The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Aesthetic Allure and Realty Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching mountain residences in the Colorado Rockies, differentiating property owners are requiring custom layouts as well as surfaces in their cooking areas. Particularly, they are seeking to express their uniqueness and distinctive layout preferences with the rapid growing style material of choice-- concrete. In fact, concrete counter tops have ended up being somewhat of a condition symbol for kitchen areas, rivaling granite and also various other high-end countertop surface area options. Consumer Information Magazine (August 2004) rated concrete greatest for its "personalization" and "exclusivity" among premium cooking area counter tops. As a personalized item, the quantity of time and workmanship needed to create concrete countertops places them as one of the most labor-intensive as well as most expensive amongst leading kitchen counter materials. Nevertheless, concrete counter tops are coming to be much more accessible for those on a modest spending plan. The current diy quartz countertops for white cabinets (Do It Yourself) fad to mesmerize home owners and also builders is building your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually acquired appeal greatly due to Cheng's best-selling publication Concrete Countertops: Design, Kinds, and Ends Up for the New Cooking Area and also Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete kitchen counters, yet the creative gains of dealing with concrete abound. THE SHOWSTOPPER Significantly, homeowners are moving far from the boring, manufactured appearance of traditional counter top surfaces and picking concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the alternatives for customizing concrete counter tops are countless: one can color, polish, stamp and also stain concrete or imbed personal things like rocks, seashells and fossils right into the counter top's surface area, adding view and also personality. Practical functions such as drainpipe boards, soap recipes, and trivets can likewise be incorporated to suit the house owners' very own needs as well as way of living. Concrete is slowly coming to be demystified as typically cold as well as industrial. In contrary, this olden product is cozy and also surprisingly responsive; people can not assist yet touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Real estate representative Delight Rasmussen, that has actually recently marketed her mountain house-- a short-term financial investment residential or commercial property in Boat Springs, CO-- recounts her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open residences, site visitors gravitated to the concrete counter tops-- many individuals around right here have never seen them". Happiness's 2,265 sq. ft. hill residence was custom-made develop by her husband, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Residences. They developed pour-in-place concrete counters for the residence's kitchen and three washrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete kitchen counters were brightened smooth, then coupled with all-natural slate of differing shades-- like charcoal, corrosion and also gold tones-- that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen and also baths. As a design accent, tiny rectangular slate tiles were added to the rim of the restroom sinks, which offered a special detail to the custom vanities. When Joy as well as Ken made a decision to sell their home, their investment in concrete kitchen counters proved its value. "We were able to note the house $20,000 over market value, and had no problems marketing it," remarks Joy, while going over the lengthy listing of upgrades throughout their house, consisting of knotty yearn strong doors, natural slate wall accents as well as wood floorings. "The concrete kitchen counters were easily the most unique and also impressive of all the coatings. I think they were a massive component in adding worth to the house. Around below, all you see in residences are granite kitchen counters-- and also I really assume property buyers are obtaining quite numb with granite."

2. " Concrete countertops are a special offering to buyers that see the very same surfaces used in home after residence they check out," discusses Happiness, providing her observation as a skilled realtor. "Having concrete countertops almost offers you bragging rights-- you have something various from your neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD AND MILDEW An additional benefit of concrete is its flexibility in either contemporary or typical settings, especially when paired with various other products like diverse metals, timber or stone. "Concrete adds a lot of [possibilities] to rock, and also the mix with slate, which is widely prominent here, gives the hill residences a total cozy, all-natural touch," says Joy. Delight as well as Ken have given that constructed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that supplies expansive views of the Boat Ski Hotel as well as is meant to act as a long-lasting financial investment for the couple. They have actually additionally expanded their list of personalized coatings, including hand-troweled walls, classy oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty pine doors that arch on top, cabinets in an all-natural, knotty alder, and also their preferred-- concrete cooking area counter tops. Unlike in their previous house, KJ as well as his specialized team put charcoal-colored kitchen counters utilizing the pre-cast method in the incomplete cellar of the new