The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Increases Visual Appeal and Real Estate Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Location to stretching mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating house owners are demanding custom designs and surfaces in their kitchen areas. In specific, they are wanting to express their uniqueness and unique design choices with the fast growing style product of choice concrete.
In reality, concrete counter tops have actually become somewhat of a status sign for cooking areas, equaling granite and other high-end counter top surface alternatives. Consumer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its personalization and exclusivity amongst high-end kitchen area countertops.
As a customized product, the amount of time and workmanship required to produce concrete counter tops places them as the most labor-intensive and priciest among leading countertop products.
However, concrete counter tops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest budget. The latest do-it-yourself (DO IT YOURSELF) trend to mesmerize homeowners and home builders is constructing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has gotten appeal mainly due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Design, Types, and Finishes for http://photohistory.oregonstate.edu/works/half/the-importance-of-regular-plumbing-maintenance the New Cooking Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the innovative gains of working with concrete are plentiful.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, property owners are moving away from the dull, manufactured appearance of conventional countertop surfaces and selecting concrete for its earthy, ageless appeal. Plus, the options for customizing concrete countertops are unlimited: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface, adding sentiment and character. Practical features such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can also be incorporated to match the property owners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is gradually ending up being demystified as typically cold and commercial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and surprisingly tactile; people can not help however touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Property agent Delight Rasmussen, who has just recently sold her mountain home a short-term investment property in Steamboat Springs, CO recounts her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open homes, visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops many people around here have actually never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was customized construct by her spouse, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Homes. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes cooking area and 3 restrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then paired with natural slate of differing colors like charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen and baths. As a design accent, small rectangle-shaped slate tiles were contributed to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which provided a distinct information to the custom vanities.
When Happiness and Ken chose to sell their house, their financial investment in concrete countertops proved its worth. We were able to note your house $20,000 over market value, and had no issues offering it, remarks Delight, while talking about the long list of upgrades throughout their house, consisting of knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floorings. The concrete countertops were easily the most unique and outstanding of all the finishes. I believe they were a substantial part in adding value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops and I truly believe homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite.
Concrete countertops are a special offering to property buyers who see the exact same surfaces utilized in home after home they check out, discusses Happiness, providing her observation as a seasoned realtor. Having concrete countertops nearly gives you boasting rights you have something different from your neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another advantage of concrete is its adaptability in either modern or traditional settings, especially when combined with other products like different metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the combination with slate, which is hugely popular here, gives the mountain homes a general warm, natural touch, states Delight.
Joy and Ken have because built a much bigger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is indicated to act as a long-term financial investment for the couple. Theyve likewise broadened their list of custom surfaces, including hand-troweled walls, classy oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their favorite concrete kitchen countertops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty team put charcoal-colored counter tops using the pre-cast technique in the incomplete basement of the brand-new home. Before putting the concrete, they sprinkled a range of semi-precious stones in the mold consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Blue-green. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the finished result was an impressive mix of colors, By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most extraordinary, states Delight.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone appearance, matching its rugged nation environments. An integral drain board and trivets offers function and added interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block countertop at the kitchen island all resonate with the traditional warmth and earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens respective backgrounds in property and custom homebuilding, and as financial investment property buyers, have actually assisted them realize that concrete countertops can include tremendous visual and monetary worth to a home. Concretes modification and show-stopping appeal resembles no other countertop surface area. Cheng is a supporter of psychological aesthetics and developing homes that catch these feelings, as in the case of Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: Individuals actually want distinction, something personal, something custom-made and concrete can do that for them.