THE METRIC HANDBOOK

THE METRIC HANDBOOK

There are often set sizes for items in a home and so you do not need to decide the dimensions for everything. These set standards can be part of the Building Regulations and must be adhered to. A supplier, your architect or carpenter will know these, and will not lead you astray. Others are derived from ergonomic and the best way to use the space.

Some common examples:

Counter tops: Kitchen counters should be at 90cm above the floor. Wheelchair accessible counters are lower. The example of the reception desk counter shows all three heights: 90cm for the person sitting, usually the receptionist, a 76.5 cm height for a wheelchair user to write on, and 110cm for a person standing to write on. Counter depths are over 60cm to allow for the appliance to fit behind. Washing machines sometimes need deeper counters to allow their pipes space at the rear.

Chairs: Chair seat heights vary between 45cm and 50cm. A person knees are usually at 47cm above the floor to the table must not have a lip lower than that. The distance behind a chair is important too. The distance from the table to a wall for seating is 50cm for the chair plus 45cm for someone to pull the chair out to be able to sit down, so 95cm in total, see diagram “e” below. In a catering situation to allow for servers to pass behind this dimension increases to 50cm plus 90cm, giving 145cm in total from the table. See the diagram 17.7 below.

So If you are squeezed for space, consider the minimum dimension. If you have a more spacious home, consider the larger dimension for comfort.