34.5” is standard. Established in the 50’s when people were less tall. It won’t be too tall. That is way short for most tall people.

I don’t know the standard height. im 5-3” and my cabinets w countertops are 36.5” tall. I find it to be fine. Never thought about it. I do have those ergo mats at prep and sink areas. That brings height down to just below 36”.

Now being a shorter person, to me the depth of the sink is what matters. a really deep sink is hard for me to be comfortable.

34.5 is standard which gives a 36” finished height which is likely what they are referring to. When I do kitchen drawings I pull the dimensions off the finished height of the cabinet after counters are installed.

I second that as a short person a deep sink is a back breaker. Unfortunately, deep sinks are super popular is in order to get a not so deep one you have to go out of your way or even opt for a vintage sink. I like a sink 9” deep or so.

@E. T. Just measured my sink. 8.5” deep. Must be why I like it! It is a split sink with the small veggie part 6.5” deep. I guess it’s outdated based on new sinks but I’ll take comfort over trend!

in another recent thread, someone said apron sinks are good for short folks. You don’t have that extra area of countertops to reach over.

@dough71 - I would check whether the 36" you are seeing on the drawings includes the counter as the finished height (as @HALLETT & Co. said). It likely does.

If actually the drawings mean that the base cabinets are 36" tall, and the counters are an additional 1.5" (which I believe is unlikely), you will need to change this. You cannot have that height because (1) appliances like ranges and dishwashers are manufactured with the standard 36" finished height in mind, and (2) it would impinge on the distance from the countertop to the bottom of the uppers, which is 18" standard. If the counters are higher by 1.5", and the distance to the uppers stays at 18", that means the upper cabinets will then be hung 1.5" higher, and you are short, so that will make it more difficult for you to reach the upper cabinets. It also may impinge on how the crown touches the ceiling. It's all related.

Having said all that, I stand by the suggestion that the drawing is likely showing the standard finished height of 36", meaning it includes the countertops.

Thank you all for your comments and insight. I will certainly ask if the base cabinet height includes the counter. I didn’t think it would given that counters come in different thicknesses.