The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Rises Aesthetic Allure as well as Real Estate Financial Investment for

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Location to stretching hill homes in the Colorado Mountain ranges, discriminating homeowners are requiring custom layouts and finishes in their kitchen areas. Particularly, they are aiming to reveal their uniqueness and distinctive layout choices with the rapid expanding style product of choice-- concrete. In fact, concrete counter tops have actually ended up being somewhat of a status sign for kitchen areas, measuring up to granite and also various other high-end counter top surface area choices. Customer News Publication (August 2004) placed concrete greatest for its "personalization" and also "exclusivity" among high-end kitchen area counter tops. As a custom product, the amount of time and also craftsmanship required to produce concrete counter countertops home depot canada tops places them as one of the most labor-intensive and also most costly amongst leading kitchen counter materials. However, concrete kitchen counters are becoming a lot more available for those on a small budget. The current do-it-yourself (Do It Yourself) pattern to captivate property owners as well as builders is building your very own concrete kitchen counter. This sensation has actually gotten popularity largely because of Cheng's very successful publication Concrete Countertops: Design, Types, and also Ends Up for the New Kitchen and Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the creative gains of dealing with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Significantly, homeowners are relocating away from the dull, manufactured appearance of traditional kitchen counter surface areas and also selecting concrete for its natural, classic allure. And also, the alternatives for individualizing concrete kitchen counters are unlimited: one can tint, polish, stamp and also tarnish concrete or imbed individual objects like rocks, seashells as well as fossils into the countertop's surface area, adding sentiment as well as personality. Useful attributes such as drainpipe boards, soap dishes, and trivets can also be integrated to suit the homeowners' very own requirements and lifestyle. Concrete is slowly ending up being demystified as classically chilly as well as industrial. In contrary, this old-time product is warm and also remarkably tactile; people can not assist yet touch their smooth, sleek surface areas. Real estate agent Joy Rasmussen, that has lately offered her hill house-- a short-term investment residential property in Steamboat Springs, CO-- recounts her site visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open houses, site visitors moved to the concrete countertops-- lots of people around right here have never ever seen them". Joy's 2,265 sq. ft. hill home was customized construct by her other half, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Custom Residences. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the house's kitchen area as well as three washrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete counter tops were polished smooth, then paired with all-natural slate of differing colors-- like charcoal, corrosion and also

2. gold tones-- that develops the backsplashes in the kitchen area and also baths. As a design accent, tiny rectangular slate floor tiles were added to the edge of the washroom sinks, which offered an one-of-a-kind detail to the custom-made vanities. When Delight and Ken chose to market their home, their financial investment in concrete countertops verified its value. "We had the ability to note your house $20,000 over market price, and also had no worry offering it," comments Joy, while going over the lengthy list of upgrades throughout their home, consisting of knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall surface accents and hardwood floors. "The concrete counter tops were quickly one of the most distinct and excellent of all the finishes. I think they were a big part in including worth to the house. Around here, all you see in houses are granite kitchen counters-- and also I actually believe homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite." " Concrete counter tops are a special offering to property buyers that see the same finishes used in house after residence they see," discusses Pleasure, providing her monitoring as a seasoned realtor. "Having concrete kitchen counters virtually gives you boasting civil liberties-- you have something different from your neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD AND MILDEW One more benefit of concrete is its versatility in either contemporary or typical setups, especially when coupled with other materials like diverse steels, wood or stone. "Concrete adds a lot of [possibilities] to stone, and also the mix with slate, which is extremely preferred below, provides the hill homes a general warm, natural touch," says Pleasure. Happiness as well as Ken have actually considering that developed a much bigger residence (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers expansive views of the Boat Ski Resort and also is implied to serve as a long-lasting financial investment for the couple. They have actually additionally expanded their list of custom-made surfaces, consisting of hand- troweled wall surfaces, classy oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty want doors that arch on top, closets in a natural, knotty alder, and their favorite-- concrete kitchen area countertops. Unlike in their previous residence, KJ as well as his specialized crew poured charcoal-colored kitchen counters utilizing the pre-cast approach in the incomplete basement of the new