The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and Realty 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 styles and finishes in their kitchens. In particular, they are wanting to express their individuality and unique design preferences with the quick growing style product of option concrete.
In truth, concrete counter tops have become rather of a status sign for cooking areas, equaling granite and other high-end counter top surface choices. Customer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its customization and exclusivity among high-end cooking area countertops.
As a customized product, the quantity of time and craftsmanship required to produce concrete counter tops puts them as the most labor-intensive and priciest amongst leading counter top materials.
However, concrete counter tops are ending up being more accessible for those on a modest budget. The latest diy (DIY) pattern to mesmerize property owners and builders is building your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has acquired popularity mostly due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Style, Forms, and Ends Up for the New Cooking Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the creative gains of working with concrete are plentiful.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, homeowners are moving far from the boring, manufactured appearance of standard countertop surfaces and selecting concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the alternatives for personalizing concrete countertops are limitless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual things like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface area, adding sentiment and character. Functional features such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can also be included to fit the house owners own needs and lifestyle.
Concrete is gradually becoming debunked as characteristically cold and industrial. In contrary, this olden product is warm and surprisingly tactile; individuals can not help but touch their smooth, refined surfaces. Property agent Delight Rasmussen, who has actually just recently offered 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 people around here have actually never seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made construct by her spouse, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Customized Houses. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes cooking area and 3 bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete counter tops were polished smooth, then paired with natural slate of varying colors like https://batchgeo.com/map/db10d2c2c3b1a89f3a55fd2c16a8bdef charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen area and baths. As a style accent, little rectangle-shaped slate tiles were contributed to the rim of the restroom sinks, which supplied an unique detail to the custom-made vanities.
When Pleasure and Ken chose to offer their home, their investment in concrete countertops proved its value. We were able to list your home $20,000 over market price, and had no issues selling it, remarks Pleasure, while going over the long list of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floors. The concrete countertops were quickly the most unique and excellent of all the finishes. I think they were a substantial part in adding worth to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops and I really think homebuyers are getting rather numb with granite.
Concrete counter tops are a distinct offering to homebuyers who see the same surfaces used in home after home they check out, discusses Joy, offering her observation as an experienced realtor. Having concrete counter tops nearly offers you bragging rights you have something different from your neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another benefit of concrete is its versatility in either contemporary or conventional settings, specifically when combined with other materials like different metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds a lot of [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is extremely popular here, provides the mountain homes an overall warm, natural touch, says Delight.
Joy and Ken have considering that built a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is meant to function as a long-lasting financial investment for the couple. Theyve also expanded their list of custom surfaces, including hand-troweled walls, stylish oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their favorite concrete cooking area counter tops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty team put charcoal-colored countertops utilizing the pre-cast technique in the incomplete basement of the brand-new home. Before putting the concrete, they sprayed a range of semi-precious stones in the mold consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Blue-green. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the completed result was an impressive blend of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most amazing, states Joy.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone appearance, complementing its rugged country environments. An integral 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 kitchen area island all resonate with the conventional warmth and earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens particular backgrounds in real estate and customized homebuilding, and as financial investment property buyers, have assisted them recognize that concrete countertops can include incredible aesthetic and monetary worth to a home. Concretes customization and show-stopping appeal resembles no other countertop surface area. Cheng is an advocate of emotional looks and constructing homes that catch these emotions, as in the case of Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People truly desire differentiation, something personal, something customized and concrete can do that for them.