The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Visual Charm and Realty Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling mountain houses in the Colorado Mountain ranges, differentiating property owners are demanding personalized styles as well as finishes in their kitchen areas. Particularly, they are looking to share their originality and unique layout preferences with the rapid expanding design product of choice-- concrete. Actually, concrete kitchen counters have become rather of a condition sign for cooking areas, matching granite and other premium kitchen counter surface area options. Consumer Information Publication (August 2004) rated concrete highest for its "customization" and also "exclusivity" among premium kitchen counter tops. As a personalized product, the quantity of time and workmanship required to generate concrete kitchen counters positions them as one of the most labor-intensive and also most costly amongst leading countertop products. Nevertheless, concrete countertops are becoming much more accessible for those on a modest spending plan. The most recent do-it-yourself (DIY) trend to mesmerize property owners and also building contractors is constructing your very own concrete kitchen counter. This sensation has actually gained popularity mostly due to Cheng's very popular publication Concrete Countertops: Design, Types, as well as Completes for the New Cooking Area and also Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial financial investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the imaginative gains of dealing with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Progressively, home owners are relocating far from the dull, manufactured appearance of conventional kitchen counter surface areas and also picking concrete for its earthy, classic allure. And also, the choices for personalizing concrete kitchen counters are countless: one can tint, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual items like rocks, seashells and fossils countertops yuba city into the counter top's surface, adding view and personality. Practical attributes such as drain boards, soap recipes, as well as trivets can likewise be included to suit the property owners' very own requirements as well as way of living. Concrete is gradually coming to be debunked as typically cool and industrial. In contrary, this olden product is cozy and remarkably tactile; people can not assist but touch their smooth, refined surface areas. Real estate representative Joy Rasmussen, who has actually just recently sold her mountain home-- a short-term investment residential property in Boat Springs, CO-- recounts her site visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open homes, visitors moved to the concrete kitchen counters-- lots of people around right here have actually never seen them". Pleasure's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain residence was custom develop by her husband, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Standard Unique Customized Residences. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the house's cooking area as well as three restrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were brightened smooth, then coupled with all-natural slate of varying colors-- like charcoal, rust as well as gold tones-- that creates the backsplashes in the kitchen and also bathrooms. As a design accent, little rectangle-shaped slate ceramic tiles were added to the edge of the restroom sinks, which supplied a distinct information to the custom-made vanities. When Pleasure as well as Ken determined to sell their home, their investment in concrete counter tops proved its worth. "We had the ability to detail the house $20,000 over market price, and had not a problem marketing it," remarks Delight, while going over the long checklist of upgrades throughout their home, consisting of knotty want strong doors, all-natural slate wall surface accents and hardwood floorings. "The concrete kitchen counters were conveniently one of the most distinct and also impressive of all the surfaces. I think they were a significant part in adding value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops-- and also I truly assume homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite."

2. " Concrete kitchen counters are an one-of-a-kind offering to buyers who see the exact same finishes used in home after home they visit," describes Pleasure, using her observation as a seasoned real estate agent. "Having concrete countertops practically provides you boasting civil liberties-- you have something various from your next-door neighbors." DAMAGING THE MOLD An additional benefit of concrete is its adaptability in either modern-day or conventional setups, particularly when coupled with various other materials like varied steels, wood or stone. "Concrete adds many [possibilities] to rock, as well as the combination with slate, which is hugely prominent here, provides the hill homes a general cozy, natural touch," says Joy. Joy and also Ken have given that constructed a much larger house (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers extensive views of the Boat Ski Hotel and is suggested to work as a lasting financial investment for the couple. They've likewise increased their list of customized finishes, including hand-troweled wall surfaces, sophisticated oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch on top, closets in an all-natural, knotty alder, and also their favored-- concrete cooking area countertops. Unlike in their previous house, KJ as well as his specialized staff put charcoal-colored kitchen counters using the pre-cast technique in the unfinished cellar of the new