The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and Property Investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching 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 express their individuality and unique style choices with the quick growing style material of choice concrete.
In reality, concrete countertops have become rather of a status sign for kitchens, rivaling granite and other high-end countertop surface area choices. Consumer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its customization and exclusivity among high-end kitchen area countertops.
As a custom product, the quantity of time and craftsmanship needed to produce concrete countertops positions them as the most labor-intensive and priciest among leading counter top products.
However, concrete counter tops are becoming more available for those on a modest spending plan. The current diy (DIY) trend to captivate property owners and home builders is constructing your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has gotten appeal mainly due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Design, Types, and Ends Up for the New Cooking Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial financial investment in making concrete countertops, yet the innovative gains of working with concrete abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, house owners are moving away from the dull, manufactured look of traditional counter top surface areas and picking concrete for its earthy, classic appeal. Plus, the alternatives for personalizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal items like stones, seashells and fossils into the counter tops surface, including sentiment and character. Practical features such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can likewise be included to fit the homeowners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly becoming demystified as typically cold and industrial. In contrary, this age-old product is warm and remarkably tactile; individuals can not assist however touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Real estate agent Pleasure Rasmussen, who has actually just recently offered her mountain home a short-term financial investment residential or commercial property in Steamboat Springs, CO recounts her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open houses, visitors gravitated to the concrete counter tops many people around here have never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom build by her other half, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom-made Homes. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes kitchen and 3 restrooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then coupled with natural slate of varying colors like charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen and baths. As a style accent, little rectangle-shaped slate tiles were added to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which offered a special detail to the customized vanities.
Concrete countertops are a special offering to homebuyers who see the same surfaces utilized in home after home they check out, describes Pleasure, providing her observation as an experienced real estate agent. Having concrete counter tops practically gives you boasting rights you have something various from your neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another advantage of concrete is its flexibility in either modern or traditional settings, specifically when paired with other materials like varied metals, wood or stone. Concrete includes numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is extremely popular here, offers the mountain homes an overall warm, natural touch, says Pleasure.
Joy and Ken have since developed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses expansive 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 surfaces, including hand-troweled walls, sophisticated 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 specialized crew put charcoal-colored countertops utilizing the plumber Canberra pre-cast method in the unfinished 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 gently polished, the finished result was an outstanding mix of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most amazing, states Delight.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone look, complementing its rugged country surroundings. An integral drain board and trivets provides function and included interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block counter top at the kitchen island all resonate with the traditional heat and earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens particular backgrounds in real estate and customized homebuilding, and as financial investment homebuyers, have actually assisted them recognize that concrete counter tops can add significant aesthetic and monetary value to a home. Concretes customization and show-stopping appeal is like no other countertop surface. Cheng is a supporter of psychological aesthetics and developing homes that capture these feelings, as in the case of Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People actually want differentiation, something individual, something custom and concrete can do that for them.