The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Increases Aesthetic Appeal and Real Estate Financial investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating property owners are demanding custom-made designs and surfaces in their kitchens. In specific, they are seeking to express their individuality and distinct design preferences with the fast growing design material of choice concrete.
In truth, concrete counter tops have ended up being somewhat of a status sign for kitchens, matching granite and other high-end counter top surface area alternatives. Consumer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its modification and exclusivity amongst high-end cooking area countertops.
As a custom-made item, the quantity of time and craftsmanship needed to produce concrete countertops positions them as the most labor-intensive and priciest amongst leading counter top products.
However, concrete counter tops are ending up being more available for those on a modest budget plan. The most recent diy (DO IT YOURSELF) trend to mesmerize house owners and contractors is developing your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually blocked drain article acquired appeal mostly due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Style, Types, and Ends Up for the New Cooking Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the creative gains of working with concrete abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, property owners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured appearance clear drains with baking soda of traditional countertop surface areas and choosing concrete for its earthy, classic appeal. Plus, the choices for individualizing concrete counter tops are unlimited: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal things like stones, seashells and fossils into the counter tops surface, adding sentiment and character. Functional functions such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can likewise be included to suit the house owners own needs and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly becoming debunked as characteristically cold and commercial. In contrary, this age-old material is warm and remarkably tactile; people can not assist but touch their smooth, sleek surface areas. Realty representative Pleasure Rasmussen, who has recently sold her mountain home a short-term investment property in Steamboat Springs, CO recounts her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open houses, visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops many individuals around here have never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was customized build by her hubby, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Custom-made Residences. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen area and 3 bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete counter tops were polished smooth, then coupled with natural slate of varying colors like charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen and baths. As a design accent, little rectangular slate tiles were added to the rim of the restroom sinks, which offered a distinct detail to the custom-made vanities.
When Delight and Ken decided to sell their house, their financial investment in concrete counter tops showed its value. We had the ability to list your home $20,000 over market price, and had no issues offering it, comments Happiness, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their home, consisting of knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floorings. The concrete countertops were easily the most unique and remarkable of all the surfaces. I think they were a huge part in including value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite countertops and I really think property buyers are getting quite numb with granite.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another benefit of concrete is its versatility in either contemporary or traditional settings, particularly when coupled with other materials like diverse metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds many [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is hugely popular here, gives the mountain homes an overall warm, natural touch, says Joy.
Joy and Ken have because built a much bigger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is suggested to function as a long-lasting investment for the couple. Theyve also expanded their list of customized finishes, including hand-troweled walls, classy oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their preferred concrete cooking area counter tops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialized team put charcoal-colored countertops using the pre-cast approach in the incomplete basement of the brand-new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprinkled a variety of semi-precious stones in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface was ground and gently polished, the completed outcome was an outstanding blend of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most extraordinary, states Joy.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone look, matching its rugged country environments. An integral drain board and trivets offers function and added interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block countertop at the kitchen area island all resonate with the standard warmth and earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens respective backgrounds in real estate and customized homebuilding, and as investment homebuyers, have helped them recognize that concrete counter tops can include tremendous aesthetic and monetary worth to a home. Concretes customization and show-stopping appeal resembles no other counter top surface area. Cheng is an advocate of emotional visual appeals and building homes that catch these emotions, as in the case of Delight and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: Individuals actually want distinction, something individual, something custom-made and concrete can do that for them.