The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Increases Visual Appeal as well as Property Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling hill homes in the Colorado Mountain ranges, discriminating house owners are demanding custom-made layouts and also finishes in their kitchens. Specifically, they are aiming to share their uniqueness and also distinctive style choices with the quick expanding layout material of option-- concrete. In fact, concrete counter tops have come to be somewhat of a condition symbol for cooking areas, equaling granite as well as various other high-end kitchen counter surface options. Customer Reports Magazine (August 2004) rated concrete highest for its "customization" as well as "exclusivity" among high-end kitchen countertops. As a custom item, the amount of time as well as craftsmanship called for to produce concrete countertops places them as the most labor-intensive and most expensive among leading counter top products. However, concrete counter tops are ending up being extra easily accessible for those on a small budget plan. The current diy (DIY) fad to captivate home owners and contractors is building your very own concrete counter top. This sensation has acquired quartz countertops vs marble cost popularity greatly because of Cheng's best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Style, Kinds, and also Completes for the New Kitchen Area and also Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the imaginative gains of dealing with concrete abound. THE SHOWSTOPPER Progressively, property owners are moving far from the tedious, manufactured look of standard countertop surfaces and also choosing concrete for its natural, timeless charm. Plus, the alternatives for individualizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can tint, gloss, stamp as well as tarnish concrete or imbed individual things like rocks, seashells and fossils right into the kitchen counter's surface, adding sentiment and personality. Practical attributes such as drainpipe boards, soap meals, as well as trivets can also be integrated to match the property owners' own demands and way of life. Concrete is slowly becoming debunked as classically cool and also commercial. In contrary, this age-old material is cozy and also remarkably tactile; people can not aid but touch their smooth, sleek surface areas. Property agent Joy Rasmussen, that has lately offered her hill residence-- a short-term financial investment building in Boat Springs, Carbon Monoxide-- states her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open residences, site visitors gravitated to the concrete counter tops-- lots of people around right here have actually never ever seen them". Happiness's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made build by her husband, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, head of state of Standard Unique Personalized Residences. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the house's kitchen and also 3 bathrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their overview. The sand- colored concrete kitchen counters were polished smooth, then coupled with natural slate of differing colors-- like charcoal, rust and also gold tones-- that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen and bathrooms. As a layout accent, little rectangle-shaped slate ceramic tiles were contributed to the rim of the washroom sinks, which gave an one- of-a-kind detail to the personalized vanities. When Pleasure and also Ken chose to offer their home, their financial investment in concrete kitchen counters showed its worth. "We were able to detail your home $20,000 over market value, and had no worry offering it," remarks Delight, while going over the long listing of upgrades throughout their residence, including knotty yearn solid doors, natural slate wall accents and also wood floorings. "The concrete kitchen counters were conveniently one of the most unique and also impressive of all the surfaces. I think they were a significant part in adding worth to the house. Around below, all you see in residences are granite kitchen counters-- as well as I truly assume homebuyers are getting rather numb with granite."

2. " Concrete countertops are a special offering to property buyers who see the exact same coatings utilized in house after home they see," clarifies Pleasure, providing her observation as an experienced realtor. "Having concrete counter tops nearly offers you bragging civil liberties-- you have something different from your next-door neighbors." DAMAGING THE MOLD One more benefit of concrete is its adaptability in either modern-day or standard setups, particularly when paired with other products like varied steels, timber or rock. "Concrete includes a lot of [possibilities] to rock, as well as the mix with slate, which is extremely prominent below, provides the mountain residences a general warm, all- natural touch," claims Pleasure. Pleasure as well as Ken have actually since built a much larger house (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses expansive sights of the Steamboat Ski Resort as well as is implied to serve as a long-lasting investment for the pair. They have actually likewise expanded their listing of custom coatings, including hand-troweled wall surfaces, sophisticated oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty ache doors that curve on top, closets in a natural, knotty alder, and also their preferred-- concrete kitchen area counter tops. Unlike in their previous house, KJ and also his specialty staff poured charcoal-colored counter tops using the pre- cast method in the unfinished cellar of the new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprayed an array of semi- precious stones in the mold and mildew including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl as well as Blue- green. After the surface area was ground as well as gently polished, the completed result was an excellent blend of shades, "Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most unbelievable," claims Delight. The L-shaped concrete countertop has a harsh, rustic rock appearance, complementing its sturdy nation environments. An essential drain board and trivets supplies function as well as included interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinctive wall accents, and also a butcher block counter top at the kitchen island all reverberate with the conventional heat and also earthiness of the concrete countertops. Pleasure and also Ken's particular backgrounds in realty and also customized homebuilding, and as financial investment property buyers, have assisted them realize that concrete countertops can add remarkable aesthetic as well as financial value to a house. Concrete's personalization as well as "show-stopping" charm resembles no other kitchen counter surface area. Cheng is an advocate of psychological looks and building houses that record these emotions, as when it comes to Happiness and also Ken Otterman. Cheng wraps up: "Individuals truly want differentiation, something personal, something customized-- and concrete can do that for them."