The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Modification Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and Property Financial investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Location to stretching mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding customized designs and surfaces in their kitchens. In specific, they are aiming to express their uniqueness and unique design preferences with the fast growing design material of choice concrete.
In truth, concrete countertops have actually become somewhat of a status sign for kitchen areas, measuring up to granite and other high-end countertop surface alternatives. Consumer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its customization and exclusivity amongst high-end kitchen countertops.
As a customized item, the amount of time and workmanship required to produce concrete counter tops positions them as the most labor-intensive and priciest among leading counter top materials.
However, concrete countertops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest budget. The latest diy (DO IT YOURSELF) pattern to captivate homeowners and contractors is building your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has acquired popularity largely due to Chengs best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Style, Types, and Finishes for the New Kitchen Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete countertops, yet the creative gains of working with concrete abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, house owners are moving far from the boring, manufactured appearance of traditional countertop surface areas and picking concrete for its earthy, classic appeal. Plus, the alternatives for individualizing concrete countertops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual items like stones, seashells and fossils into the counter tops surface, adding sentiment and character. Practical features such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can also be included to fit the property owners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is gradually becoming demystified as typically cold and commercial. In contrary, this age-old product is warm and remarkably tactile; people can not assist but touch their smooth, refined surface areas. Realty agent Joy Rasmussen, who has just recently offered her mountain home a short-term investment residential or commercial 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 never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom construct by her other half, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Customized Homes. They developed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen area and 3 bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete counter tops 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 style accent, small rectangle-shaped slate tiles were contributed to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which provided an unique detail to the custom vanities.
When Happiness and Ken decided to offer their house, their financial investment in concrete counter tops proved its worth. We were able to note your house $20,000 over market value, and had no issues offering it, remarks Delight, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their house, including knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floorings. The concrete counter tops were easily the most distinct and outstanding of all the finishes. I think they were a substantial part in adding worth to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops and I truly think homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another benefit of concrete is its adaptability in either modern-day or traditional settings, especially when combined with other materials like different metals, wood or stone. Concrete includes many [possibilities] to stone, and the combination with slate, which is hugely popular here, offers the mountain homes a total warm, natural touch, states Delight.
Joy and Ken have actually since built a much bigger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is implied to serve as a long-lasting financial investment for the couple. Theyve also expanded their list of custom-made surfaces, including Fix-It Right Plumbing hand-troweled walls, classy oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their preferred concrete kitchen counter tops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty crew poured charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre-cast technique in the incomplete basement of the new home. Before pouring 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 area was ground and lightly polished, the finished result was an excellent blend of colors, By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible, says Delight.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone look, complementing its rugged country surroundings. An integral drain board and trivets offers function and included interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block countertop at the kitchen island all resonate with the standard warmth and earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens respective backgrounds in real estate and custom affordable plumber near me homebuilding, and as investment homebuyers, have actually assisted them understand that concrete counter tops can add remarkable visual and monetary worth to a home. Concretes modification and show-stopping appeal resembles no other countertop surface area. Cheng is a proponent of psychological aesthetic appeals and developing homes that catch these emotions, as when it comes to Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People truly want distinction, something personal, something custom and concrete can do that for them.