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I think that 6cms is a lot


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And that is the difference in worksurface heights between my french kitchen and my UK kitchen. The UK one is higher and I do not like it being so high.

I used to tell people when I got back that I thought that the work surfaces were too high and they would say that they probably were not. Today we had to get our french dishwasher installed and it would only go snugly under our french worksurface with it's top off. Ofcourse we have probably thrown it away, so we now have a big gap, said 6cms, between the dishwasher top and the worksurface.

I have found kneading, rubbing pastry etc etc in so much harder on a high surface and that my shoulders would ache.  It got to the stage where when designing in my brand new kitchen, I decided that on one wall I would have tiny legs fitted under the units so that the worksurface is even lower than the ones we had in France and is actually a wonderful height for me to work on.

Anyone else noticed this. Is it a problem for anyone else?

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[quote user="idun"]

And that is the difference in worksurface heights between my french kitchen and my UK kitchen. The UK one is higher and I do not like it being so high.

I used to tell people when I got back that I thought that the work surfaces were too high and they would say that they probably were not. Today we had to get our french dishwasher installed and it would only go snugly under our french worksurface with it's top off. Ofcourse we have probably thrown it away, so we now have a big gap, said 6cms, between the dishwasher top and the worksurface.

I have found kneading, rubbing pastry etc etc in so much harder on a high surface and that my shoulders would ache.  It got to the stage where when designing in my brand new kitchen, I decided that on one wall I would have tiny legs fitted under the units so that the worksurface is even lower than the ones we had in France and is actually a wonderful height for me to work on.

Anyone else noticed this. Is it a problem for anyone else?

[/quote]

Isn't there an adjustment on the legs behing the kick board ?

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   I am the shortest person in the household, five foot four and a half inches tall. The males are all around 6 foot and also like the lower surfaces for cutting and chopping.

I much prefered my sensible french 'heights' but have come to a nice compromise now. One lot is UK height, one lot lower.

French worksurfaces are also deeper, so there is a nice overhang and the cupboard doors don't get so much dropping onto them. I had problems getting deeper ones, but these are still not as deep as my french ones.

So all in all french kitchens have some very good things in them IMO ![8-|]

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Last kitchen in UK which I scratch built was split level. I am 183 / 6 ft but most of my height is in my legs. Isabel is significantly shorter. May well include a small prep area with lower worksurface next time I build

There is a very old politically incorrect joke about the introduction of the original long wheelbase Jaguar XJ6. Basically a visitor to the London Motorshow continues to harrange the salesman that an extra 6 cms in the wheelbase was not very much.

Eventually Sir Williams Lyons or Lofty England tire of the monologue and ........
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My short legs are only 5cms and are classed as 'handicapped' legs. They can call them what they want, they'll do for me.

The bigger legs don't have that much adjustment. If I took them up to 22 cms I'd need a step ladder to  use the surface. These swedes are taller aren't they?[:-))] 

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I have never come across a set of kitchen units which are not height adjustable by the legs fitted underneath. You set the worktop height to suit YOU, its your kitchen, no-one else has the right to dictate height, if the plinth boards then do not fit, cut them so that they do - simples
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May I suggest removing the adjustable legs ( they should unscrew) and fit suitable packing pieces to reduce the height as required. Then get the plinth boards cut to suit (they generally clip into place). The clips will need to be modified as they tend to fit onto the outboard legs.
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Many years ago we brought flat-pack units over from the UK for the present house, and left them for the carpenter to assemble before returning to London.

We came back to France to find that the plumber had fitted the sink, and that it was way lower than the height of the units!   So we made a rapid decision to have the worktops that side of the room at "French" height, and the rest of the kitchen at "UK" height. 
I am with you, Idun.  The lower height is much better for chopping, kneading, rolling etc.

However, the carpenter had been about to hang the wall units 3 or 4 cm HIGHER than we would have done in the UK!  We managed to stop him in time, otherwise I should never have been able to reach them.

I came to the conclusion that French housewives must have extremely short legs and long arms...

Angela

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Sorry to hear of your handicapped legs Idun. [;-)]

Being 5 foot 4 inches tall with legs of 5cms your trunk must be so long that you could have well very long arms without them rubbing on the floor, I bet your family ask you to get everything from the top shelf for them! [6]

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Well, the kitchen at this place is due to be refurbished when the other jobs are finished (hahahaha!) and the worktop will certainly be raised a few centimetres by simply putting it on top of the old one. It is too low for me and the cause of bad back

Plus adding a new 'wing' via one of those free standing IKEA units with drawers.

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And my high ones were giving me bad shoulders. I baked yesterday and what  pleasure being able to rub pastry in at a decent height.

 

Chancer you make me sound almost as delightful as my dentist told me I'd be. He described how I would turn into a Quasimodo type person, fortunately I haven't.[:)]

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[quote user="Chancer"]

Une bossue en plus!!

If you lived round here you would be fighting off the admirers with a stick [:D]

[/quote]

 

[:-))]And that is why I would not want to live 'alone' in rural France.

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