The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Modification Boosts Visual Appeal and
The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Visual Appeal and Real Estate Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding custom-made designs and finishes in their kitchen areas. In particular, they are wanting to reveal their uniqueness and distinct style choices with the quick growing style material of choice concrete.
In fact, concrete countertops have actually ended up being rather of a status sign for kitchen areas, rivaling granite and other high-end countertop surface area choices. Consumer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its personalization and exclusivity among high-end kitchen countertops.
As a custom product, the amount of time and workmanship needed to produce concrete counter tops places them as the most labor-intensive and most expensive among leading counter top materials.
However, concrete countertops are becoming more available for those on a modest spending plan. The current diy (DO IT YOURSELF) trend to captivate homeowners and builders is developing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has actually acquired appeal mostly energy-saving tips for homeowners due to Chengs best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Completes for the New Kitchen Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the innovative gains of dealing with concrete abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, homeowners are moving far from the tedious, manufactured appearance of conventional counter top surface areas and choosing concrete for its earthy, classic appeal. Plus, the options for personalizing concrete countertops are limitless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface area, adding sentiment and character. Functional functions such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can likewise be integrated to fit the house owners own needs and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly ending up being debunked as typically cold and industrial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and remarkably tactile; individuals can not assist but touch their smooth, polished surfaces. Realty agent Happiness Rasmussen, who has recently offered her mountain home a short-term financial investment property in Steamboat Springs, CO recounts her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open homes, visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops many people around here have never seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom develop by her husband, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Residences. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen area and three bathrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete counter tops were polished smooth, then coupled 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, small rectangle-shaped slate tiles were contributed to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which supplied a special detail to the custom vanities.
When Joy and Ken chose to offer their house, their financial investment in concrete counter tops showed its value. We had the ability to list your home $20,000 over market value, and had no issues selling it, remarks Pleasure, while going over the long list of upgrades throughout their home, consisting of knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floors. The concrete countertops were easily the most special and impressive of all the surfaces. I believe they were a big part in including value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops and I truly think property buyers are getting rather numb with granite.
Concrete counter tops are a distinct offering to property buyers who see the very same surfaces used in house after home they check out, explains Happiness, providing her observation as a skilled realtor. Having concrete counter tops almost provides you bragging rights you have something different from your next-door neighbors.
Another benefit of concrete is its flexibility in either modern-day or standard settings, especially when combined with other materials like diverse metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds so many [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is hugely popular here, gives the mountain homes an overall warm, natural touch, states Delight.
Joy and Ken have actually given that developed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that provides extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is meant to act as a long-term investment for the couple. Theyve also expanded their list of custom-made finishes, consisting of hand-troweled walls, stylish oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their preferred concrete kitchen countertops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialized team put charcoal-colored countertops using the pre-cast method in the incomplete basement of the brand-new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprinkled a selection of semi-precious stones in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Blue-green. After the surface was ground and gently polished, the completed outcome was an impressive blend of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible, states Happiness.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone appearance, matching its rugged nation surroundings. An important drain board and trivets offers function and added interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block countertop at the cooking area island all resonate with the traditional heat and earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens particular backgrounds in property and custom homebuilding, and as investment property buyers, have actually assisted them recognize that concrete counter tops can add tremendous aesthetic and financial worth to a home. Concretes personalization and show-stopping appeal is like no other counter top surface. Cheng is a supporter of emotional aesthetics and constructing homes that capture these feelings, as when it comes to Delight and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People truly want distinction, something individual, something custom and concrete can do that for them.