The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Rises Aesthetic Allure as well as Realty Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar houses in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain houses in the Colorado Rockies, differentiating house owners are requiring custom designs and coatings in their kitchen areas. Specifically, they are aiming to share their originality as well as distinctive layout preferences with the rapid expanding style material of option-- concrete. As a matter of fact, concrete kitchen counters have come to be somewhat of a condition icon for kitchens, matching granite and other high-end kitchen counter surface options. Customer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its "personalization" and "exclusivity" among high-end cooking area countertops. As a custom-made item, the amount of time as well as workmanship called for to produce concrete kitchen counters places them as one of the most labor-intensive and most expensive amongst leading counter top products. Nevertheless, concrete counter tops are ending up being extra easily accessible for those on a moderate budget plan. The current diy (Do It Yourself) fad to captivate house owners and also contractors is developing your very own concrete kitchen counter. This sensation has actually acquired appeal greatly because of Cheng's best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Completes for the New Cooking Area and also Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial investment in making concrete kitchen counters, yet the innovative gains of collaborating with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Significantly, home owners are moving far from the dull, manufactured appearance of typical counter top surfaces and also selecting concrete for its earthy, ageless allure. And also, the choices for customizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can tint, polish, stamp as well as discolor concrete or imbed personal objects like rocks, seashells and also fossils into the kitchen counter's surface area, including view and personality. Useful attributes such as drain boards, soap meals, and also trivets can likewise be incorporated to fit the home owners' own demands and way of life. Concrete is slowly coming to be demystified as classically cold as well as industrial. In contrary, this old-time material is cozy as well as surprisingly responsive; individuals can not assist however touch their smooth, refined surfaces. Realty agent Happiness Rasmussen, that has actually recently sold her hill countertops news residence-- a short-term financial investment residential property in Steamboat Springs, Carbon Monoxide-- recounts her site visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open residences, visitors moved to the concrete kitchen counters- - lots of people around right here have never ever seen them". Pleasure's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain residence was custom construct by her spouse, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Standard Special Customized Residences. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the home's kitchen and also 3 shower rooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their overview. The

2. sand-colored concrete kitchen counters were brightened smooth, then coupled with natural slate of varying colors-- like charcoal, rust as well as gold tones-- that develops the backsplashes in the kitchen area and also baths. As a style accent, small rectangular slate ceramic tiles were added to the edge of the restroom sinks, which offered a special detail to the custom-made vanities. When Joy and Ken determined to market their house, their financial investment in concrete countertops confirmed its value. "We were able to list the house $20,000 over market value, and also had no worry offering it," comments Happiness, while going over the lengthy checklist of upgrades throughout their residence, consisting of knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents as well as wood floors. "The concrete counter tops were quickly one of the most one-of-a-kind and also impressive of all the surfaces. I believe they were a huge component in adding worth to the residence. Around below, all you see in houses are granite countertops-- and I actually think homebuyers are obtaining fairly numb with granite." " Concrete kitchen counters are an unique offering to buyers who see the same coatings made use of in house after house they check out," clarifies Happiness, using her monitoring as an experienced realtor. "Having concrete kitchen counters nearly gives you bragging legal rights-- you have something various from your neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD AND MILDEW An additional benefit of concrete is its flexibility in either modern-day or standard settings, specifically when combined with various other materials like varied steels, wood or rock. "Concrete includes a lot of [opportunities] to rock, and also the mix with slate, which is hugely popular below, provides the hill residences a total warm, all- natural touch," says Joy. Pleasure as well as Ken have actually because built a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is implied to function as a long-lasting financial investment for the couple. They have actually additionally expanded their listing of custom-made coatings, consisting of hand-troweled wall surfaces, stylish oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty ache doors that curve on top, closets in a natural, knotty alder, and their preferred-- concrete kitchen area counter tops. Unlike in their previous house, KJ as well as his specialty staff put charcoal-colored kitchen counters utilizing the pre-cast approach in the unfinished cellar of the new