The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and
The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Visual Appeal and Realty 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 finishes in their kitchens. In particular, they are seeking to reveal their uniqueness and unique style preferences with the fast growing design material of option concrete.
In truth, concrete counter tops have actually become rather of a status sign for kitchens, rivaling granite and other high-end countertop surface area alternatives. Customer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its customization and exclusivity amongst high-end kitchen area countertops.
As a customized item, the amount of time and workmanship needed to produce concrete countertops positions them as the most labor-intensive and priciest amongst leading countertop materials.
However, concrete counter tops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest budget. The current do-it-yourself (DIY) pattern to captivate property owners and contractors is constructing your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has acquired appeal mostly due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Finishes for the New Kitchen 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 are plentiful.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, house owners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured appearance of standard counter top surface areas and picking concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for customizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal things like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface area, adding belief and character. Functional functions such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can likewise be integrated to suit the homeowners own needs and lifestyle.
Concrete is you should read this gradually becoming debunked as characteristically cold and industrial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and remarkably tactile; people can not assist however touch their smooth, polished surface areas. Real estate agent Delight Rasmussen, who has just recently offered her mountain home a short-term financial investment property in Steamboat Springs, CO states her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open houses, visitors gravitated to the concrete counter tops many people around here have actually never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was customized build by her spouse, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom-made Houses. They developed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes cooking area and 3 bathrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then coupled with natural slate of varying colors like charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen area and baths. As a design accent, little rectangular slate tiles were added to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which supplied an unique detail to the customized vanities.
When Joy and Ken chose to offer their house, their investment in concrete counter tops proved its worth. We had the ability to note your home $20,000 over market price, and had no issues selling it, comments Pleasure, while going over the long list of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floors. The concrete counter tops were quickly the most unique and excellent of all the finishes. I think they were a big part in including value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite countertops and I truly think homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite.
Concrete counter tops are a distinct offering to homebuyers who see the exact same finishes used in house after house they check out, discusses Happiness, offering her observation as a skilled real estate agent. Having concrete counter tops practically gives you bragging rights you have something various from your neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Joy and Ken have actually since constructed a much bigger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is implied to act as a long-lasting investment for the couple. Theyve also broadened their list of custom-made surfaces, consisting of hand-troweled walls, elegant oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their preferred concrete kitchen area countertops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty team poured charcoal-colored countertops utilizing the pre-cast technique 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 lightly polished, the finished result was a remarkable mix of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most unbelievable, says Happiness.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone appearance, matching its rugged country surroundings. An important drain board and trivets supplies function and added interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block counter top at the cooking area island all resonate with the conventional warmth and earthiness of the concrete countertops.
Joy and Kens particular backgrounds in realty and custom-made homebuilding, and as investment property buyers, have actually helped them realize that concrete countertops can include remarkable aesthetic and monetary value to a home. Concretes modification and show-stopping appeal resembles no other counter top surface. Cheng is an advocate of psychological aesthetics and constructing homes that record these emotions, as in the case of Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People actually want differentiation, something individual, something custom-made and concrete can do that for them.