The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Rises Visual Appeal and also Realty Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain houses in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are requiring customized styles and coatings in their kitchen areas. Specifically, they are wanting to reveal their individuality and unique design choices with the quick expanding style product of option-- concrete. In fact, concrete counter tops have actually ended up being rather of a status icon for kitchen areas, rivaling granite as well as various other premium countertop surface area alternatives. Customer News Magazine (August 2004) rated concrete highest for its "personalization" and "exclusivity" amongst premium kitchen area counter tops. As a customized product, the amount of time as well as craftsmanship called for to generate concrete kitchen counters places them as one of the most labor-intensive as well as most costly amongst leading kitchen counter products. Nonetheless, concrete counter tops are coming to be a lot more available for those on a modest budget plan. The latest do-it-yourself (Do It Yourself) fad to mesmerize property owners and also building contractors is constructing your own concrete kitchen counter. This phenomenon has actually obtained popularity mainly due to Cheng's best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Types, and Finishes for the New Kitchen as well as Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary financial investment in making concrete kitchen counters, yet the z counterform concrete countertops imaginative gains of working with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Significantly, house owners are relocating far from the monotonous, manufactured look of conventional countertop surface areas as well as picking concrete for its natural, classic charm. Plus, the options for customizing concrete countertops are limitless: one can tint, polish, stamp and also stain concrete or imbed individual things like stones, seashells and fossils right into the countertop's surface, adding sentiment and also personality. Functional attributes such as drain boards, soap meals, as well as trivets can additionally be integrated to match the property owners' own requirements as well as way of life. Concrete is gradually coming to be demystified as characteristically chilly and commercial. In contrary, this age-old material is cozy and also remarkably responsive; people can not aid but touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Property representative Joy Rasmussen, who has recently marketed her mountain residence-- a temporary investment home in Boat Springs, Carbon Monoxide-- recounts her site visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open houses, site visitors moved to the concrete countertops-- lots of people around here have actually never seen them". Joy's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made construct by her spouse, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, head of state of Standard Unique Custom-made Residences. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the house's kitchen area and three bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their overview. The sand- colored concrete countertops were brightened smooth, after that paired with all-natural slate of differing colors-- like charcoal, rust and gold tones-- that creates the backsplashes in the cooking area and also bathrooms. As a layout accent, little rectangle-shaped slate floor tiles were added to the edge of the restroom sinks, which provided a distinct information to the personalized vanities. When Pleasure as well as Ken determined to market their home, their financial investment in concrete kitchen counters showed its worth. "We were able to note your home $20,000 over market price, as well as had no problems selling it," comments Pleasure, while going over the lengthy list of upgrades throughout their residence, consisting of knotty yearn solid doors, all-natural slate wall accents and also wood floorings. "The concrete kitchen counters were conveniently one of the most one-of-a-kind as well as remarkable of all the coatings. I believe they

2. were a significant part in including value to the residence. Around below, all you see in houses are granite kitchen counters-- and I truly think homebuyers are obtaining quite numb with granite." " Concrete counter tops are an one-of-a-kind offering to buyers that see the exact same surfaces made use of in residence after home they visit," describes Pleasure, providing her monitoring as an experienced real estate professional. "Having concrete countertops almost provides you bragging rights-- you have something different from your next-door neighbors." DAMAGING THE MOLD Another advantage of concrete is its adaptability in either contemporary or typical setups, particularly when paired with other materials like diverse metals, timber or stone. "Concrete adds a lot of [opportunities] to rock, and also the mix with slate, which is hugely popular below, provides the mountain homes an overall cozy, all-natural touch," says Joy. Joy and also Ken have actually because developed a much bigger house (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Hotel as well as is indicated to work as a long-lasting financial investment for the pair. They have actually also broadened their list of custom coatings, including hand-troweled walls, sophisticated oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty want doors that curve on top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their favored-- concrete kitchen counter tops. Unlike in their previous residence, KJ and his specialized team poured charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre-cast method in the unfinished basement of the brand-new residence. Prior to pouring the concrete, they sprayed an array of semi-precious rocks in the mold and mildew consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother- of-Pearl and also Blue-green. After the surface was ground and lightly brightened, the completed outcome was an excellent mix of colors, "By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most amazing," claims Pleasure. The L-shaped concrete kitchen counter has a harsh, rustic rock appearance, matching its tough nation environments. An indispensable drainpipe board and trivets provides function as well as included rate of interest to the concrete countertop. All-natural slate backsplashes, unique wall surface accents, as well as a butcher block kitchen counter at the kitchen area island all reverberate with the conventional heat and also earthiness of the concrete countertops. Pleasure and Ken's corresponding backgrounds in property as well as custom homebuilding, and as investment buyers, have helped them realize that concrete kitchen counters can add tremendous aesthetic and also monetary value to a home. Concrete's modification and "show-stopping" allure resembles no other countertop surface. Cheng is a proponent of psychological looks and also developing residences that record these feelings, as in the case of Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng ends: "Individuals truly desire distinction, something individual, something customized-- as well as concrete can do that for them."