The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Visual Appeal and Real Estate Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding custom styles and finishes in their kitchen areas. In particular, they are seeking to express their individuality and distinct style preferences with the quick growing style material of option concrete.
In fact, concrete counter tops have ended up being rather of a status symbol for cooking areas, equaling granite and other high-end countertop surface area alternatives. Consumer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its modification and exclusivity amongst high-end kitchen countertops.
As a customized product, the amount of time and craftsmanship required to produce concrete countertops puts them as the most labor-intensive and priciest amongst leading countertop products.
However, concrete countertops are ending up being more available for those on a modest spending plan. The latest diy (DIY) trend to captivate homeowners and home builders is developing your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually acquired popularity largely due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Style, Types, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the innovative gains of working with concrete abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, property owners are moving far from the monotonous, manufactured appearance of standard countertop surface areas and choosing concrete for its earthy, classic appeal. Plus, the choices for personalizing concrete countertops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual items like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface, adding sentiment and character. Practical functions such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can also be integrated to suit the homeowners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is gradually ending up being demystified as typically cold and commercial. In contrary, this age-old material is warm and surprisingly tactile; people can not help however touch their smooth, polished surfaces. Real estate representative Happiness Rasmussen, who has actually just recently sold her mountain home a short-term investment home in Steamboat Springs, CO states her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open houses, visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops many people around here have never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was customized construct by her partner, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Custom Homes. They developed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen and three bathrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete counter tops were polished smooth, then paired with natural slate of differing colors like charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen area and baths. As a design accent, little rectangle-shaped slate tiles were contributed to the rim of the restroom sinks, which provided an unique detail to the custom-made vanities.
When Joy and Ken decided to offer their house, their financial investment in concrete countertops proved its worth. We had the ability to list the house $20,000 over market price, and had no issues offering it, comments Pleasure, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floors. The concrete countertops were easily the most unique and impressive of all the surfaces. I think they were a huge part in adding value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite countertops and I really believe homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite.
Concrete counter tops are an unique offering to property buyers who see the same surfaces utilized in home after house they visit, describes Pleasure, Fix-It Right Plumbing using her observation as a skilled realtor. Having concrete counter tops nearly gives you bragging rights you have something various from your neighbors.
Another benefit of concrete is its versatility in either contemporary or standard settings, especially when paired with other materials like varied metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds many [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is extremely popular here, provides the mountain homes a total warm, natural touch, states Joy.
Joy and Ken have actually given that developed a much bigger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is suggested to function as a long-lasting investment for the couple. Theyve likewise broadened their list of customized finishes, including hand-troweled walls, elegant oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their favorite concrete kitchen counter tops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty team poured charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre-cast approach in the unfinished basement of the new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprayed a range of semi-precious stones in the mold consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface area was ground and gently polished, the completed result was an impressive blend of colors, By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible, states Joy.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone appearance, matching its rugged country surroundings. An essential drain board and trivets provides function and added interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block counter top at the kitchen area island all resonate with the standard warmth and emergency plumber nearby earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens respective backgrounds in realty and customized homebuilding, and as investment property buyers, have actually assisted them recognize that concrete counter tops can include tremendous aesthetic and monetary worth to a home. Concretes personalization and show-stopping appeal is like no other counter top surface area. Cheng is a supporter of emotional visual appeals and building homes that record these feelings, as when it comes to Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People truly desire differentiation, something personal, something customized and concrete can do that for them.