The Value of Concrete Countertops: Customization Raises Aesthetic Attractiveness and Real Estate Investment decision for Homeowners
From top-dollar houses within the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling mountain properties in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating home owners are demanding customized styles and finishes within their kitchens. In distinct, they’re seeking to express their individuality and unique style choices using the fast growing design material of option -concrete.
In fact, concrete counter tops have become relatively of the standing symbol for kitchens, rivaling granite as well as other high-end countertop surface options. Client Studies Journal (August 2004) ranked concrete greatest for its “customization” and “exclusivity” among high-end kitchen counter tops.
As a custom product, the quantity of time and craftsmanship required to create concrete countertops areas them as the most labor-intensive and priciest amongst major countertop materials.
Having said that, concrete countertops are becoming more available for those on a modest budget. The most recent do-it-yourself (Do-it-yourself) development to captivate property owners and builders is making your personal concrete countertop. This phenomenon has obtained reputation largely as a result of Cheng’s best-selling e book Concrete Counter tops: Style, Forms, and Finishes for the New Cooking area and Bathtub (Taunton Press, 2002). Based on Cheng, there is certainly tiny monetary investment decision in creating concrete counter tops, but the inventive gains of operating with concrete are plentiful.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Increasingly, property owners are heading away from the monotonous, produced appear of classic countertop surfaces and picking concrete for its earthy, timeless attraction. Additionally, the options for personalizing concrete counter tops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed private objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertop’s surface area, including sentiment and character. Useful functions including drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can also be incorporated to match the homeowners’ personal needs and life-style.
Concrete is gradually turning into demystified as characteristically cold and industrial. In contrary, this age-old materials is warm and remarkably tactile; men and women can not aid but contact their easy, polished surfaces. True estate agent Pleasure Rasmussen, that has recently offered her mountain household -a short-term investment decision residence in Steamboat Springs, CO -recounts her visitors’ experiences with concrete: “When I’d open houses, visitors gravitated for the concrete counter tops -many individuals around here have never ever observed them”.
Joy’s 2,265 sq. ft. mountain property was customized construct by her husband, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Traditional Particular Custom Houses. They constructed pour-in-place concrete counters to the home’s kitchen area and three bogs by employing Concrete Countertops as their guidebook. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished clean, then paired with all-natural slate of different colours -like charcoal, rust and gold tones -that types the backsplashes inside the kitchen and baths. As being a style accent, tiny rectangular slate tiles were extra to the rim from the toilet sinks, which provided an exceptional detail for the custom made vanities.
When Pleasure and Ken chose to offer their property, their investment decision in concrete countertops proved its worth. “We were able to list the home $20,000 more than market place value, and had no difficulties marketing it,” comments Joy, although talking about the long list of updates throughout their house, like knotty pine strong doorways, natural slate wall accents and hardwood flooring. “The concrete counter tops had been effortlessly by far the most exclusive and spectacular of all of the finishes. I think they had been a huge element in adding value to the dwelling. Around here, all you see in properties are granite countertops ?and I actually think homebuyers are getting really numb with granite.”
“Concrete counter tops are a special supplying to homebuyers who see precisely the same finishes utilised in property soon after property they go to,” explains Pleasure, supplying her observation as a seasoned realtor. “Having concrete counter tops almost provides you bragging rights -you have a thing diverse out of your neighbors.”
BREAKING THE Mould
Another benefit of concrete is its adaptability in both modern day or regular configurations, particularly when coupled with other components like varied metals, wood or stone. “Concrete provides a lot of [possibilities] to stone, as well as the combination with slate, which is hugely well-liked here, gives the mountain properties an overall heat, organic contact,” says Joy.
Joy and Ken have since constructed a substantially bigger residence (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Vacation resort and is meant to serve like a long-term financial commitment for the few. They’ve also expanded their checklist of customized finishes, like hand-troweled partitions, elegant oil-rubbed bronze components, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cupboards in a natural, knotty alder, and their favorite -concrete kitchen area countertops.
As opposed to in their preceding property, KJ and his specialty crew poured charcoal-colored counter tops working with the pre-cast method within the unfinished basement with the new property. Ahead of pouring the concrete, they sprinkled an array of semi-precious stones in the mold which includes Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. Soon after the surface area was floor and lightly polished, the completed result was an spectacular mix of colours, “By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was one of the most outstanding,” claims Joy.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone appearance, complementing its rugged country surroundings. An integral drain board and trivets supplies purpose and extra curiosity to the concrete countertop. All-natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and also a butcher obstruct countertop in the cooking area island all resonate with all the classic heat and earthiness with the concrete counter tops.
Pleasure and Ken’s respective backgrounds in real estate and custom homebuilding, and as financial commitment homebuyers, have aided them realize that concrete counter tops can add huge aesthetic and financial worth to a property. Concrete’s customization and “show-stopping” charm is much like no other countertop floor. Cheng is actually a proponent of emotional aesthetics and constructing properties that capture these emotions, as in the situation of Pleasure and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: “People definitely want differentiation, something personal, a thing customized -and concrete can do that for them.”
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