The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Boosts Aesthetic Charm as well as Real Estate Financial Investment for

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching hill homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding customized styles as well as coatings in their kitchen areas. Specifically, they are seeking to share their individuality as well as distinct layout choices with the quick expanding layout product of option-- concrete. As a matter of fact, concrete countertops have actually become rather of a standing icon for kitchens, rivaling granite as well as various other premium kitchen counter surface area choices. Consumer News Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete highest possible for its "customization" as well as "exclusivity" among premium kitchen area counter tops. As a customized product, the quantity of time and also craftsmanship called for to produce concrete counter tops puts them as the most labor-intensive and priciest amongst leading kitchen counter materials. However, concrete counter tops are becoming more easily accessible for those on a small budget. The latest diy (Do It Yourself) pattern to astound homeowners as well as builders is constructing your own concrete kitchen counter. This phenomenon has gotten popularity largely due to Cheng's very successful book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, as well as Ends Up for the New Kitchen Area as well as Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial investment in making concrete kitchen counters, yet the imaginative gains of collaborating with concrete abound. THE SHOWSTOPPER Significantly, homeowners are relocating away from the monotonous, manufactured appearance of traditional kitchen counter surface areas as well as choosing concrete for its earthy, ageless charm. Plus, the choices for individualizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp as well as tarnish concrete or imbed individual items like stones, seashells and also fossils into the counter top's surface area, adding sentiment and character. Functional features such as drainpipe boards, soap recipes, and trivets can also be included to fit the property owners' very own needs and also lifestyle. Concrete is slowly coming to be demystified as typically cold as well as commercial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and remarkably responsive; people can not assist however touch their smooth, refined surfaces. Real estate representative Delight Rasmussen, who has lately marketed her mountain home-- a short-term financial investment residential or commercial property in Steamboat Springs, CO-- states her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open residences, site visitors was attracted to the concrete countertops-- many people around right here have never ever seen them". Pleasure's 2,265 sq. ft. hill house was customized build by her partner, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Customized Residences. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the home's kitchen area and 3 washrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their overview. The sand-colored concrete kitchen counters were polished smooth, then paired with all-natural slate of differing colors-- like charcoal, corrosion and also gold granite countertops for oak cabinets tones-- that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen as well as baths. As a layout accent, small rectangular slate ceramic tiles were contributed to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which gave a special detail to the custom-made vanities. When Joy and also Ken made a decision to offer their residence, their investment in concrete counter tops proved its value. "We had the ability to detail your house $20,000 over market price, as well as had no problems marketing it," remarks Delight, while discussing the lengthy listing of upgrades throughout their residence, consisting of knotty ache solid doors, natural slate wall surface accents and wood floors. "The concrete kitchen counters were easily one of the most one-of-a-kind and also impressive of all the coatings. I think they were a massive component in including value to the house. Around right here, all you see in homes are granite countertops-- and also I really think homebuyers are obtaining rather numb with granite."

2. " Concrete counter tops are a distinct offering to homebuyers who see the same coatings utilized in residence after home they go to," explains Pleasure, offering her monitoring as a skilled real estate professional. "Having concrete counter tops almost offers you boasting legal rights-- you have something various from your neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD Another benefit of concrete is its flexibility in either modern or standard settings, particularly when combined with other products like different steels, timber or rock. "Concrete adds a lot of [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is extremely popular right here, gives the mountain residences a total cozy, all-natural touch," claims Pleasure. Joy as well as Ken have since constructed a much bigger house (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses expansive sights of the Steamboat Ski Hotel and also is implied to serve as a lasting investment for the couple. They've likewise broadened their checklist of custom-made surfaces, consisting of hand-troweled walls, sophisticated oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, closets in a natural, knotty alder, and also their preferred- - concrete kitchen counter tops. Unlike in their previous house, KJ as well as his specialized team poured charcoal-colored countertops using the pre-cast technique in the unfinished basement of the brand-new residence. Prior to putting the concrete, they sprinkled a range of semi-precious rocks in the mold and mildew including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of- Pearl and also Blue-green. After the surface area was ground as well as lightly polished, the completed result was an excellent mix of colors, "By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most incredible," says Happiness. The L-shaped concrete countertop has a harsh, rustic rock look, enhancing its tough country surroundings. An integral drainpipe board and trivets provides function and also added passion to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall surface accents, and a butcher block countertop at the kitchen area island all resonate with the typical heat as well as earthiness of the concrete kitchen counters. Joy and Ken's corresponding histories in property and personalized homebuilding, and also as financial investment property buyers, have assisted them recognize that concrete countertops can add remarkable aesthetic as well as economic worth to a home. Concrete's personalization and "show-stopping" charm resembles no other counter top surface. Cheng is an advocate of emotional aesthetics and also constructing homes that capture these feelings, as when it comes to Joy as well as Ken Otterman. Cheng wraps up: "Individuals actually want distinction, something individual, something customized-- as well as concrete can do that for them."