Sims Won't Use Countertop Front, Can Only Use Back

Product: The Sims 4
Platform:PC
Which language are you playing the game in? English
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
What is your current game version number? 1.65.77.1020
What expansions, game packs, and stuff packs do you have installed? ALL EXCEPT: Eco Lifestyle, My First Pet, Nifty Knitting, Tiny Living and Moschino
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? Try to prepare food
What happens when the bug occurs? My sims refuse to use the front of the counters. They prepare food on the back of the counters.
What do you expect to see? My sims not giving up on their garden salads when I'm trying to get them to cook lmao
Have you installed any customization with the game, e.g. Custom Content or Mods? Yes
Did this issue appear after a specific patch or change you made to your system? No

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I want to specify that this problem occurred today BEFORE I installed any CC/Mods. So yes while I do have mods installed, this is a problem I've had before the game was ever modded (this installation anyway. I've recently re-installed it on a new PC)

So I wanted my teenage sim to make her first garden salad and she was like "nah I can't reach the counter". I had a look and nothing appeared to be blocking the counter at all, but I moved it by dragging it out slightly and turned it sideways for a different angle to see if it fixes the issue. 

It did, but not in a way I expected. she used the back of the counter. 

I put the counter back after she had done and surfed around for a fix and I got distracted by "oh yeah I've not put my mods back yet" and so I spent a while shopping for new mods / updating my mods and I returned after exiting and reloading the game. I got another teenage sim to prepare his first meal, but I faced the same issue. This time I didn't move the counter away, I just turned it around so that it was facing the wall, and as predicted, he started cooking on the back of the counter like the was no original placement issue at all. 

Like I mentioned, this is a relatively new re-install on a brand new PC so I don't imagine I'd have to repair the game. I don't know how long this has been going on as the sim before this cooked only with the cauldron and ate harvestables. 

I have a possible separate or related issue with the same save; my teenage sims wouldn't use the tall desk that came with City Living. They were like "I can't write my journal on there. The chair is in the way."

Me?????? 

I eventually replaced the desk with a CC desk (this issue came up before I installed CC, but I didn't bother to change out the desk it until afterwards when I got tired of replacing the chairs). The CC desk and original chair works. 

I've not yet tried replacing the countertop with another variant countertop (either in style or section type of counter if you get me?).

Has this been raised before? I noticed another user mention something similar back in January (?), but they were talking about the counters purposely not being against the wall, not that they refuse to use the front when placed against a wall.