The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Visual Appeal and
The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Visual Appeal and Property Financial investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating house owners are demanding custom styles and finishes in their kitchen areas. In specific, they are looking to express their individuality and distinct design preferences with the fast growing style material of choice concrete.
In truth, concrete countertops have actually ended up being somewhat of a status symbol for cooking areas, matching granite and other high-end counter top surface area choices. Customer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its modification and exclusivity among high-end kitchen countertops.
However, concrete countertops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest spending plan. The most recent do-it-yourself (DIY) pattern to captivate house owners and contractors is constructing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has actually acquired appeal mainly due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Completes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the imaginative gains of working with concrete abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, property owners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured appearance of standard counter top surfaces and picking concrete for its earthy, ageless appeal. Plus, the options for personalizing concrete countertops are limitless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual items like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface area, including sentiment and character. Practical features such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can likewise be integrated to match the house owners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly ending up being debunked as characteristically cold and industrial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and remarkably tactile; people can not help however touch their smooth, polished surfaces. Real estate agent Pleasure Rasmussen, who has actually recently sold her mountain home a short-term financial 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 ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made build by her partner, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom-made Homes. They developed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen and 3 bathrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete counter tops were polished smooth, then coupled with natural slate of varying colors like charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in the cooking area and baths. As a design accent, little rectangular slate tiles were added to the rim of the restroom sinks, which offered a special information to the customized vanities.
When Happiness and Ken decided to offer their house, their financial investment in concrete countertops showed its value. We were able to list your house $20,000 over market value, and had no problems selling it, comments Pleasure, while going over the long list of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floors. The concrete countertops were easily the most special and outstanding of all the surfaces. I believe they were a substantial part in including value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops and I actually think property buyers are getting rather numb with granite.
Concrete countertops are a special offering to homebuyers who see the same finishes used in home after home they check out, explains Pleasure, providing her observation as a Click here for more info seasoned realtor. Having concrete counter tops nearly gives you boasting rights you have something different from your next-door neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another benefit of concrete is its adaptability in either contemporary or standard settings, specifically when coupled with other products like varied metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is hugely popular here, offers the mountain homes a total warm, natural touch, says Delight.
Joy and Ken have since constructed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is meant to work as a long-term financial investment for the couple. Theyve also broadened their list of customized surfaces, 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 preferred concrete kitchen countertops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialized crew put charcoal-colored countertops utilizing the pre-cast approach in the unfinished basement of the brand-new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprinkled a variety of semi-precious stones in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the finished outcome was an impressive blend of colors, By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most amazing, states Happiness.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone appearance, complementing its rugged nation surroundings. An integral drain board and trivets offers function and included interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, unique wall accents, and a butcher block countertop at the cooking area island all resonate with the standard warmth and earthiness of the concrete countertops.
Joy and Kens particular backgrounds in realty and custom-made homebuilding, and as financial investment property buyers, have actually assisted them realize that concrete counter tops can add remarkable visual and financial value to a home. Concretes personalization and show-stopping appeal resembles no other countertop surface area. Cheng is a supporter of psychological visual appeals and constructing homes that capture these feelings, as when it comes to Happiness and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People really want distinction, something personal, something custom-made and concrete can do that for them.