The value of concrete countertops modification increases visual appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Boosts Visual Appeal and
The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Modification Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and Realty Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding custom-made designs and surfaces in their kitchens. In particular, they are aiming to express their individuality and distinct style choices with the fast growing style product of choice concrete.
In truth, concrete countertops have actually ended up being rather of a status symbol for cooking areas, matching granite and other high-end countertop surface choices. Consumer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its personalization and exclusivity among high-end cooking area countertops.
As a customized product, the quantity of time and workmanship needed to produce concrete counter tops puts them as the most labor-intensive and most expensive among leading countertop products.
However, concrete countertops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest budget. The latest do-it-yourself (DO IT YOURSELF) pattern to mesmerize homeowners and contractors is developing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has gained appeal largely due to Chengs best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Types, 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, homeowners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured appearance of standard countertop surfaces and choosing concrete for its earthy, ageless appeal. Plus, the alternatives for customizing concrete countertops are unlimited: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual items like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface, including belief and character. Practical functions such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can likewise be integrated to match the homeowners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is gradually becoming demystified as typically cold and commercial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and remarkably tactile; individuals can not assist but touch their smooth, sleek surface areas. Property agent Joy Rasmussen, who has just recently sold her mountain home a short-term investment home in Steamboat Springs, CO recounts her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open homes, visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops lots of people around here have never seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was customized develop by her other half, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Custom Residences. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen area and 3 restrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then paired with natural slate of varying colors like charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in more info the kitchen and baths. As a style accent, small rectangle-shaped slate tiles were added to the rim of the restroom sinks, which supplied a distinct information to the customized vanities.
When Happiness and Ken decided to offer their home, their financial investment in concrete countertops proved its value. We were able to list your house $20,000 over market value, and had no problems selling it, comments Happiness, while discussing 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 quickly the most distinct and remarkable of all the surfaces. I believe they were a big part in adding worth 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 special offering to property buyers who see the exact same surfaces used in home after house they check out, describes Joy, offering her observation as a skilled real estate agent. Having concrete countertops practically provides you boasting rights you have something different from your next-door neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another advantage of concrete is its versatility in either modern-day or traditional settings, especially when combined with other materials like diverse metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds many [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is hugely popular here, provides the mountain homes a general warm, natural touch, says Delight.
Joy and Ken have given that developed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is meant to serve as a long-term financial investment for the couple. Theyve also broadened their list of customized surfaces, consisting of hand-troweled walls, classy 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 crew put charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre-cast method in the unfinished basement of the 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 area was ground and lightly polished, the finished result was an impressive mix of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most unbelievable, states Pleasure.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone appearance, complementing its rugged nation surroundings. An integral drain board and trivets supplies 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 heat and earthiness of the concrete countertops.
Joy and Kens particular backgrounds in property and customized homebuilding, and as financial investment property buyers, have assisted them understand that concrete counter tops can add tremendous aesthetic and monetary worth to a home. Concretes personalization and show-stopping appeal is like no other counter top surface area. Cheng is an advocate of emotional aesthetic appeals and developing homes that catch these feelings, as when it comes to Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: Individuals truly desire differentiation, something personal, something custom-made and concrete can do that for them.