The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Visual Appeal as well as Realty Financial Investment for Home

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Location to stretching hill homes in the Colorado Mountain ranges, discriminating property owners are requiring customized designs as well as surfaces in their kitchen areas. Specifically, they are looking to share their individuality and unique style choices with the rapid expanding style material of choice-- concrete. In fact, concrete kitchen counters have ended up being rather of a standing symbol for kitchens, matching granite and various other high-end kitchen counter surface alternatives. Customer News Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete highest possible for its "customization" as well as "exclusivity" among premium kitchen counter tops. As a personalized item, the amount of time and also workmanship called for to produce concrete counter tops places them as one of the most labor-intensive and most costly amongst leading counter top materials. Nevertheless, concrete counter tops are becoming more obtainable for those on a moderate budget plan. The most up to date do-it-yourself (Do It Yourself) pattern to mesmerize homeowners and contractors is building your very own concrete countertop. This sensation has acquired appeal mostly because of Cheng's very successful book Concrete Countertops: Design, Kinds, and Completes for the New Kitchen and also Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the innovative gains of dealing with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Progressively, property owners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured look of conventional countertop surface areas and also selecting concrete for its earthy, ageless allure. Plus, the alternatives for customizing concrete countertops are limitless: one can color, gloss, stamp and discolor concrete or imbed individual items like rocks, seashells and also fossils right into the counter top's surface, adding view and personality. Practical attributes such as drain boards, soap meals, as well as trivets can also be integrated to suit the house owners' very own requirements and also way of living. Concrete is slowly becoming debunked as characteristically cold and also industrial. In contrary, this olden material is cozy and remarkably tactile; individuals can not assist however touch their smooth, polished surface areas. Realty agent Delight Rasmussen, who has just recently marketed her hill house-- a temporary financial investment residential property in Boat Springs, CO-- states her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open homes, site visitors was attracted to the concrete countertops-- many people around here have actually never seen them". Joy's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was personalized build by her spouse, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Standard Special Custom Houses. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the residence's cooking area as well as three restrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand- colored concrete kitchen counters were brightened smooth, after that paired with natural slate of varying colors-- like charcoal, corrosion and gold tones-- that creates the backsplashes in the kitchen area as well as bathrooms. As a design accent, small rectangular slate tiles were included in the edge of the bathroom sinks, which gave a distinct detail to the custom-made vanities. When Joy and also Ken determined to market their residence, their investment in concrete kitchen counters confirmed its value. ikea countertops reddit "We were able to provide your home $20,000 over market value, and had no worry marketing it," comments Joy, while talking about the lengthy checklist of upgrades throughout their residence, including knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents as well as wood floorings. "The concrete counter tops were easily one of the most distinct and impressive of all the surfaces. I believe they were a massive component in adding worth to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops-- as well as I really assume buyers are obtaining fairly numb with granite." " Concrete countertops are a distinct offering to buyers who see the very same surfaces used in home after

2. residence they go to," discusses Joy, supplying her monitoring as a seasoned real estate agent. "Having concrete kitchen counters virtually provides you bragging rights-- you have something various from your next-door neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD An additional benefit of concrete is its adaptability in either modern-day or traditional settings, specifically when coupled with various other materials like varied steels, timber or stone. "Concrete includes so many [opportunities] to rock, as well as the combination with slate, which is hugely popular below, gives the hill homes an overall warm, all-natural touch," states Happiness. Pleasure as well as Ken have actually since constructed a much bigger house (4,000 sq. ft.) that supplies expansive sights of the Steamboat Ski Resort as well as is meant to serve as a long-term financial investment for the pair. They have actually additionally increased their list of custom surfaces, consisting of hand-troweled walls, classy oil- rubbed bronze hardware, knotty ache doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, as well as their favorite-- concrete kitchen countertops. Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty crew put charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre-cast approach in the incomplete basement of the new residence. Before pouring the concrete, they sprayed a selection of semi-precious rocks in the mold and mildew consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl as well as Turquoise. After the surface was ground as well as gently polished, the finished outcome was an outstanding mix of colors, "Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most incredible," claims Pleasure. The L-shaped concrete counter top has a harsh, rustic rock look, matching its tough nation environments. An important drainpipe board as well as trivets supplies function as well as added interest to the concrete counter top. All-natural slate backsplashes, unique wall surface accents, as well as a butcher block counter top at the kitchen island all reverberate with the typical heat and earthiness of the concrete kitchen counters. Happiness as well as Ken's particular histories in real estate as well as customized homebuilding, and as investment homebuyers, have aided them understand that concrete counter tops can include remarkable visual as well as economic value to a house. Concrete's modification and "show-stopping" appeal resembles no other countertop surface. Cheng is an advocate of psychological looks and also developing residences that capture these emotions, as in the case of Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng wraps up: "People truly want differentiation, something personal, something custom-made-- and also concrete can do that for them."