The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Boosts Aesthetic Appeal as well as Real Estate Investment for Homeown

1. From top-dollar houses in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching hill residences in the Colorado Mountain ranges, discriminating home owners are requiring custom styles as well as finishes in their kitchen areas. Particularly, they are aiming to reveal their originality and also unique layout preferences with the rapid expanding layout material of option-- concrete. Actually, concrete kitchen counters have actually come to be somewhat of a status sign for cooking areas, matching granite and other high-end kitchen counter surface alternatives. Customer Information Publication (August 2004) rated concrete highest for its "personalization" and also "exclusivity" among high-end cooking area countertops. As a custom item, the amount of time as well as craftsmanship called for to produce concrete countertops puts them as one of the most labor-intensive as well as most expensive amongst leading countertop materials. Nonetheless, concrete countertops are ending up being more obtainable for those on a small budget. The latest diy (DIY) trend to astound property owners and also building contractors is constructing your own concrete kitchen counter. This phenomenon has obtained appeal greatly due to Cheng's very successful publication Concrete Countertops: Style, Kinds, and also Completes for the New Kitchen 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 working with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Progressively, homeowners are relocating far from the tedious, manufactured look of typical kitchen counter surfaces as well as choosing concrete for its earthy, ageless allure. Plus, the choices for personalizing concrete countertops are unlimited: one can color, gloss, stamp as well as stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the counter top's surface, including sentiment and countertops for sale personality. Useful features such as drain boards, soap dishes, and also trivets can also be included to match the homeowners' own requirements and way of life. Concrete is gradually coming to be demystified as typically cool and commercial. In contrary, this age-old material is cozy and surprisingly tactile; individuals can not aid but touch their smooth, polished surface areas. Property agent Pleasure Rasmussen, that has actually recently marketed her mountain home-- a temporary financial investment property in Boat Springs, Carbon Monoxide-- states her site visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open houses, visitors was attracted to the concrete counter tops-- many individuals around here have never ever seen them". Happiness's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made develop by her spouse, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, head of state of Classic Unique Personalized Homes. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the home's cooking area and also 3 shower rooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were brightened smooth, after that coupled with all-natural slate of differing

2. colors-- like charcoal, rust and also gold tones-- that creates the backsplashes in the cooking area and also bathrooms. As a layout accent, small rectangle-shaped slate tiles were contributed to the edge of the shower room sinks, which gave a distinct detail to the customized vanities. When Pleasure as well as Ken determined to sell their home, their financial investment in concrete kitchen counters showed its value. "We were able to provide your house $20,000 over market value, as well as had no worry marketing it," comments Delight, while reviewing the long checklist of upgrades throughout their house, consisting of knotty want strong doors, natural slate wall surface accents as well as wood floors. "The concrete countertops were conveniently one of the most distinct and also impressive of all the surfaces. I believe they were a massive part in including value to the residence. Around here, all you see in houses are granite counter tops-- and I actually believe buyers are obtaining rather numb with granite." " Concrete counter tops are a special offering to buyers that see the very same finishes utilized in house after house they go to," describes Happiness, offering her monitoring as a skilled realtor. "Having concrete kitchen counters virtually gives you boasting legal rights-- you have something various from your neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD One more advantage of concrete is its adaptability in either modern or standard setups, specifically when paired with various other materials like varied steels, timber or stone. "Concrete adds many [opportunities] to rock, as well as the mix with slate, which is hugely preferred right here, offers the mountain homes a general cozy, all- natural touch," claims Happiness. Joy as well as Ken have because constructed a much bigger residence (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses extensive sights of the Boat Ski Resort as well as is indicated to function as a lasting financial investment for the pair. They've additionally increased their list of customized finishes, consisting of hand-troweled wall surfaces, stylish oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty want doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and also their favored- - concrete kitchen area countertops. Unlike in their previous residence, KJ as well as his specialized team poured charcoal-colored kitchen counters making use of the pre-cast method in the incomplete basement of the new residence. Before putting the concrete, they sprayed a range of semi-precious rocks in the mold and mildew including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother- of-Pearl and also Turquoise. After the surface area was ground and lightly brightened, the finished result was a remarkable mix of colors, "Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most unbelievable," states Pleasure. The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone look, complementing its tough country surroundings. An indispensable drain board as well as trivets offers feature and included rate of interest to the concrete countertop. All-natural slate backsplashes, unique wall accents, and a butcher block counter top at the kitchen area island all reverberate with the conventional heat and earthiness of the concrete counter tops. Delight and Ken's respective histories in property and customized homebuilding, and also as investment homebuyers, have actually assisted them realize that concrete kitchen counters can add tremendous aesthetic as well as monetary worth to a residence. Concrete's modification as well as "show-stopping" appeal is like no other counter top surface. Cheng is a supporter of emotional visual appeals as well as developing houses that record these emotions, as when it comes to Pleasure as well as Ken Otterman. Cheng wraps up: "Individuals actually desire distinction, something personal, something custom-- and concrete can do that for them."