Personalization increases aesthetic appeal and real estate investment for homeowners
From high-value homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discerning homeowners demand custom designs and finishes in their kitchens. In particular, they seek to express their individuality and distinct design preferences with the fast-growing design material of choice: concrete.
In fact, concrete countertops have become a kind of
status symbol for kitchens, rivaling granite and other
final countertop surface options. Consumer Reports Magazine
(August 2004) ranked concrete highest for “customization” and “uniqueness” among high-end kitchen countertops.
As a custom product, the amount of time and labor required to produce concrete countertops ranks them as the most labor-intensive and costly of the leading countertop materials.
However, concrete countertops are becoming more affordable for those on a modest budget. The latest do-it-yourself (DIY) trend to wow homeowners and builders alike is to build your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has gained popularity in large part due to Cheng’s best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete countertops, but the creative gains from working with concrete are plentiful.
THE SHOW
Increasingly, homeowners are moving away from the drab, manufactured look of traditional countertop surfaces and choosing concrete for its timeless, earthy appeal. Plus, the options for customizing concrete countertops are endless: concrete can be colored, polished, stamped, and stained, or embed personal items like rocks, seashells, and fossils into the countertop surface, adding sentiment and character. Functional features such as drain boards, soap dishes and trivets can also be incorporated to suit the homeowners needs and lifestyle.
Concrete is slowly being demystified as characteristically cold and industrial. On the contrary, this ancient material is warm and surprisingly tactile; people can’t help but touch its smooth, polished surfaces. Real estate agent Joy Rasmussen, who recently sold her mountain home, a short-term investment property in Steamboat Springs, CO, recounts her visitors’ experiences with concrete: “When I had open houses, visitors They gravitated towards concrete countertops – a lot of people around here have never seen them.”
Joy’s 2,265 sq. ft. ft. The mountain home was custom built by her husband, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Homes. They built poured-in-place concrete countertops for the home’s kitchen and three bathrooms using Concrete Countertops as a guide. Sand-colored concrete countertops have been polished smooth, then paired with natural slate in various colors, including charcoal, rust, and gold tones, that form the backsplashes in the kitchen and bathrooms. As a design accent, small rectangular slate tiles were added to
the surround of the bathroom sinks, which provided a unique detail to the custom vanities.
When Joy and Ken decided to sell their home, their investment in concrete countertops proved its worth. “We were able to list the house for $20,000 above market value and had no problem selling it,” says Joy, as she reviews the long list of upgrades throughout the house, including solid knotty pine doors, natural slate accents on the hardwood walls and floors. “The concrete countertops were without a doubt the most unique and impressive of all the finishes. I think they were an important part in
adding value to the house. Around here, all you see in houses are granite countertops, and I really think homebuyers are going to sleep on granite.”
“Concrete countertops are a unique offering for homebuyers who see the same finishes used in home after home they visit,” Joy explains, offering her insight as a seasoned realtor. “Having concrete countertops almost gives you bragging rights – you have something different from your neighbors.”
BREAK THE MOLD
Another advantage of concrete is its adaptability in modern or traditional settings, especially when combined with other materials such as various metals, wood, or stone. “Concrete adds so many [possibilities] to the stone, and the combination with the slate, which is very popular here, gives the mountain houses an overall warm and natural touch,” says Joy.
Joy and Ken have since built a much larger home (4,000 square feet) that offers expansive views of Steamboat Ski Resort and is intended to serve as a long-term investment for the couple. They’ve also expanded their list of custom finishes, including hand-smoothed walls, elegant oil-rubbed bronze hardware, arch-top knotty pine doors, cabinets in a natural knotty alder, and their favorite: stainless steel kitchen countertops. concrete.
Unlike his previous home, KJ and his specialized team poured charcoal-colored countertops using the precast method in the unfinished basement of the new home. Before the concrete was poured, they sprayed a number of semi-precious stones into the mold, including leopard skin, moonstone, mother-of-pearl, and turquoise. After lightly grinding and polishing the surface, the end result was a stunning color combination. “By far the mother-of-pearl was the most amazing,” says Joy.
The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone look that complements its rugged country setting. An integral drain board and trivet bring functionality and added interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinctive wall accents, and a butcher block countertop on the kitchen island resonate with the traditional warmth and earthiness of concrete countertops.
Joy and Ken’s respective backgrounds in real estate and custom home construction, and as investment homebuyers, have helped them realize that concrete countertops can add tremendous aesthetic and financial value to a home. Concrete’s customization and “wow” appeal is unlike any other countertop surface. Cheng is a proponent of emotional aesthetics and building houses that capture these emotions, as in the case of Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes, “People really want differentiation, something personal, something personalized, and concrete can do that for them.”
For more information on concrete countertops, visit: http://www.ConcreteExchange.com/
