The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Rises Visual Allure and also Property Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar houses in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching mountain houses in the Colorado Mountain ranges, discriminating home owners are requiring customized designs and also finishes in their kitchens. In particular, they are wanting to share their uniqueness and distinct design preferences with the fast growing layout material of selection-- concrete. As a matter of fact, concrete countertops have become rather of a standing sign for kitchens, measuring up to granite and also various other high-end kitchen counter surface area choices. Customer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its "modification" and also "exclusivity" amongst premium cooking area countertops. As a personalized item, the amount of time and craftsmanship needed to produce concrete counter tops positions them as one of the most labor-intensive and priciest among leading countertop products. However, concrete countertops are ending up being extra accessible for those on a moderate budget. The most up to date diy (DIY) pattern to astound home owners and contractors is building your own concrete counter top. This sensation has actually obtained popularity mainly because of Cheng's very popular book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, as well as Completes for the New Cooking Area and also Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial financial investment in making concrete kitchen counters, yet the innovative gains of collaborating with concrete abound. THE SHOWSTOPPER Progressively, house granite countertops that look like carrara marble owners are relocating away from the monotonous, manufactured appearance of standard countertop surfaces and picking concrete for its natural, classic charm. Plus, the alternatives for personalizing concrete countertops are countless: one can color, gloss, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells as well as fossils into the countertop's surface area, including belief as well as personality. Functional functions such as drain boards, soap meals, and also trivets can additionally be incorporated to suit the home owners' very own demands as well as lifestyle. Concrete is slowly ending up being debunked as typically chilly and also commercial. In contrary, this age-old material is warm as well as surprisingly responsive; individuals can not assist but touch their smooth, refined surface areas. Real estate agent Pleasure Rasmussen, who has actually lately offered her hill home-- a short-term investment residential or commercial property in Steamboat Springs, CO-- states her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open residences, site visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops-- many individuals around below have actually never ever seen them". Pleasure's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain house was custom-made build by her husband, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom-made Homes. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the home's kitchen area and three bathrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete counter tops were polished smooth, after that coupled with natural slate of varying shades-- like charcoal, corrosion and also gold tones-- that develops the backsplashes in the cooking area and baths. As a design accent, little rectangle-shaped slate tiles were included in the edge of the washroom sinks, which gave a distinct information to the customized vanities. When Pleasure as well as Ken decided to market their residence, their investment in concrete kitchen counters confirmed its value. "We had the ability to list your house $20,000 over market value, as well as had no problems offering it," remarks Pleasure, while discussing the lengthy list of upgrades throughout their home, consisting of knotty ache strong doors, all-natural slate wall surface accents and hardwood floorings. "The concrete counter tops were easily the most special and excellent of all the surfaces. I think they were a massive component in including worth to the residence. Around below, all you see in homes are granite kitchen counters-- and also I truly believe buyers are getting quite numb with granite."

2. " Concrete countertops are an one-of-a-kind offering to homebuyers who see the same finishes used in house after home they check out," discusses Happiness, providing her monitoring as an experienced real estate agent. "Having concrete counter tops nearly gives you boasting civil liberties-- you have something different from your neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD AND MILDEW An additional benefit of concrete is its flexibility in either modern-day or traditional setups, particularly when combined with other products like varied metals, timber or rock. "Concrete adds many [opportunities] to rock, and also the combination with slate, which is hugely prominent here, gives the mountain homes a total cozy, natural touch," says Pleasure. Happiness and also Ken have actually since developed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers large sights of the Steamboat Ski Hotel and also is implied to serve as a lasting investment for the pair. They've likewise increased their listing of personalized surfaces, including hand-troweled walls, classy oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty pine doors that curve on top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their preferred-- concrete cooking area countertops. Unlike in their previous house, KJ and also his specialty crew poured charcoal-colored kitchen counters utilizing the pre-cast method in the incomplete basement of the brand-new residence. Before putting the concrete, they sprayed a selection of semi-precious rocks in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and also Turquoise. After the surface area was ground and lightly polished, the finished outcome was an impressive blend of shades, "Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most amazing," states Happiness. The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone appearance, matching its tough country environments. An integral drain board and also trivets supplies function and also added rate of interest to the concrete kitchen counter. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall surface accents, as well as a butcher block kitchen counter at the cooking area island all reverberate with the traditional warmth as well as earthiness of the concrete kitchen counters. Pleasure as well as Ken's corresponding backgrounds in property and personalized homebuilding, and also as financial investment buyers, have actually helped them understand that concrete countertops can add tremendous visual as well as economic value to a residence. Concrete's modification and "show-stopping" charm is like nothing else countertop surface. Cheng is a proponent of emotional aesthetics as well as constructing houses that record these feelings, as in the case of Happiness and also Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: "People truly want distinction, something individual, something custom-made-- and also concrete can do that for them."