The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and
The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Modification Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and Real Estate Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating house owners are requiring custom designs and surfaces in their cooking areas. In specific, they are wanting to reveal their individuality and distinct style choices with the fast growing style product of option concrete.
In truth, concrete countertops have actually ended up being somewhat of a status sign for kitchens, rivaling granite and other high-end countertop surface alternatives. Customer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its customization and exclusivity amongst high-end cooking area countertops.
As a custom-made item, the quantity of time and workmanship required to produce concrete counter tops positions them as the most labor-intensive and priciest amongst leading counter top materials.
However, concrete countertops are ending up being more accessible for those on a modest budget. The current diy (DIY) pattern to captivate house owners and contractors is building your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually gained appeal mainly due to Chengs best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Kinds, and Completes for the New Kitchen Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the imaginative gains of working with concrete abound.
Increasingly, house owners are moving far from the tedious, manufactured appearance of standard counter top surfaces and selecting concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for individualizing concrete countertops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal items like stones, seashells and fossils into the counter tops surface, adding belief and character. Practical features such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can also be integrated to fit the homeowners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly ending up being demystified as characteristically cold and commercial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and surprisingly tactile; individuals can not help but touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Realty agent Happiness Rasmussen, who has actually recently sold her mountain home a short-term investment residential or commercial property in Steamboat Springs, CO states her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open houses, visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops many people https://www.fixitrightplumbing.com.au/plumber-croydon/ around here have actually never seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made construct by her spouse, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Houses. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen and three bathrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then paired with natural slate of varying colors like charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen and baths. As a design accent, little rectangle-shaped slate tiles were added to the rim of the restroom sinks, which provided a special information to the customized vanities.
When Happiness and Ken decided to sell their house, their investment in concrete countertops proved its worth. We had the ability to list the house $20,000 over market value, and had no issues offering it, comments Delight, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their house, consisting of knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floors. The concrete counter tops were quickly the most distinct and remarkable of all the finishes. I think they were a big part in adding value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite countertops and I truly believe homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite.
Concrete countertops are a distinct offering to homebuyers who see the exact same finishes used in home after home they visit, explains Pleasure, providing her observation as an experienced real estate agent. Having concrete counter tops nearly provides you bragging rights you have something various from your neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another advantage of concrete is its flexibility in either modern-day or traditional settings, specifically when paired with other products like diverse metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is hugely popular here, provides the mountain homes an overall warm, natural touch, says Joy.
Joy and Ken have considering that constructed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that provides expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is implied to act as a long-lasting investment for the couple. Theyve likewise expanded their list of customized finishes, consisting of 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 area counter tops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty crew put charcoal-colored countertops utilizing the pre-cast approach in the incomplete basement of the brand-new home. Before putting the concrete, they sprayed a variety 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 outcome was an excellent blend of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most unbelievable, says Delight.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone appearance, complementing its rugged nation environments. An integral drain board and trivets supplies function and included interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, unique 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 real estate and customized homebuilding, and as investment property buyers, have assisted them recognize that concrete countertops can add incredible visual and monetary worth to a home. Concretes personalization and show-stopping appeal resembles no other countertop surface. Cheng is an advocate of emotional aesthetics and developing homes that record these emotions, as when it comes to Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: Individuals actually want differentiation, something personal, something custom-made and concrete can do that for them.