The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Increases Visual Appeal and Real Estate Financial investment for Homeowners
From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding custom designs and finishes in their kitchen areas. In particular, they are wanting to reveal their uniqueness and distinct design choices with the quick growing style material of option concrete.
In truth, concrete countertops have actually ended up being rather of a status symbol for kitchens, matching granite and other high-end counter top surface options. Consumer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its personalization and exclusivity among high-end cooking area countertops.
As a customized item, the quantity of time and craftsmanship needed to produce concrete counter tops places them get leak detection as the most labor-intensive and most costly amongst leading counter top products.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, homeowners are moving far from the tedious, manufactured look of standard counter top surface areas and choosing concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for customizing concrete countertops are unlimited: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal items like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface, including sentiment and character. Practical features such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can likewise be included to suit the property owners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly ending up being demystified as characteristically cold and commercial. In contrary, this olden product is warm and surprisingly tactile; people can not assist however touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Property representative Delight Rasmussen, who has actually 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 individuals around here have actually never ever seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom develop by her husband, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom-made Homes. They developed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes cooking area and 3 bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete counter tops were polished smooth, then coupled 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 rectangular slate tiles were added to the rim of the restroom sinks, which offered a special information to the custom-made vanities.
When Joy and Ken chose to offer their house, their investment in concrete counter tops proved its value. We were able to note the house $20,000 over market value, and had no problems selling it, remarks Joy, while talking about the long list of upgrades throughout their home, consisting of knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floors. The concrete counter tops were quickly the most unique and outstanding of all the surfaces. I think they were a substantial part in including worth to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops and I really believe property buyers are getting quite numb with granite.
Concrete countertops are an unique offering to property buyers who see the same finishes used in house after house they visit, discusses Happiness, using her observation as a seasoned real estate agent. Having concrete counter tops almost gives you boasting rights you have something various from your neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another advantage of concrete is its versatility in either Have a peek here modern or standard settings, particularly when combined with other materials like varied metals, wood or stone. Concrete includes numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the combination with slate, which is hugely popular here, gives the mountain homes a general warm, natural touch, states Joy.
Joy and Ken have because developed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is suggested to serve as a long-term investment for the couple. Theyve likewise broadened their list of custom-made surfaces, 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 cooking area countertops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty team put charcoal-colored counter tops using the pre-cast method in the unfinished basement of the new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprayed an array of semi-precious stones in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the finished result was an outstanding mix of colors, By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most extraordinary, says Happiness.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone appearance, matching its rugged nation environments. An important drain board and trivets supplies function and added interest to the concrete counter top. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block countertop at the kitchen island all resonate with the conventional warmth and earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens particular backgrounds in realty and custom-made homebuilding, and as investment property buyers, have helped them recognize that concrete counter tops can include remarkable visual and financial value to a home. Concretes personalization and show-stopping appeal is like no other counter top surface area. Cheng is an advocate of emotional visual appeals and building homes that record these feelings, as in the case of Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: Individuals really desire differentiation, something personal, something custom and concrete can do that for them.