The value of concrete countertops customization increases visual appeal and
The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Increases Visual Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Personalization Increases Visual Appeal and Property 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-made styles and finishes in their cooking areas. In particular, they are seeking to express their individuality and distinct design choices with the quick growing style material of option concrete.
In fact, concrete counter tops have actually ended up being rather of a status sign for kitchen areas, measuring up to granite and other high-end counter top surface area alternatives. Customer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its personalization and exclusivity amongst high-end kitchen countertops.
As a customized product, the quantity of time and workmanship needed to produce concrete countertops puts them as the most labor-intensive and most expensive among leading countertop products.
However, concrete countertops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest budget plan. The current diy (DO IT YOURSELF) pattern to mesmerize house owners and home builders is developing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has acquired popularity largely due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Style, Kinds, and Completes for the New Kitchen Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary financial investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the creative gains of working with concrete are plentiful.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, homeowners are moving far from the tedious, manufactured look of traditional countertop surface areas and choosing concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for customizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed individual things like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface, adding sentiment and character. Practical features such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can also be incorporated to suit the property owners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly becoming demystified as typically cold and commercial. In contrary, this olden material is warm and surprisingly tactile; people can not help but touch their smooth, polished surfaces. Property agent Happiness Rasmussen, who has recently sold her mountain home a short-term financial 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 lots of people around here have never seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was customized build by her other half, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Custom 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 paired with natural slate of varying colors like charcoal, rust and gold tones that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen area and baths. As a style accent, little rectangular slate tiles were added to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which provided a distinct detail to the customized vanities.
When Happiness and Ken chose to offer their house, their investment in concrete countertops showed its value. We had the ability to note your house $20,000 over market value, and had no problems selling it, remarks Delight, while talking about the long list of upgrades throughout their house, including knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents and wood floors. The concrete counter tops were quickly the most unique and impressive of all the finishes. I think they were a substantial part in adding value 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 counter tops are a special offering to property buyers who see the exact same surfaces used in house after home they check out, explains Pleasure, offering her observation as a seasoned realtor. Having concrete counter tops practically offers you boasting rights you have something various from your next-door neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another advantage of concrete is its versatility in either contemporary or standard settings, particularly when combined with other products like different metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the combination with slate, which is hugely popular here, provides the mountain homes a total warm, natural touch, says Delight.
Joy and Ken have actually considering that built a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that provides expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is meant to act as a long-lasting investment for the couple. Theyve also expanded their list of customized finishes, including hand-troweled walls, elegant 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 team put charcoal-colored countertops using the pre-cast method in the incomplete basement of the new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprinkled a variety of semi-precious stones in the mold consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the completed result was a remarkable mix of colors, By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most amazing, says Pleasure.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone look, complementing its rugged nation environments. An important drain board and trivets provides 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 property and customized homebuilding, and as financial investment property buyers, have actually assisted them recognize that concrete counter tops can include significant visual and financial worth to a home. Concretes customization and show-stopping appeal is like no other counter top surface area. Cheng is a proponent of emotional visual appeals and constructing homes that record these feelings, as in the case of Joy and Ken Otterman. licensed plumbing professionals Cheng concludes: People actually desire distinction, something individual, something custom-made and concrete can do that for them.
