The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Aesthetic Allure as well as Property Investment for Homeown

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, differentiating homeowners are requiring personalized designs and coatings in their kitchen areas. Particularly, they are wanting to share their uniqueness as well as distinct layout preferences with the fast growing design product of choice-- concrete. Actually, concrete kitchen counters have ended up being rather of a condition icon for cooking areas, matching granite as well as various other premium countertop surface alternatives. Consumer Reports Publication (August 2004) placed concrete highest for its "customization" and "exclusivity" amongst premium kitchen area countertops. As a customized item, the amount of time and craftsmanship required to generate concrete countertops positions them as the most labor-intensive as well as priciest amongst leading counter top products. Nonetheless, concrete countertops are coming to be extra easily accessible for those on a modest spending plan. The most up to date do-it-yourself (DIY) fad to mesmerize homeowners and home builders is developing your own concrete kitchen counter. This phenomenon has gained appeal largely because of Cheng's very successful book Concrete Countertops: Design, Kinds, as well as 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 imaginative gains of collaborating with concrete abound. THE SHOWSTOPPER Increasingly, house owners are relocating away from the monotonous, manufactured look of standard counter top surfaces and picking concrete for its earthy, ageless charm. And also, the alternatives for personalizing concrete countertops are unlimited: one can tint, gloss, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal items like stones, seashells and also fossils right into the kitchen counter's surface area, including belief as well as personality. Functional functions such as drain boards, soap meals, and also trivets can also be incorporated to fit the home owners' very own demands and also way of life. Concrete is slowly ending up being debunked as characteristically cool as well as commercial. In contrary, this olden material is cozy as well as remarkably responsive; people can not help yet touch their smooth, refined surfaces. Real estate representative Happiness Rasmussen, who has just recently marketed her mountain home-- a temporary investment laminate countertops to match oak cabinets property in Steamboat Springs, Carbon Monoxide-- states her site visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open homes, visitors gravitated to the concrete counter tops-- many people around here have actually never ever seen them". Pleasure's 2,265 sq. ft. hill residence was custom-made build by her partner, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, head of state of Standard Unique Customized Homes. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the home's kitchen area and also three shower rooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then coupled with natural slate of varying shades-- like charcoal, rust as well as gold tones-- that creates the backsplashes in the cooking area and bathrooms. As a layout accent, little rectangular slate floor tiles were added to the rim of the restroom sinks, which gave a special information to the personalized vanities. When Joy as well as Ken determined to sell their home, their investment in concrete kitchen counters verified its worth. "We had the ability to note your home $20,000 over market price, and also had not a problem marketing it," remarks Pleasure, while reviewing the lengthy checklist of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty ache strong doors, natural slate wall accents as well as wood floorings. "The concrete countertops were quickly one of the most distinct and also excellent of all the finishes. I think they were a substantial part in including value to the home. Around right here, all you see in houses are granite kitchen counters-- and I really believe homebuyers are getting fairly numb with granite."

2. " Concrete kitchen counters are an one-of-a-kind offering to homebuyers that see the exact same coatings made use of in house after house they check out," explains Joy, providing her observation as a skilled real estate agent. "Having concrete kitchen counters almost provides you bragging legal rights-- you have something various from your next-door neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD An additional advantage of concrete is its versatility in either modern or traditional setups, particularly when combined with other products like diverse metals, wood or stone. "Concrete adds numerous [possibilities] to stone, as well as the combination with slate, which is hugely popular right here, gives the hill homes a general cozy, natural touch," says Joy. Delight and also Ken have considering that developed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers large sights of the Boat Ski Hotel as well as is implied to function as a long-lasting investment for the couple. They've likewise broadened their list of custom finishes, consisting of hand-troweled wall surfaces, sophisticated oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty ache doors that arch on top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, as well as their favorite-- concrete kitchen area countertops. Unlike in their previous home, KJ and also his specialized crew put charcoal-colored kitchen counters utilizing the pre-cast technique in the unfinished basement of the brand-new house. Prior to pouring the concrete, they sprinkled an array of semi-precious rocks in the mold and mildew including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of- Pearl as well as Blue-green. After the surface area was ground as well as gently polished, the finished result was a remarkable blend of shades, "Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most unbelievable," states Happiness. The L-shaped concrete countertop has a harsh, rustic stone look, matching its sturdy nation environments. An indispensable drainpipe board and trivets provides feature as well as added interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinctive wall accents, as well as a butcher block counter top at the cooking area island all reverberate with the conventional warmth as well as earthiness of the concrete countertops. Joy as well as Ken's corresponding backgrounds in real estate and also personalized homebuilding, and as financial investment buyers, have actually aided them realize that concrete countertops can include significant aesthetic as well as financial value to a residence. Concrete's personalization as well as "show-stopping" allure resembles no other counter top surface area. Cheng is an advocate of psychological aesthetics and building houses that catch these emotions, as when it comes to Happiness and also Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: "Individuals actually desire differentiation, something personal, something customized-- and also concrete can do that for them."