The value of concrete counter tops customization increases aesthetic appeal and 51372

The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Increases Aesthetic Appeal and

The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and Real Estate Investment for Homeowners

From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Location to stretching mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating house owners are requiring customized designs and surfaces in their kitchens. In particular, they are aiming to express their uniqueness and unique design choices with the fast growing design material of option concrete.

In truth, concrete counter tops have actually become rather of a status sign for cooking areas, equaling granite and other high-end counter top surface area options. Customer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its modification and exclusivity amongst high-end cooking area countertops.

As a custom product, the amount of time and craftsmanship required to produce concrete counter tops positions them as the most labor-intensive and most costly amongst leading counter top products.

However, concrete counter tops are ending up being more available for those on a modest budget. The latest do-it-yourself (DO IT YOURSELF) trend to captivate property owners and contractors is developing your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually acquired appeal mainly due to Chengs best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Kinds, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the innovative gains of working with concrete abound.

THE SHOWSTOPPER

Increasingly, property owners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured look of standard counter top surfaces and picking concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for personalizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface area, adding sentiment and character. Practical functions such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can likewise be included to match the property owners own requirements and lifestyle.

Concrete is gradually becoming demystified as characteristically cold and commercial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and remarkably tactile; people can not assist however touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Realty agent Delight Rasmussen, who has just 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 counter tops many people around here have actually never ever seen them.

Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made build by her husband, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Homes. They developed pour-in-place concrete trusted plumber in Langwarrin counters for the homes kitchen and three bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops 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 design accent, small rectangular slate tiles were contributed to the rim of the restroom sinks, which offered a special information to the custom-made vanities.

When Happiness and Ken decided to sell their house, their financial investment in concrete counter tops proved its value. We were able to note your home $20,000 over market value, and had no issues selling it, remarks Pleasure, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floors. The concrete counter tops were easily the most distinct and remarkable of all the surfaces. I think they were a big part in including worth to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops and I really think homebuyers are getting rather numb with granite.

Concrete countertops are a special offering to property buyers who see the exact same finishes used in house after house they go to, discusses Delight, offering her observation as a skilled real estate agent. Having concrete countertops practically offers you bragging rights you have something various from your next-door neighbors.

BREAKING THE MOLD

Another advantage of concrete is its adaptability in either modern or traditional settings, specifically when combined with other products like varied metals, wood or stone. Concrete includes numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is hugely popular here, gives the mountain homes a total warm, natural touch, says Pleasure.

Joy and Ken have considering that built a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is meant to serve as a long-term investment for the couple. Theyve also broadened 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 countertops.

Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialized team poured charcoal-colored countertops using the pre-cast approach in the incomplete basement of the new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprayed a selection 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 impressive blend of colors, By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible, states Pleasure.

The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone look, matching its rugged nation environments. 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 counter top at the kitchen island all resonate with the traditional warmth and earthiness of the concrete countertops.

Joy and Kens respective backgrounds in property and customized homebuilding, and as investment property buyers, have helped them recognize that concrete counter tops can include significant visual and monetary worth to a home. Concretes modification and show-stopping appeal is like no other counter top surface. Cheng is a proponent of psychological aesthetics and building homes that record these feelings, as in the case of Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: Individuals actually want distinction, something individual, something custom and concrete can do that for them.