The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Boosts Visual Charm as well as Property Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling hill homes in the Colorado Rockies, differentiating home owners are requiring personalized designs and also finishes in their cooking areas. In particular, they are looking to share their uniqueness and also distinctive style preferences with the rapid expanding design material of selection-- concrete. As a matter of fact, concrete countertops have actually come to be somewhat of a standing sign for kitchens, rivaling granite and also various other premium countertop surface choices. Consumer Information Publication (August 2004) rated concrete highest for its "customization" and also "exclusivity" among high-end kitchen area counter tops. As a custom-made item, the amount of time as well as craftsmanship called for to produce concrete countertops places them as the most labor-intensive and priciest amongst leading kitchen counter products. Nonetheless, concrete countertops are becoming much more easily accessible for those on a moderate budget plan. The most up to date do-it-yourself (DIY) pattern to mesmerize home owners as well as home builders is building your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has obtained appeal mostly because of Cheng's very successful publication Concrete Countertops: Layout, Forms, and Finishes for the New Kitchen Area as well as Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the imaginative gains of collaborating with concrete abound. THE SHOWSTOPPER Increasingly, property owners are relocating away from the monotonous, manufactured appearance of conventional countertop surface areas as well as choosing concrete for its natural, ageless charm. And also, the options for customizing concrete counter tops are countless: one can color, gloss, stamp and also stain concrete or imbed individual objects like rocks, seashells and also fossils right into the counter top's surface, including belief as well as personality. Functional attributes such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can likewise be integrated to fit the property owners' very own demands and way of living. Concrete is slowly coming to be demystified as classically cold and also commercial. In contrary, this old-time product is warm and also surprisingly tactile; people can not assist yet touch their smooth, polished surface areas. Realty agent Pleasure Rasmussen, who has lately sold her mountain home-- a temporary 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 counter tops-- many individuals around below have actually never ever seen them". Happiness's 2,265 sq. ft. hill house was customized construct by her spouse, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, head of state of Classic Special Custom Residences. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the residence's cooking area as well as 3 shower rooms by using Concrete Countertops as their overview. The sand- colored concrete kitchen counters were polished smooth, after that coupled with natural slate of varying colors-- like charcoal, corrosion and also gold tones-- that creates the backsplashes in the kitchen area and also bathrooms. As a layout accent, tiny rectangular slate ceramic tiles were included in the rim of the shower room sinks, which gave a distinct detail to the customized vanities.

2. When Pleasure and also Ken determined to market their residence, their investment in concrete counter tops showed its value. "We were able to note your home $20,000 over market price, and also had no problems marketing it," comments Joy, while discussing the long listing of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty yearn strong doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floorings. "The concrete kitchen counters were quickly the most distinct and also outstanding of all the finishes. I believe they were a huge part in including value to the house. Around right here, all you see in houses are granite counter tops-- as well as I truly assume buyers are getting fairly numb with granite." " Concrete counter tops are an unique offering to property buyers who see the exact same coatings used in home after home they go to," discusses Happiness, using her monitoring as a seasoned real estate agent. "Having concrete kitchen counters nearly provides you boasting rights-- you have something various from your next-door neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD AND MILDEW An additional benefit of concrete is its versatility in either modern-day or conventional settings, especially when combined with various other products like diverse steels, wood or rock. countertops greenville sc "Concrete includes a lot of [opportunities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is hugely preferred right here, gives the hill houses an overall warm, natural touch," claims Happiness. Happiness and Ken have actually given that constructed a much bigger house (4,000 sq. ft.) that supplies large views of the Steamboat Ski Hotel and also is implied to work as a lasting investment for the couple. They have actually also broadened their listing of custom-made coatings, consisting of hand-troweled walls, stylish oil- rubbed bronze equipment, knotty ache doors that arch at the top, closets in an all-natural, knotty alder, and their preferred-- concrete kitchen area counter tops. Unlike in their previous residence, KJ as well as his specialized team poured charcoal-colored countertops making use of the pre-cast approach in the unfinished cellar of the brand-new home. Prior to putting the concrete, they sprinkled a selection of semi-precious rocks in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl as well as Blue-green. After the surface area was ground and also lightly polished, the finished outcome was a remarkable blend of shades, "Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible," claims Joy. The L-shaped concrete counter top has a harsh, rustic rock look, complementing its sturdy country environments. An important drainpipe board and also trivets gives function and also added rate of interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall surface accents, and a butcher block kitchen counter at the kitchen area island all reverberate with the typical heat and also earthiness of the concrete counter tops. Delight and also Ken's corresponding backgrounds in real estate and also custom-made homebuilding, and also as financial investment property buyers, have assisted them understand that concrete countertops can add incredible visual as well as financial worth to a home. Concrete's customization as well as "show-stopping" allure resembles nothing else countertop surface area. Cheng is an advocate of emotional looks as well as building

3. houses that capture these feelings, as when it comes to Delight and also Ken Otterman. Cheng wraps up: "People truly desire distinction, something personal, something personalized-- and concrete can do that for them."