The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Modification Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and Realty 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-made designs and finishes in their kitchen areas. In particular, they are seeking to reveal their individuality and unique style preferences with the quick growing style material of option concrete.
In truth, concrete countertops have ended up being rather of a status symbol for kitchens, matching granite and other high-end countertop surface alternatives. Consumer Reports Publication (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its personalization and exclusivity amongst high-end kitchen countertops.
As a custom item, the quantity of time and workmanship 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 budget plan. The current diy (DO IT YOURSELF) pattern to mesmerize house owners and home builders is building your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually gained popularity largely due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Ends Up for the New Kitchen Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the innovative gains of dealing with concrete are Fix-It Right Plumbing plentiful.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, house owners are moving far from the boring, manufactured appearance of standard countertop surfaces and picking concrete for its earthy, ageless appeal. Plus, the choices for individualizing concrete countertops are limitless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface area, including belief and character. Functional functions such as drain boards, soap meals, and trivets can also be incorporated to fit the property owners own needs and lifestyle.
Concrete is gradually ending up being demystified as characteristically cold and industrial. In contrary, this age-old product is warm and remarkably tactile; people can not help but touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Realty agent Pleasure Rasmussen, who has actually recently sold 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 lots of people around here have actually never seen them.
Joys 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom-made build by her hubby, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Customized Homes. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters for the homes cooking area and three 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 area and baths. As a design accent, little rectangle-shaped slate tiles were added to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which supplied a special detail to the custom vanities.
Concrete counter tops are a special offering to property buyers who see the same surfaces used in home after home they check out, explains Pleasure, using her observation as a seasoned real estate agent. Having concrete counter tops nearly provides 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, especially when combined with other materials like different metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is extremely popular here, provides the mountain homes a total warm, natural touch, states Delight.
Joy and Ken have since developed a much bigger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses extensive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is suggested to work as a long-term financial investment for the couple. Theyve also 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 specialized team put charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre-cast technique in the unfinished basement of the brand-new home. Before putting the concrete, they sprinkled a selection of semi-precious stones in the mold consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Blue-green. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the finished result was an impressive blend of colors, By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most unbelievable, says Joy.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone appearance, matching its rugged nation surroundings. 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 counter top at the kitchen island all resonate with the standard warmth and earthiness of the concrete countertops.
Joy and Kens respective backgrounds in real estate and custom-made homebuilding, and as financial investment homebuyers, have helped them understand that concrete countertops can add remarkable visual and monetary value to a home. Concretes customization and show-stopping appeal resembles no other countertop surface. Cheng is a supporter of psychological looks and building homes that catch these emotions, as in the case of Happiness and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: Individuals actually desire distinction, something personal, something custom-made and concrete can do Fix-It Right Plumbing advantages that for them.