Kitchen worktop height low

Damob123

I’ve just had my kitchen fitted, and with all the legs on my units, the height comes to 840mm. 

The worktop (due to come next week) is 30mm, making it a total of 870mm.

Will this become a problem? I’m 6ft and slightly concerned that I’ll notice a big difference from a standard 900mm worktop height?

Any advice appreciated. 

tacpot12

The easist way to check might be to get a couple of large books whose height adds upt to 30mm and put these on the units, and see whether you think you can work on them easily. You probably need the worktop to be 900mm or higher to be comfortable. 

If you do want it higher, you have a problem if the units have been fitted to the walls by others. The legs are usually adjustable, so it might be possible to unscrew the units from the walls, raise the legs and refit them, but it's not going to be a quick job as you need to level and reattach the units. 

Damob123

The other thing is that the end panels are already cut to size, so it would mean re-cutting those too. 

Bendy_House

840mm high? That isn't enough to allow a free-standing appliance to go under.

Ok, you might not have any, but it makes a point...

kipsterno1

If you are worried that the work surface is going to be too low have a think about doing the washing up. You will be bent over to reach the bottom of the sink.

Damob123

I’ve made a call and raised the height of the island up to 900mm (after worktops). The other side will finish at 880mm after worktops.

The island will have a breakfast bar, sink and integrated dishwasher, so I’m agreeing with @kipsterno1 and @Bendy_House on this one.

Thanks both! 

Northern_Wanderer

Some of the handleless kitchens have a strip/ trim/ rail that gets added to the top of units that is 30mm in height. Does this apply to you? I actually discounted this type of unit (sadly) as I thought it would make the worktop too high for me.

An example of this unit is the B&Q Innovo range.

FreeBear

Damob123 said: The other thing is that the end panels are already cut to size, so it would mean re-cutting those too. 

Base units are 720mm high, plus the plinth (kick strip) at 150mm - This gives an overall height of 870mm before adding the worktop. The legs are normally set to 150mm with plus or minus 20mm of adjustment (180mm long legs are also available).

If your finished height is currently 870mm (plus worktop), it sounds like the fitter screwed the legs all the way in before fitting the units - He should have known better !

At 6', you will notice the worktop being too low, and if you do a lot of prep, it may become a source of irritation. You have a choice, stick with a low worktop, or castigate the fitter and raise the units to the proper height, sucking up the cost of new end panels & plinths - You might want to aim for a finished height of 900-910mm (plus worktop). Going over 890mm will require taller plinths.

ComicGeek

I'm 6 ft and ours is 920mm to top of worktop. It's a perfect height for my wife - I would ideally like it fractionally higher, but you can't please everyone!

840mm would be too low for any of our free standing or integrated appliances, so worth checking that.

Also check socket heights above the worktop if you're going to raise the worktop height. 

Not that I would recommend it, but a holiday house I rented last year used bricks under every cupboard and appliance to raise them up, and then installed a plinth in front to conceal them. I only found out when the washing machine fell off the bricks during a spin cycle...

Doozergirl

There's no way I'd tolerate two different heights in a kitchen.   I would notice the lower height to work from and I'm 'only' 5'10.  

That's before I decide that it looks ridiculous as well.  

Someone's screwed up somewhere.  

Damob123

I’ve just spent the day increasing the units to 870mm, giving me a finish of 900mm after worktop. So glad I did, as I can already tell the difference. 

The main reason for the low finish height was down to a number of factors. The main one being that the high units I ordered only just squeezed into my room, leaving me a pre-defined plinth height. To ensure all my lines matched, it meant a lower worktop height.  

However, I’ve done a few things to get around it, and I’m now at the desired height.