The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Rises Visual Charm as well as Realty Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar houses in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling hill houses in the Colorado Mountain ranges, differentiating home owners are requiring customized styles and also coatings in their kitchens. Specifically, they are looking to reveal their individuality as well as distinctive design preferences with the fast expanding style material of choice-- concrete. Actually, concrete counter tops have become rather of a standing symbol for kitchen areas, equaling granite as well as other premium counter top surface options. Consumer Information Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its "customization" and also "exclusivity" among premium kitchen area counter tops. As a personalized product, the quantity of time and craftsmanship required to produce concrete counter tops positions them as the most labor-intensive as well as priciest among leading countertop products. Nonetheless, concrete countertops are ending up being much more easily accessible for those on a small spending plan. The most up to date do-it-yourself (Do It Yourself) pattern to captivate home owners and builders is building your very own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually gained popularity mostly because of Cheng's very successful publication Concrete Countertops: Layout, Forms, and also Completes for the New Kitchen and also Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete kitchen counters, yet the imaginative gains of working with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Progressively, homeowners are moving far from the boring, manufactured appearance of typical counter top surfaces and also choosing concrete for its earthy, classic allure. Plus, the choices for customizing concrete kitchen counters are endless: one can tint, gloss, stamp and discolor concrete or imbed individual things like stones, seashells and also fossils into the kitchen counter's surface area, adding sentiment as well as character. Useful attributes such as drainpipe boards, soap recipes, and also trivets can likewise be incorporated to suit the house owners' own demands as well as way of life. Concrete is gradually ending up being debunked as classically cool as well as commercial. In contrary, this age-old material is warm as well as remarkably tactile; individuals can not assist yet touch their smooth, refined surfaces. Property representative Happiness Rasmussen, who has actually just recently marketed her hill house-- a short- term financial investment home in Steamboat Springs, CO-- recounts her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open residences, site visitors gravitated to the concrete kitchen counters-- lots of people around right here have actually never seen them". Delight's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain house was custom-made develop by her other half, Ken countertops outlet Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Personalized Residences. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the residence's cooking area and three bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were brightened smooth, then paired with all- natural slate of varying colors-- like charcoal, rust as well as gold tones-- that develops the backsplashes in the kitchen and bathrooms. As a style accent, little rectangular slate tiles were included in the rim of the washroom sinks, which gave a special detail to the custom vanities. When Joy and Ken decided to market their house, their financial investment in concrete counter tops showed its value. "We had the ability to detail your home $20,000 over market price, and also had no worry offering it," comments Joy, while going over the lengthy checklist of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty yearn solid doors, all-natural slate wall surface accents as well as wood floors. "The concrete counter tops were quickly the most unique and excellent of all the coatings. I believe they were a big component in adding worth to the residence. Around here, all you see in houses are granite kitchen counters-- and I really think buyers are getting rather numb with granite."

2. " Concrete kitchen counters are an one-of-a-kind offering to homebuyers that see the same coatings utilized in home after residence they visit," discusses Joy, offering her observation as a seasoned real estate professional. "Having concrete counter tops practically provides you bragging civil liberties-- you have something different from your next-door neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD AND MILDEW An additional advantage of concrete is its versatility in either modern or standard settings, especially when paired with various other products like different metals, timber or stone. "Concrete adds numerous [opportunities] to rock, and also the combination with slate, which is extremely preferred here, offers the hill residences a total warm, natural touch," claims Pleasure. Delight and also Ken have actually because developed a much bigger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that provides expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort as well as is indicated to work as a lasting financial investment for the couple. They've additionally expanded their checklist of personalized finishes, consisting of hand-troweled walls, sophisticated oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty ache doors that arch on top, closets in a natural, knotty alder, and also their favorite-- concrete kitchen countertops. Unlike in their previous residence, KJ as well as his specialized team poured charcoal-colored kitchen counters making use of the pre-cast method in the incomplete basement of the new residence. Prior to putting the concrete, they sprayed an array of semi-precious rocks in the mold and mildew consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface area was ground as well as lightly brightened, the finished outcome was an excellent mix of colors, "Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most extraordinary," claims Joy. The L-shaped concrete kitchen counter has a rough, rustic stone look, enhancing its sturdy nation surroundings. An important drain board and also trivets provides function and included interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall surface accents, and a butcher block kitchen counter at the kitchen area island all reverberate with the traditional warmth as well as earthiness of the concrete kitchen counters. Joy and also Ken's particular backgrounds in real estate and also personalized homebuilding, and also as financial investment buyers, have actually helped them recognize that concrete counter tops can include significant visual and financial worth to a home. Concrete's customization and "show-stopping" appeal is like no other kitchen counter surface area. Cheng is an advocate of emotional appearances and also developing homes that capture these feelings, as when it comes to Delight and also Ken Otterman. Cheng wraps up: "People truly desire distinction, something individual, something custom-- and also concrete can do that for them."