By Paul Bianchina
When it comes to installing household items, from microwaves to clothes poles in the closet, one size does not fit all. Certain objects work best when installed at different heights. Heights are measures to the centerline of the object unless otherwise noted. Here are some common guidelines. Feel free to raise or lower them to suit your needs.
- Clothes Pole: There is a lot of range with the placement of closet clothes poles, and much of it depends on your height, the available room in the closet, what you want to store (lots of long dresses as opposed to lots of shorter items like shirts) and what will be beneath the hanging clothes (shoe racks, for example). That said, here are two typical arrangements: If you have a single shelf and pole arrangement in the closet, the pole is typically placed anywhere from 67 to 71 inches above the floor. For closets with double shelf and poles placed one above the other, set the lower pole at 42 to 46 inches and the upper pole at 80 to 82 inches.
- Closet Shelves: Typically, the upper shelf in a closet is set at approximately 80 to 84 inches off the floor. For a typically linen closet arrangement, start with a shelf that's anywhere from 18 to 30 inches off the floor (depending on the size of the items you would like to store right on the floor), and then space additional shelves 12 to 13 inches apart. For convenience, the highest shelf should not exceed 80 to 84 inches.
- Computer Monitors: This should be installed so that the top of the monitor is straight across at eye level, as viewed when seated with your chair at its normal working height.
- Eating Counters: If you wish to install a counter in the kitchen for serving meals, there are three "standard" heights, as measured off the finished floor: 29 to 30 inches high if you want to use standard chairs; 35 to 37 inches high (same as the kitchen counters) for use with a standard 24 inch height stool; or 42 inches high for use with a standard 30-inch stool.
- Electrical Outlets: Most electricians place electrical outlets so that they are centered approximately 11 to 13 inches off the floor.
- Grab Bars: In any bathroom that is being set up for handicap accessibility - or just for great safety and convenience - there are two grab bars that are installed adjacent to the toilet, one behind it and one to the side. Both bars should be installed 33 to 36 inches above the finished floor.
- Light Switches: In most applications, locate light switches approximately 46 to 48 inches off the finished floor.
- Microwave Ovens: Portable microwaves are often just set on the counter, but this is not a very convenient operating height. There is a lot of variation in placement if you are building one in, but one rule of thumb that seems to work well is to place the center of the oven at approximately the shoulder height of the main person using the oven.
- Shower Head: For new construction or remodeling, you can vary the height of the showerhead to suit the height of the user. The standard height, however, is typically set 72 to 74 inches off the floor.
- Toilet Paper Holder: Another user-adjustable accessory, toilet paper holders are typically installed so that the center of the roller is approximately 20 to 24 inches above the floor.
- Towel Bars: For most bathroom applications, towel bars are placed anywhere from 38 to 42 inches off the floor.
- Valve, Shower Only: For a water control valve that will utilized for a shower only, the standard height is approximately 48 inches above the finished floor of the shower.
- Valve, Tub/Shower Combination: For a water control valve that will be used with both a bathtub and a shower, the height needs to be convenient for both - typically about 27 inches off the floor.
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