The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Boosts Aesthetic Appeal and
The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Increases Aesthetic Appeal and Real Estate Financial 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 demanding customized designs and finishes in their cooking areas. In specific, they are aiming to reveal their individuality and distinct style choices with the quick growing design material of option concrete.
In reality, concrete countertops have ended up being somewhat of a status symbol for kitchen areas, measuring up to granite and other high-end countertop surface area alternatives. Customer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its personalization and exclusivity amongst high-end cooking area countertops.
As a customized item, the quantity of time and workmanship needed to produce concrete countertops positions them as the most labor-intensive and priciest among leading counter top materials.
However, concrete counter tops are becoming more available for those on a modest spending plan. The latest diy (DIY) trend to captivate property owners and home builders is constructing your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually acquired appeal mostly due to Chengs very popular book Concrete Countertops: Design, Kinds, and Ends Up for the New Kitchen Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the innovative gains of working with concrete abound.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, homeowners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured look of conventional counter top surfaces and choosing concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for personalizing concrete countertops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal things like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertops surface, adding sentiment and character. Practical functions such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can likewise be incorporated to fit the property owners own requirements and lifestyle.
Concrete is gradually ending up being debunked as typically cold and commercial. In contrary, this olden product is warm and remarkably tactile; individuals can not assist however touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Real estate representative Happiness Rasmussen, who has actually just recently offered her mountain home a short-term financial investment property in Steamboat Springs, CO recounts her visitors experiences with concrete: When I had open homes, visitors gravitated to the concrete counter tops lots of people around here have actually never seen them.
When Delight and Ken chose to sell their home, their investment in concrete counter tops proved its value. We were able to note the house $20,000 over market price, and had no issues selling it, comments Delight, while going over the long list of upgrades throughout their home, including knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floors. The concrete counter tops were quickly the most special and outstanding of all the surfaces. I think they were a huge part in including worth to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite countertops and I truly believe homebuyers are getting rather numb with granite.
Concrete counter tops are an unique offering to property buyers who see the very same finishes utilized in house after house they visit, describes Joy, offering her observation as a seasoned realtor. Having concrete counter tops practically offers you boasting rights you have something different from your next-door neighbors.
BREAKING THE MOLD
Another benefit of concrete is its adaptability in either contemporary or traditional settings, particularly when combined with other materials like varied metals, wood or stone. Concrete adds numerous [possibilities] to stone, and the mix with slate, which is extremely popular here, provides the mountain homes an overall warm, natural touch, states Pleasure.
Joy and Ken have actually since constructed a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is indicated to act as a long-term investment for the couple. Theyve also broadened their list of customized finishes, consisting of 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 countertops.
Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialized team put charcoal-colored countertops using the pre-cast technique in the incomplete basement of the brand-new home. Before putting the concrete, they sprayed a range of semi-precious stones in the mold consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface area was ground and lightly polished, the finished result was an outstanding mix of colors, Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most amazing, says Joy.
The L-shaped concrete counter top has a rough, rustic stone appearance, matching its rugged country surroundings. An important drain board and trivets offers 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 conventional heat and earthiness of the concrete counter tops.
Joy and Kens respective backgrounds in realty and custom homebuilding, and as financial investment homebuyers, have actually assisted them recognize that concrete counter tops can include significant visual and financial worth to a home. Concretes personalization and show-stopping appeal is like no plumbing article guide other counter top surface area. Cheng is a supporter of emotional aesthetic appeals and constructing homes that record these emotions, as in the case of Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: People truly desire differentiation, something individual, something customized and concrete can do that for them.