The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Visual Appeal and
The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Modification Increases Aesthetic Appeal and Real Estate Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are requiring customized designs and surfaces in their kitchens. In particular, they are aiming to express their individuality and unique design preferences with the quick growing style material of choice concrete.
In truth, concrete countertops have actually become rather of a status sign for kitchen areas, equaling granite and other high-end countertop surface area choices. Customer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its personalization and exclusivity amongst high-end kitchen water pressure troubleshooting countertops.
As a custom item, the quantity of time and craftsmanship required to produce concrete countertops positions them as the most labor-intensive and most costly among leading counter top materials.
However, concrete counter tops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest spending plan. The current diy (DO IT YOURSELF) trend to captivate homeowners and contractors is building your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has gained appeal mostly due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Style, Types, and Completes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete countertops, yet the innovative gains of dealing with concrete are plentiful.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, house owners are moving far from the tedious, manufactured look of conventional counter top surfaces and picking concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the choices for customizing concrete counter tops are limitless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface area, adding sentiment and character. Functional features such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can likewise be included to suit the homeowners own needs and lifestyle.
Concrete is gradually ending up being debunked as typically cold and commercial. In contrary, this age-old product is warm and surprisingly tactile; individuals can not assist but touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Property agent Happiness Rasmussen, who has recently offered her mountain home a short-term investment property in Steamboat Springs, CO states her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open homes, visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops many individuals around here have never ever seen them.
When Happiness and Ken chose to offer their home, their financial investment in concrete countertops proved its worth. We were able to list your home $20,000 over market price, and had no issues offering it, comments Happiness, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their home, consisting of knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floorings. The concrete countertops were easily the most distinct and impressive of all the finishes. I believe they were a huge part in including value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops and I really think property buyers are getting quite numb with granite.
Concrete countertops are an unique offering to property buyers who see the very same finishes utilized in home after house they go to, describes Delight, providing her observation as a skilled real estate agent. Having concrete counter tops almost offers you boasting rights you have something different from your next-door neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another benefit of concrete is its versatility in either modern or standard settings, specifically when paired with other products like varied metals, wood or stone. Concrete includes numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the combination with slate, which is hugely popular here, provides the mountain homes a general warm, natural touch, states Happiness.
Joy and Ken have actually because constructed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is suggested to function as a long-lasting financial investment for the couple. Theyve also expanded their list of custom-made 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 favorite concrete kitchen area counter tops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty team poured charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre-cast approach in the unfinished basement of the brand-new home. Before putting the concrete, they sprinkled a variety of semi-precious stones in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface area was ground and gently polished, the finished result was an excellent mix of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most unbelievable, states Joy.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone look, complementing its rugged nation environments. An integral drain board and trivets provides function and included interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block counter top at the kitchen island all resonate with the traditional warmth and earthiness of the concrete countertops. Emergency Advice
Joy and Kens particular backgrounds in realty and custom homebuilding, and as investment property buyers, have assisted them understand that concrete countertops can add remarkable visual and financial value to a home. Concretes customization and show-stopping appeal is like no other counter top surface. Cheng is a proponent of psychological aesthetic appeals and constructing homes that record these feelings, as when it comes to Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: Individuals truly want differentiation, something individual, something custom and concrete can do that for them.