes it uncomfortable for my husband and he isn't particularly tall, about 5'10".

Ah yes. A laundry sink is actually really finally too deep a sink. I had my dish pan on an inverted milk crate for that. Still bad...

I was really worried about the depth of my sink. I almost ordered special grids to raise the sink bottom up but decided to try living without them first. In my old kitchen configuration my use of the 18" portable dishwasher was limited. In my new configuration I have a normal size built in dishwasher and I use it for almost everything- I have slowly been getting rid up or replacing those things that were not dishwasher safe. I really don't do dishes in the sink anymore, everything goes into the dishwasher. While I do spend time prepping at the kitchen sink and there are still a few things that aren't dishwasher safe, I don't spend a lot of time with things sitting on the bottom of the sink so I don't really need to lean over; the depth of the sink has been a non-issue.

Thank you guys!!! I am so excited now to get a deep 10" sink. I like to pile up my dishes throughout the day and do all the dishes at once after dinner. So with three little ones, the sink gets quite full during the day! As for washing dishes for 30 minutes a night, I do this b/c our dishwasher right now is THE WORST and at most rinses/sanitizes. If I leave a spec of food on the plate, it will stay on and get dried on after the drying cycle and then it takes me even longer to wash off the dried food. So I fully prewash and just have the dishwasher do the final rinse. I will be getting two Miele dishwashers so hopefully I can do the scrape and load thing.

I will definitely have my countertop fabricator minimize the counter in front of the sink...what is reasonable for marble countertops? Can I ask for 2"?

Also, does anyone have any good faucet suggestions for short people -- high arch and big reach? Also friedajune -- what is a pullout faucet (vs pull-down)?

As I said above, our stone guy refused to do 2" for marble. But, in his defense, my sink is 45" long.

Eliasgrace - I think you should check out the apron front sinks. In response to your question, I think 2" may be too narrow to maintain the integrity of that strip in front of the sink, and marble is a softer stone. You also have to take into account the edging of the countertop which adds another 1/2" to 1-1/2" depending on what edging you are choosing.

The combination of apron front sink and marble is pretty classic, whether in stainless steel (check out Kraus apron front sinks on expressdecor or overstock), in enameled cast iron (the Kohler Whitehaven), or fireclay (Rohl and others).

In response to your question of pull-out faucet vs. pull-down, I will link an old--but classic--Kitchens Forum thread. Most of the links in the thread are outdated or don't work, same with its photos, but it's an educational read. Currently, pull-down faucets are more popular than they were when that thread was written, and there is more of a selection so that you will find pull-outs with farther reaches than when the thread was written. http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2508643/pull-down-vs-pull-out-faucet

You could also consider the Kohler Karbon faucet. It is expensive, but people love them (look for threads on this forum).

Nightowl -- a 45" long sink sounds positively dreamy.

Friedajune -- thanks for the link to the thread! Very helpful. I am doing a Kohler Karbon for my prep sink, but need to decide on one for my clean-up! The apron sink is out though, I just want a nice, big, simple, stainless steel sink : ).

Eliasgrace if you clean your dishes before putting them in the dw the soap has nothing to attack and the little food there is stays put. It sounds counter intuitive but don't clean them at all (just knock the big stuff off) and let the dw do its thing. Also this means that you can put them in the dw all day long and have an empty sink....

You can figure out a lot by measuring your current sink/faucet/countertop combo and see whats likely to change. Draw on your counter if you have to. If your current stretch is comfortable, try to keep it.

Practical -- I will try that!

Fori -- measuring away : ).

I'm 5'4" and my sink is 10" deep. Works fine for me. I do have to admit that a little lower countertops would have been nice, but standard height is what I've always had, so went with it again.

Sorry late to the party, eliasgrace, I am 5'1" and have a big, simple, stainless steel sink . . . and it is also apron front if you are considering that option. If you are interested in minimizing reaching, have you thought about getting a Tapmaster (foot pedal) to operate the faucet? Good luck!

Definitely getting the Tapmaster, Oaktown!

Ergonomics are an individual thing so It might be worth standing there to see how it works for you. I think there is more to it than just your height. I am 5'3". How long are your arms and how many dishes do you do? I do hand wash quite a few dishes and not a fan of a deep sink. If you are bending over at all to touch the bottom, it can be hard on your back. My sister and I are about the same height but built differently in that her arms are longer so depth doesn't bother her as much. I also like an apron sink that brings the sink as close as possible. This sounds counter intuitive but one display kitchen had a higher counter top which brought the sink up a little and that was more comfortable for me. My favorite sinks have been old farm sinks with a built in drainer. They are maybe 6 inches deep.

For those with a range considering lowering countertops, don't forget that some have a minimum dimension of 35 7/8".

I just cut the granite for a retrofit and the range was 1/2" above the deck with the feet dialed all the way down.

Joseph -- we'll be getting a rangetop so lower counters won't affect us.

Wekick -- I have normal length arms (I think?) so I AM a bit concerned about the depth....will try to get to another showroom soon.

Thanks for your input!

I am 5' 1 3/4" first thing in the morning ;^) My sink is 8" deep and sits 1 1/2" proud of the counter. Counter is 36 1/4" ( compromise DD is 6' 2") I love the depth of the sink, so comfortable!