The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Boosts Visual Appeal and Property Financial investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are requiring custom styles and finishes in their cooking areas. In specific, they are seeking to reveal their uniqueness and unique design choices with the quick growing style product of option concrete.
In fact, concrete counter tops have become rather of a status symbol for kitchen areas, matching granite and other high-end counter top surface choices. Customer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its customization and exclusivity amongst high-end kitchen countertops.
As a custom-made item, the quantity of time and workmanship needed to produce concrete counter tops places them as the most labor-intensive and most costly among leading countertop products.
However, concrete countertops are ending up being more accessible for those on a modest budget. The current do-it-yourself (DO IT YOURSELF) trend to mesmerize property owners and home builders is developing your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has acquired appeal mostly due to Chengs best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Style, Types, and Completes for the New Cooking Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the creative gains of working with concrete abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, property owners are moving far from the tedious, manufactured look of standard countertop surfaces and picking concrete for its earthy, classic appeal. Plus, the options for personalizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal items like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface, adding belief and character. Practical functions such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can also be included to suit the homeowners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly becoming debunked as typically cold and industrial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and remarkably tactile; individuals can not assist but touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Property agent Happiness Rasmussen, who has recently sold her mountain home a short-term investment residential or commercial property in Steamboat Springs, CO recounts her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open homes, visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops many individuals around here have actually never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made develop by her partner, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Homes. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen and 3 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 cooking area and baths. As a style accent, little rectangle-shaped slate tiles were added to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which offered an unique detail to the customized vanities.
When Pleasure and Ken decided to sell their home, their financial investment in concrete countertops showed its value. We had the ability to list the house $20,000 over market value, and had no problems selling it, remarks Happiness, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their house, consisting of knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floors. The concrete countertops were easily the most distinct and outstanding of all the surfaces. I think they were a substantial part in adding value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops and I actually think homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite.
Concrete counter tops are an unique offering to homebuyers who see the exact same surfaces utilized in home after home they check out, describes Delight, using her observation as an experienced realtor. Having concrete counter tops practically gives you bragging rights you have something various from your next-door neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another benefit of concrete is its flexibility in either contemporary or traditional settings, especially when coupled with other products like diverse metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds a lot of [possibilities] to stone, and the combination with slate, which is hugely popular here, gives the mountain homes a general warm, natural touch, states Happiness.
Joy and Ken have since 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-lasting investment for the couple. Theyve also expanded their list of customized finishes, consisting of hand-troweled walls, sophisticated oil-rubbed please read this plumbing article bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their favorite concrete kitchen countertops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty crew poured charcoal-colored countertops using the pre-cast method in the unfinished basement of the brand-new home. Before putting the concrete, they sprinkled a range of semi-precious stones in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the completed result was an outstanding blend of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most amazing, states Delight.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone look, matching its rugged country surroundings. An integral drain board and trivets supplies function and included interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block countertop at the kitchen island all resonate with the traditional warmth and earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens particular backgrounds in property and customized homebuilding, and as financial investment property buyers, have actually assisted them realize that concrete counter tops can include remarkable visual and financial value to a home. Concretes customization and show-stopping appeal read these plumbing tips resembles no other counter top surface area. Cheng is a supporter of psychological aesthetics and constructing homes that catch these feelings, as in the case of Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: Individuals truly want distinction, something individual, something custom and concrete can do that for them.