lambic, 20 some years ago when I moved into my current home I was distressed to realize that all of my countertops were 38" high. I'm 5'5" and the prior owners were both over 6' tall and had the cabinets custom made to accommodate their height. The range and dishwasher were both on platforms to also raise them to 38" and put them at the same level as the rest of the countertops. Over the years I have become accustomed to this height and most of my prep work has actually been done at 40" because I have a 2" high hugh cutting board sitting on the 38" countertop. Finally, I am getting my new kitchen and I'm going to do the countertops all at 38". The wall oven will be under the cooktop but with the 38" countertop height it won't seem to be sitting on the floor. This works for me (and everyone in my family is taller so they don't want lower counters)but you may want to think about your height in relation to the height of the countertops but it sound like you have this well thought out.

Thanks again everyone. firsthouse_mp and rhome, your kitchens have long been in my inspiration notebook and I think your thick countertops are awesome! firsthouse, may I ask how tall you are? I'm 5'7. My mom is 5'11", and designed her kitchen to have a finished counter height of 37 1/2" because standard feels too short for her. For me, 37 1/2" feels on the edge of uncomfortably high. rhome, may I ask what the floor to countertop height of your cabinets ended up being? Is it comfortable for you? Unfortunately, working with the cabinet guy isn't an option yet, since I don't have one thus far. My place is just being framed now, so cabinets won't be happening for a while. I wouldn't even have to be thinking about this yet, if it weren't for the window issue. I'm going with an induction cooktop and wall ovens, so unless there's something I'm forgetting, I mainly have to worry about the dishwasher height here. Sorry for the dense question, but is a "Euro model" one that's actually imported from overseas, or just a European brand, like Miele? (I'm guessing brands like Miele market larger units to the US market but I don't know)

We also had the rising floor and sunken DW issue when we replaced a DW, but before we were ready to reno. We could get our old one out and new one in, but it was a trick. Somebody else on here actually had to cut theirs apart to extricate it. BUT, you're replacing the lower cabs, right? So when you take those cabs out, you can take the DW out intact and put it back afterwards. And, yes, when you get the old cabs out, then you put plywood under where the new ones and the DW are going so everything is at the correct height above the existing tile floors. The inch you lose between the uppers and lowers will be no big deal at all - you could well prefer it. One thing you might check is the footprint of the new cabs compared to the footprint of the old ones. If they are old enough, they might have a larger footprint than the new ones. Ours did. If that is the case, then you'll have a gap between your tile and the base of the new cabs. Guess why we got a new floor? The good news is that our cabs were 42 years old and yours are probably newer. But it doesn't hurt to check.

The renter's perspective is different than a homeowner's perspective. It comes down to making a business decision, your budget, etc. As a frequent renter of beach houses, I appreciate cleanliness and I wouldn't care at all if the bar was lowered, there was a 2-bowl sink, nor if the appliances were stainless. I also wouldn't care about the stools, unless the seat covers were dirty. Sort of "campy," "beach-themed" furniture can be kind of fun in a beach rental because it's not the type of decor a person would choose for their primary home, but is sort of a fun change for a vacation. If I were looking at the house online, I'd be a little put off by carpet though, even if it looks clean in the listing, because I would assume it would be dirty by the time I checked in, from other renters. If everthing else was good though (location, number of bedrooms, price), I would probably still rent a house with carpet. But if there was another house next door with no carpet, I would rent that one. As a homeowner, I'm the complete opposite. I prefer that the bar is lowered to counter-height, a 1-bowl large sink, stainless appliances, consistent hardwood floors downstairs and carpet in the upstairs bedrooms. I also don't like furniture in my permanent home to fit a theme like "beach" or "mountain" or "lake," etc. So, two completely opposite feelings depending on if I'm a renter or it's my own home. Since you are going to use the house in the off season you sort of fit into both camps. It's a rental, but you are going to use it a lot. In your case I'd probably treat it more like your permanent house and make changes that you like rather than only doing changes to get rentals. If you incorporate a little bit of whimsical beach-themed decor, that might be a fun change of pace for you as well as renters when you visit the house, because it'll be different from your permanent home.