The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Boosts Visual Appeal and Realty Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating house owners are requiring customized designs and finishes in their cooking areas. In specific, they are aiming to reveal their individuality and distinct style preferences with the fast growing style product of choice-- concrete.
In reality, concrete countertops have actually ended up being somewhat of a status sign for kitchens, matching granite and other high-end counter top surface area choices. Consumer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its "customization" and "exclusivity" among high-end cooking area countertops.
As a custom-made product, the quantity of time and workmanship required to produce concrete countertops puts them as the most labor-intensive and most expensive among leading countertop materials.
Nevertheless, concrete countertops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest spending plan. The most recent diy (Do It Yourself) pattern to captivate homeowners and builders is constructing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has gained appeal mostly due to Cheng's best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Style, Types, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the creative gains of dealing with concrete are plentiful.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, homeowners are moving away from the tedious, manufactured appearance of traditional countertop surface areas and picking concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for individualizing concrete countertops are unlimited: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual things like stones, seashells and fossils into the counter top's surface area, including sentiment and character. Practical features such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can also be incorporated to match the homeowners' own needs and Check out here lifestyle.
Concrete is gradually becoming debunked as typically cold and commercial. In contrary, this age-old material is warm and remarkably tactile; people can not assist but touch their smooth, refined surfaces. Property agent Delight Rasmussen, who has just recently sold her mountain house-- a short-term investment 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".
Happiness's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain house was custom-made develop by her hubby, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom-made Houses. They developed pour-in-place concrete counters for the house's kitchen and three bathrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then coupled with natural slate of differing colors-- like charcoal, rust and gold tones-- that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen area and baths. As a style accent, little rectangular slate tiles were added to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which provided a distinct information to the customized vanities.
When Happiness and Ken decided to offer their home, their investment in concrete countertops showed its value. "We had the ability to list the house $20,000 over market value, and had no problems offering it," remarks Pleasure, while going over the long list of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floors. "The concrete countertops were easily the most distinct and excellent of all the finishes. I think they were a huge part in including value to the house. Around here, all you see in houses are granite countertops-- and I really believe homebuyers are getting rather numb with granite."
" Concrete countertops are a distinct offering to property buyers who see the very same finishes used in home after home they check out," describes Happiness, offering her observation as a skilled real estate agent. "Having concrete countertops practically provides you bragging rights-- you have something various from your next-door neighbors."
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another advantage of concrete is its adaptability in either modern or traditional settings, especially when combined with other products like different metals, wood or stone. "Concrete includes many [possibilities] to stone, and the combination with slate, which is hugely popular here, gives the mountain houses an overall warm, natural touch," says Delight.
Pleasure and Ken have actually since built a much bigger house (4,000 sq. ft.) that provides extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is suggested to serve as a long-lasting investment for the couple. They have actually likewise expanded their list of custom finishes, including 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 kitchen area countertops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty crew put charcoal-colored countertops utilizing the pre-cast approach in the incomplete basement of the new home. Prior to putting 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 gently polished, the completed result was an excellent blend of colors, "By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible," says Delight.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone look, matching its rugged country surroundings. An essential drain board and trivets provides function and included interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block countertop at the cooking area island all resonate with the conventional heat and earthiness of the concrete countertops.
Pleasure and Ken's particular backgrounds in real estate and custom-made homebuilding, and as investment property buyers, have assisted them realize that concrete countertops can add significant aesthetic and financial worth to a house. Concrete's customization and "show-stopping" appeal is like no other countertop surface area. Cheng is a proponent of psychological aesthetics and constructing homes that record these emotions, as in the case of Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: "Individuals really desire distinction, something personal, something customized-- and concrete can do that for them."