The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Rises Aesthetic Allure and Realty Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar houses in the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling mountain houses in the Colorado Mountain ranges, differentiating homeowners are requiring personalized styles and finishes in their cooking areas. Specifically, they are looking to reveal their individuality and also distinctive style preferences with the rapid growing design material of option-- concrete. In fact, concrete countertops have actually come to be rather of a standing sign for kitchen areas, rivaling granite and various other high-end countertop surface area options. Consumer Reports Magazine (August 2004) rated concrete highest possible for its "customization" and also "exclusivity" amongst wood countertops home depot premium kitchen area countertops. As a custom item, the amount of time and workmanship needed to produce concrete counter tops places them as the most labor-intensive and also most costly amongst leading counter top materials. Nevertheless, concrete kitchen counters are becoming extra accessible for those on a small spending plan. The most recent diy (DIY) trend to captivate house owners and contractors is developing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has actually gotten popularity greatly because of Cheng's best-selling publication Concrete Countertops: Style, Kinds, and Completes for the New Kitchen Area as well as Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the innovative gains of collaborating with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Significantly, property owners are relocating away from the boring, manufactured look of traditional counter top surfaces and also picking concrete for its natural, classic charm. And also, the alternatives for personalizing concrete kitchen counters are limitless: one can tint, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal items like stones, seashells and also fossils right into the counter top's surface area, adding view and personality. Practical features such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can also be included to fit the property owners' very own requirements and way of life. Concrete is gradually ending up being demystified as characteristically cold and industrial. In contrary, this age-old material is warm as well as remarkably responsive; individuals can not assist but touch their smooth, refined surface areas. Property agent Happiness Rasmussen, that has just recently sold her hill house-- a temporary financial investment property in Steamboat Springs, Carbon Monoxide-- recounts her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open residences, visitors moved to the concrete counter tops-- many individuals around below have actually never ever seen them". Joy's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain residence was customized develop by her hubby, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Standard Unique Custom-made Houses. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the residence's kitchen and also three shower rooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand- colored concrete counter tops were polished smooth, after that coupled with natural slate of varying shades-- like charcoal, rust and gold tones-- that forms the backsplashes in the cooking area and baths. As a layout accent, tiny rectangular slate floor tiles were included in the edge of the restroom sinks, which provided a special detail to the customized vanities. When Pleasure and also Ken chose to market their house, their investment in concrete counter tops showed its value. "We had the ability to note your house $20,000 over market price, and also had no worry offering it," comments Delight, while reviewing the lengthy list of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty pine solid doors, all-natural slate wall surface accents and wood floors. "The concrete countertops were conveniently the most unique and also excellent of all the coatings. I think they were a huge part in including value to the residence. Around below, all you see in houses are granite kitchen counters-- and also I really think property buyers are obtaining fairly numb with granite."

2. " Concrete kitchen counters are a special offering to homebuyers that see the exact same surfaces made use of in house after house they go to," describes Joy, offering her monitoring as a skilled realtor. "Having concrete kitchen counters practically provides you bragging legal rights-- you have something various from your next-door neighbors." DAMAGING THE MOLD One more benefit of concrete is its adaptability in either modern or standard settings, especially when coupled with various other materials like different steels, wood or stone. "Concrete adds so many [opportunities] to stone, as well as the mix with slate, which is widely prominent below, gives the mountain homes a total warm, natural touch," states Joy. Happiness as well as Ken have since constructed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that provides expansive sights of the Boat Ski Hotel as well as is meant to function as a long-lasting investment for the couple. They've likewise broadened their listing of personalized surfaces, consisting of hand-troweled wall surfaces, elegant oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty yearn doors that arch on top, closets in a natural, knotty alder, and their favored-- concrete kitchen area countertops. Unlike in their previous home, KJ as well as his specialized team put charcoal-colored countertops using the pre- cast method in the unfinished basement of the brand-new home. Prior to pouring the concrete, they sprayed a range of semi-precious rocks in the mold and mildew including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and also Blue-green. After the surface was ground and lightly brightened, the finished outcome was an excellent mix of colors, "Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible," states Joy. The L-shaped concrete kitchen counter has a rough, rustic stone look, matching its sturdy country environments. An important drain board as well as trivets supplies feature and added rate of interest to the concrete counter top. All-natural slate backsplashes, unique wall accents, and also a butcher block counter top at the kitchen area island all reverberate with the standard warmth as well as earthiness of the concrete countertops. Happiness as well as Ken's particular backgrounds in realty and personalized homebuilding, and also as financial investment buyers, have actually helped them realize that concrete counter tops can add significant aesthetic as well as financial value to a house. Concrete's modification and "show-stopping" charm is like nothing else counter top surface. Cheng is a supporter of emotional aesthetics and building homes that capture these emotions, as when it comes to Delight and Ken Otterman. Cheng ends: "People truly desire distinction, something personal, something custom-made-- and concrete can do that for them."