The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and Real Estate Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are requiring custom-made designs and surfaces in their cooking areas. In specific, they are wanting to reveal their individuality and unique style choices with the fast growing design material of choice concrete.
In truth, concrete counter tops have ended up being somewhat of a status sign for kitchen areas, equaling Plumbing Troubleshooting Guide granite and other high-end counter top surface choices. Consumer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its modification and exclusivity amongst high-end cooking area countertops.
However, concrete counter tops are ending up being more available for those on a modest budget. The latest do-it-yourself (DIY) trend to mesmerize property owners and builders is constructing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has gotten appeal mainly due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Completes for the New Kitchen 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 abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, homeowners are moving far from the dull, manufactured look of standard counter top surface areas and picking concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the choices for individualizing concrete countertops are limitless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface, adding sentiment and character. Functional functions such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can likewise be incorporated to fit the house owners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly ending up being debunked as typically cold and commercial. In contrary, this age-old product is warm and surprisingly tactile; people can not help but touch their smooth, sleek surface areas. Property agent Delight Rasmussen, who has 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 lots of people around here have never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made develop by her other half, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Custom-made Houses. They developed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen area and 3 restrooms by using 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 design accent, small rectangle-shaped slate tiles were contributed to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which provided a distinct detail to the custom vanities.
When Joy and Ken decided to offer their home, their financial investment in concrete counter tops proved its value. We were able to list your house $20,000 over market price, and had no problems selling it, remarks Delight, while going over 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 easily the most unique and excellent of all the finishes. I believe they were a huge part in adding worth 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 property buyers who see the very same finishes used in house after house they go to, describes Happiness, providing her observation as a skilled real estate agent. Having concrete counter tops nearly provides you boasting rights you have something various from your next-door neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another advantage of concrete is its adaptability in either contemporary or standard settings, particularly when paired with other products like varied metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds a lot of [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is extremely popular here, offers the mountain homes a general warm, natural touch, says Happiness.
Joy and Ken have actually because developed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is implied to function as a long-lasting investment for the couple. Theyve also expanded their list of custom 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 favorite concrete cooking area counter tops.
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 sprinkled a selection of semi-precious stones in the mold consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface was ground and gently polished, the finished result was an impressive blend of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible, says Pleasure.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone look, complementing its rugged country surroundings. An essential drain board and trivets supplies function and included interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block counter top at the kitchen area island all resonate with the standard heat and earthiness of the concrete countertops.
Joy and Kens respective backgrounds in property and customized homebuilding, and as financial investment essential home repair tips homebuyers, have actually helped them realize that concrete counter tops can include remarkable visual and financial value to a home. Concretes customization and show-stopping appeal resembles no other countertop surface area. Cheng is a proponent of emotional aesthetic appeals and constructing homes that capture these feelings, as in the case of Delight and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People actually want distinction, something personal, something custom-made and concrete can do that for them.