The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Modification Increases Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and Property Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the false assumptions about plumbing San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating house owners are requiring customized styles and surfaces in their kitchens. In specific, they are seeking to reveal their uniqueness and distinct style preferences with the quick growing design material of choice concrete.
In truth, concrete countertops have become rather of a status sign for kitchens, measuring up to granite and other high-end countertop surface alternatives. Customer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its modification and exclusivity among high-end kitchen area countertops.
As a custom-made item, the amount of time and workmanship needed to produce concrete counter tops places them as the most labor-intensive and most costly among leading counter top products.
However, concrete countertops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest budget. The most recent diy (DIY) pattern to captivate house owners and contractors is building your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually gained popularity mainly due to Chengs best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Kinds, and Ends Up 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 abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, property owners are moving away from the tedious, manufactured look of traditional counter top surface areas and selecting concrete for its earthy, classic appeal. Plus, the choices for customizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual things like stones, seashells and fossils into the counter tops surface, adding sentiment and character. Practical features such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can also be integrated to fit the house owners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly becoming demystified as characteristically cold and industrial. In contrary, this age-old product is warm and remarkably tactile; individuals can not help but touch their smooth, polished surface areas. Property agent Joy 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 houses, visitors gravitated to the concrete counter tops many people around here have never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made construct by her spouse, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Custom Houses. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes cooking area and three 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 contributed to the rim of the restroom sinks, which provided an unique detail to the custom-made vanities.
When Happiness and Ken decided to offer their house, their investment in concrete counter tops proved its value. We were able to note your home $20,000 over market price, and had no problems selling it, comments Happiness, while talking about the long list of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floors. The concrete countertops were easily the most unique and impressive 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 actually believe property buyers are getting quite numb with granite.
Concrete countertops are a special offering to homebuyers who see the same surfaces utilized in home after home they visit, explains Delight, providing her observation as a seasoned realtor. Having concrete counter tops practically offers you bragging rights you have something different from your neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another benefit of concrete is its adaptability in either contemporary or conventional settings, especially when paired with other materials like different metals, wood or stone. Concrete includes so many [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is hugely popular here, provides the mountain homes an overall warm, natural touch, states Delight.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty crew put charcoal-colored countertops utilizing the pre-cast method in the unfinished basement of the new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprayed a range of semi-precious stones in the mold consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the completed outcome was an impressive mix of colors, By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most unbelievable, states Joy.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone look, matching its rugged country environments. An important drain board and trivets provides function and included interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block counter top at the kitchen area island all resonate with the standard warmth and earthiness of the concrete countertops.
Joy and Kens respective backgrounds in real estate and custom homebuilding, and as investment property buyers, have assisted them realize that concrete counter tops can include significant aesthetic and monetary value to a home. Concretes modification and show-stopping appeal is like no other counter top surface area. Cheng is a proponent of psychological visual appeals and building homes that capture these feelings, as when it comes to Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People actually want distinction, something individual, something custom and concrete can do that for them.