Thanks, rocket -- I do very appreciate this as part of the discussion. I think it may help others in compiling a list too. I believe 12" uppers are the standard. I've actually encountered some people a little reluctant to use 15" uppers and surprised about the request. Which surprises me, frankly -- it seems a no-brainer to me that you'd want that additional space if you're going to encumber your wall with a cabinet anyway. I guess it makes for more of a cave on the counter; perhaps that's their hesitation. Anyway, thanks for adding to the list. Cabinet considerations: Housing type/style for drawers and cabinets: = Style box: > frameless > framed - overlay style of doors/drawer fronts: -- full -- partial -- inset > type of face frame wood used (is that the right term for frameless or only framed?) -- solid/ply/mdf = Base: > height: standard base is for 36” countertop. Countertop is 1.5” standard - not sure whether boxes are standardly constructed at 36” - 1.5” = 34” tall. Ideal height said to be 4” below bent elbow. > Uppers: 15" depth may be preferable. depth standard is 12” - may not fit modern dishes. Careful of interior pace lost to frame. = toekick: 3" (saves space, tight for workboots); 4" is standard. Stock metric comes closer to 5” Cabinets: (a cavity fronted by a door) = Interior: should be finished - birch ply OK? > Shelves - ¾” ply; solid wood - depending on span sagging is an issue. Ply is more solid (I think); mdf (least solid) -- Fixed-shelves -- Variable height fixed shelves fixed horizontally (don’t roll); their placement vertically is selectable via holes drilled in sides for “pegs” or metal hardware -- Roll-out shelves (ROTS) - don’t have soft-close. These are fixed vertically, not horizontally. = Exterior (doors): > Door composition/style: -- solid wood slab (e.g., cherry, other hard wood) -- interior panel with rails bordering panel. Interior composition selectable: mdf, solid wood; raised, sculpted > hardware: soft-close or not. Not necessary to have same style as for drawers. If cabinets fasten, the soft-close may interfere with this function or be cumbersome. -- soft-close can be added as “aftermarket” often; may be bulkier Drawers (a box attached to a panel for pulling out): = Drawer box construction: > corner joinery: dovetailed, stapled (butt? joints), mortise > floor attachment: dado (slides into side panels), screwed? > composition: plywood (finished birch?), solid wood, mdf, bamboo, others? > interior: should be finished > hardware -- hardware location: side, undermount - space is lost for slides, so think about where space is treasured more, height-wise or width-wise. -- hardware extension: full (= 20” for sidemount, 21” for undermount), partial -- hardware manufacturer: Blum preferred here; there are 4 lines though. “Tandem” is preferred (I think). -- Weight of drawer contents and size of drawer might dictate heavy-duty hardware. Standard is #100 (I think) = Drawer front > wood type (usual species choices) > styling - can match cabinet door styling; less-tall cabinets must often be slab because styling wont fit (under 4”, perhaps even 6”) Finish: Applied to surface of furntiure after construction, protects from humidity and physical damage. Multi-step, compicated process, best accomplished not in home. Commercial manufacturers acclaim “baked-on”, catalyzed lacquer (not varnish) -- this is a lacquering process that utilizes (usually) urea formaldehyde (UF: this is the catalyst) in the material applied to the cabinet. The catalyzed reaction results in a very durable finish, but there is a tradeoff with health and/or environmental effects. "Baking" referred to by cabinet companies can speed up the chemical reaction catalyzed by UF. I think it is not necessary to the final, durable product; it can be part of the process, but not a necessary component of it. Note that without special attention from the get-go, your house is likely drowning in UF; it is in everything. Independent cabinetmakers may have different offerings, not necessarily inferior because artistry is involved in the application of finish - there seems more than one way (than chemistry) to a long-term durable finish. Installation: > fillers - how are drips and drabs accounted for? > included in price? > appliance installation included in “installation” price? Warranty: Lifetime from company. Trustworthy from cabinetmaker. Local companies want to be around long-enough to be able to find if there’s a problem.

i found the to-scale drawing i made of a 30" base cabinet i liked, with an inset door and 2 drawers. the cabinet itself is 30" wide by 32" high, without counter; the countertop will have to be longer if you want any overhang. i plan to build this myself, for my kids' bathroom. i think its a nice looking cabinet. here are some details of the front that might help you. there is a false drawer front (which could be a tilt-out) at the top of the cabinet. it's 4 1/2" tall x 25 1/4" long. above and below it are the top and middle horizontal pieces (rails) of the frame, each at 2 1/4" wide. this covers the basin area. below, starting at 9" down from the cabinet's top (not including the counter top) are the door and drawers. the door is 12 3/4" wide x 16 7/8" tall. the inner edge of the door is in the center of the cabinet. the drawers are each about 10 1/2" wide x 7 1/2" tall. the vertical members on the right, left and middle of the face frame (stiles) are 2 1/4" wide, as are the top, middle and bottom rails (horizontal members.) in addition, it has 4" tall legs, which are the tapered ends of the stiles. since the drawers are not at the very top, they don't interfere with the basin. and if you wanted all drawers and no door, you could modify it.

@bikewalkbarb, we used a regular 24x30 cabinet and pulled it forward 6” by building the hip wall. I put in what most people would call a prep sink. It’s this one: Check out this NORRSJÖN from IKEA. Here’s a little more information: https://ingka.page.link/1BkPy6CpRXDnUGK17 I pulled the sink as far forward as the original sink was, so I now have a large space in the back where I have my knife block (since the cabinet above the sink allows me to pull the knives out without sliding the block forward), a dish storing my scrubbing pads, and in the back right corner is an ikea dish strainer. We didn’t have enough space on the right either and so I went with the smaller deep sink (still fits the Insta pot fine). So on the right I have the dish strainer pushed all the way to the corner and our coffee pot right in front of it. Probably looks a bit crowded, but our kitchen is smaller and I can fill the coffee pot directly from the pull down faucet (I went with moen (sp?)). I pushed the sink as far as left in the 30 inch cabinet as I could and turned the right side into a pull out drawer where our garbage and recycles are now. Still working on trim and some touch up painting. Took these quick this morning so things might be a bit of a mess.

24 inches is pretty common here in newer condos, etc with small kitchens, to maximize the usefulness of the counterspace. If you're using small appliances on those counters in small kitchens, that extra space is really helpful. I find 18" a little visually oppressive now, though like most people we'll be minimizing uppers in our new kitchen. I will say that we are tall, and with my mom who is not, at 5'3", the uppers we are keeping (for dishes, mostly) will be at 18" so that they are comfortable for her. But she really has to use a step stool to reach the highest shelves in uppers at 18" already, so she wasn't too fussed about needing to use a stool to reach more shelves if we wanted them higher.