The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Boosts Aesthetic Appeal as well as Real Estate Investment for Homeown

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay concrete countertops denver co Location to sprawling mountain houses in the Colorado Mountain ranges, discriminating homeowners are requiring customized styles and surfaces in their kitchen areas. Particularly, they are aiming to share their originality as well as distinctive design preferences with the quick growing layout product of option-- concrete. As a matter of fact, concrete counter tops have actually come to be somewhat of a standing icon for cooking areas, equaling granite as well as various other high-end kitchen counter surface alternatives. Consumer Information Publication (August 2004) rated concrete greatest for its "customization" and "exclusivity" among high-end cooking area counter tops. As a personalized product, the quantity of time and also craftsmanship needed to generate concrete countertops puts them as the most labor-intensive as well as most expensive among leading counter top products. Nevertheless, concrete countertops are becoming more easily accessible for those on a small spending plan. The most recent do-it-yourself (DIY) trend to captivate homeowners as well as builders is developing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has acquired popularity mainly because of Cheng's best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Style, Types, as well as Ends Up for the New Kitchen as well as Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the imaginative gains of collaborating with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Significantly, homeowners are relocating away from the dull, manufactured appearance of traditional kitchen counter surface areas as well as picking concrete for its natural, timeless allure. Plus, the choices for personalizing concrete counter tops are countless: one can tint, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells and also fossils right into the counter top's surface area, including belief as well as personality. Practical attributes such as drain boards, soap recipes, and also trivets can likewise be incorporated to fit the house owners' own requirements and way of living. Concrete is gradually coming to be demystified as characteristically cool and also commercial. In contrary, this old- time product is cozy and also surprisingly responsive; people can not assist however touch their smooth, polished surface areas. Realty agent Happiness Rasmussen, who has recently offered her hill house-- a temporary financial investment residential property in Steamboat Springs, Carbon Monoxide-- recounts her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open houses, visitors gravitated to the concrete counter tops-- many individuals around right here have actually never ever seen them". Pleasure's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain house was customized build by her spouse, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Standard Special Personalized Residences. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the home's kitchen area and 3 restrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, after that paired with natural slate of varying shades-- like charcoal, rust as well as gold tones-- that develops the backsplashes in the kitchen area and also bathrooms. As a layout accent, little rectangular slate ceramic tiles were added to the rim of the washroom sinks, which provided a special detail to the custom-made vanities.

2. When Happiness as well as Ken decided to sell their home, their financial investment in concrete kitchen counters verified its value. "We had the ability to provide your house $20,000 over market price, and had no problems offering it," remarks Delight, while going over the long checklist of upgrades throughout their house, including knotty want strong doors, all-natural slate wall surface accents as well as hardwood floorings. "The concrete kitchen counters were quickly one of the most one-of-a-kind as well as remarkable of all the surfaces. I think they were a significant component in adding value to the residence. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops-- and also I truly assume buyers are getting fairly numb with granite." " Concrete countertops are an one-of-a-kind offering to buyers that see the same surfaces used in home after house they go to," describes Happiness, using her monitoring as a skilled real estate agent. "Having concrete counter tops practically gives you bragging civil liberties-- you have something various from your next-door neighbors." DAMAGING THE MOLD Another advantage of concrete is its versatility in either modern or traditional setups, especially when coupled with other materials like varied metals, wood or rock. "Concrete includes a lot of [possibilities] to rock, and the combination with slate, which is hugely prominent here, provides the mountain residences a general cozy, natural touch," says Delight. Joy and also Ken have since built a much bigger house (4,000 sq. ft.) that supplies large views of the Steamboat Ski Resort as well as is suggested to work as a long-lasting financial investment for the couple. They have actually likewise expanded their listing of customized coatings, consisting of hand-troweled walls, elegant oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty yearn doors that curve on top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their favored-- concrete kitchen counter tops. Unlike in their previous house, KJ and also his specialized team put charcoal-colored counter tops using the pre- cast method in the incomplete cellar of the brand-new residence. Before pouring the concrete, they sprinkled a range of semi-precious stones in the mold consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl as well as Turquoise. After the surface was ground and gently brightened, the finished outcome was an excellent blend of colors, "By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most amazing," claims Pleasure. The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic rock appearance, complementing its rugged nation environments. An essential drain board and trivets gives feature as well as included rate of interest to the concrete kitchen counter. Natural slate backsplashes, distinctive wall accents, and a butcher block counter top at the cooking area island all reverberate with the standard heat and also earthiness of the concrete kitchen counters. Happiness and Ken's particular backgrounds in realty and custom-made homebuilding, and as financial investment homebuyers, have actually helped them recognize that concrete kitchen counters can include remarkable aesthetic as well as economic worth to a house. Concrete's modification as well as "show-stopping" allure resembles no other kitchen counter surface area. Cheng is an advocate of emotional aesthetic appeals as

3. well as developing homes that record these emotions, as when it comes to Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng ends: "Individuals truly want distinction, something individual, something custom-made-- and concrete can do that for them."