The other reason for the height was to fit in the truck under the bed cover. The only problem I had was usig sandply for the box and oak plywood for the drop down tables. I thought Oak would be more durable, but it warped. There are not as many plys as in sand ply. Also, sand ply is dimensional. 3/4 really is 3/4. We've used it a lot and the water based poly finish has held up well.