The Value of Concrete Countertops: Modification Boosts Aesthetic Allure and also Real Estate Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching hill homes in the Colorado Mountain ranges, discriminating home owners are demanding custom-made designs and also finishes in their kitchens. Particularly, they are aiming to reveal their originality and also distinctive layout preferences with the quick growing design material of choice-- concrete. Actually, concrete countertops have actually become rather of a status sign for cooking areas, equaling granite and also various other premium counter top surface options. Consumer Reports Publication (August 2004) placed concrete greatest for its "modification" and also "exclusivity" amongst premium cooking area counter tops. As a custom-made item, the quantity of time as well as workmanship needed to generate concrete kitchen counters puts them as one of the most labor-intensive as well as most expensive amongst leading kitchen counter products. Nevertheless, concrete kitchen counters are becoming extra obtainable for those on a moderate spending plan. The current diy (DIY) pattern to mesmerize house owners and building contractors is developing your very own concrete counter top. This sensation has gotten appeal greatly due to Cheng's best-selling publication Concrete Countertops: Layout, Types, as well as Ends Up for the New Cooking Area and Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little financial investment in making concrete kitchen counters, yet the imaginative gains of working with concrete abound. THE SHOWSTOPPER Progressively, home owners are moving away from the tedious, manufactured look of typical counter top surface areas and also choosing concrete for its natural, timeless appeal. Plus, the choices for individualizing concrete countertops are countless: one can tint, polish, stamp and also discolor concrete or imbed personal things like rocks, seashells and fossils right into the countertop's surface area, including belief as well as personality. Functional attributes such as drainpipe boards, soap meals, as well as trivets can also be integrated to fit the homeowners' very own requirements and also way of living. Concrete is slowly ending up being demystified as typically cool and also commercial. In contrary, this old-time product is warm and also surprisingly responsive; individuals can not aid however touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Property agent Delight Rasmussen, that has actually lately sold her mountain residence-- a short-term investment residential property in Boat Springs, Carbon Monoxide-- recounts her site visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open houses, visitors moved to the concrete counter tops-- many individuals around right here have actually never ever seen them". Delight's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain house was customized construct by her husband, Ken Otterman, together with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Unique Custom-made Houses. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the home's cooking area and three shower rooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then paired with natural slate of varying shades-- like charcoal, corrosion as well as gold tones-- that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen and bathrooms. As a style accent, little rectangular slate tiles were included in the edge of the shower room sinks, which gave an unique detail to the customized vanities. When Joy and also Ken made a decision to sell their home, their financial investment in concrete countertops showed its value. "We had the ability to provide the house $20,000 over market price, as well as had no problems marketing it," remarks Happiness, while going over the long listing of upgrades throughout their home, consisting of knotty ache solid doors, all-natural slate wall surface accents and wood floors. "The concrete counter tops were easily one of the most unique and outstanding of all the surfaces. I believe they were a big component in adding worth to the residence. Around below, all you see in residences are granite counter tops-- and I actually assume buyers are getting quite numb with granite."

2. " Concrete counter tops are an unique offering to homebuyers that see the very same coatings utilized in home after home they see," describes Joy, providing her monitoring as a seasoned real estate professional. "Having concrete countertops nearly gives you bragging legal rights-- you have something various from your next-door neighbors." DAMAGING THE MOLD AND MILDEW An additional benefit of concrete is its flexibility in either contemporary or traditional settings, specifically when coupled with other products like diverse metals, wood or rock. "Concrete includes numerous [opportunities] to stone, and the combination with slate, which is widely prominent right here, gives the mountain houses a general cozy, natural touch," claims Pleasure. Joy as well as Ken have given that constructed a much bigger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses extensive sights of the Boat Ski Resort and also is implied to act ikea countertops review as a long-term investment for the couple. They've likewise expanded their checklist of customized coatings, including hand-troweled wall surfaces, sophisticated oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty yearn doors that curve at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and also their favored-- concrete kitchen area counter tops. Unlike in their previous house, KJ and also his specialty team put charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre- cast method in the unfinished basement of the brand-new