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From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching mountain houses in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding custom-made designs as well as coatings in their kitchen areas. Particularly, they are wanting to reveal their individuality and distinctive style choices with the rapid expanding design product of choice-- concrete.

As a matter of fact, concrete counter tops have actually ended up being somewhat of a condition icon for cooking areas, matching granite as well as various other high-end countertop surface choices. Consumer Information Magazine (August 2004) placed concrete highest for its "customization" and "exclusivity" amongst high-end kitchen area counter tops.

As a personalized product, the amount of time and craftsmanship required to generate concrete countertops positions them as one of the most labor-intensive as well as most costly among leading countertop materials.

Nevertheless, concrete countertops are ending up being extra obtainable for those on a small spending plan. The most up to date do-it-yourself (DIY) pattern to mesmerize property owners countertops jobs and also home builders is constructing your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has obtained appeal largely because of Cheng's very successful book Concrete Countertops: Layout, Types, and Ends Up for the New Cooking Area and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete kitchen counters, yet the creative gains of dealing with concrete are plentiful.

THE SHOWSTOPPER

Significantly, homeowners are moving far from the dull, manufactured appearance of standard counter top surfaces and selecting concrete for its earthy, ageless allure. And also, the options for personalizing concrete countertops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and also discolor concrete or imbed individual things like rocks, seashells and fossils into the countertop's surface area, including view and also personality. Practical features such as drainpipe boards, soap meals, as well as trivets can likewise be incorporated to suit the house owners' own requirements as well as lifestyle.

Concrete is slowly coming to be demystified as characteristically cool and also industrial. In contrary, this age-old material is cozy as well as surprisingly tactile; individuals can not assist but touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Realty agent Pleasure Rasmussen, who has just recently offered her hill residence-- a temporary 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 countertops-- many people around here have never ever seen them".

Delight's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was customized build by her partner, Ken Otterman, in addition to KJ Otterman, head of state of Standard Unique Personalized Homes. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the residence's kitchen area as well as 3 bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their overview. The sand-colored concrete kitchen counters were brightened smooth, after that paired with natural slate of differing colors-- like charcoal, rust and gold tones-- that develops the backsplashes in the kitchen area as well as baths. As a design accent, small rectangle-shaped slate ceramic tiles were added to the edge of the washroom sinks, which provided a special information to the customized vanities.

When Delight and also Ken decided to offer their residence, their financial investment in concrete counter tops confirmed its value. "We had the ability to detail your home $20,000 over market price, and also had no problems selling it," remarks Happiness, while going over the long listing of upgrades throughout their house, including knotty pine strong doors, natural slate wall accents and also wood floors. "The concrete counter tops were easily the most distinct and also outstanding of all the coatings. I think they were a big component in adding worth to the house. Around right here, all you see in homes are granite counter tops-- and I truly assume homebuyers are getting rather numb with granite."

" Concrete countertops are an unique offering to buyers who see the very same coatings made use of in home after home they check out," explains Pleasure, providing her monitoring as a seasoned real estate agent. "Having concrete countertops virtually provides you boasting legal rights-- you have something various from your neighbors."

DAMAGING THE MOLD AND MILDEW

One more benefit of concrete is its adaptability in either modern or standard setups, particularly when paired with various other materials like varied steels, timber or stone. "Concrete includes numerous [opportunities] to stone, as well as the combination with slate, which is widely popular right here, gives the hill homes a total cozy, all-natural touch," says Joy.

Joy and also Ken have since built a much bigger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses large sights of the Boat Ski Resort and also is implied to act as a long-term investment for the pair. They have actually additionally increased their checklist of custom-made finishes, including hand-troweled walls, classy oil-rubbed bronze equipment, knotty yearn doors that arch on top, cabinets in an all-natural, knotty alder, and also their favorite-- concrete kitchen area counter tops.

Unlike in their previous home, KJ as well as his specialized team put charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre-cast approach in the incomplete cellar of the brand-new residence. Before pouring the concrete, they sprayed a selection of semi-precious stones in the mold and mildew including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface area was ground as well as lightly brightened, the finished outcome was an impressive mix of shades, "Without a doubt, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most amazing," claims Joy.

The L-shaped concrete countertop has a harsh, rustic stone appearance, complementing its rugged country environments. An indispensable drainpipe board and also trivets offers feature and included interest to the concrete countertop. All-natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, as well as a butcher block countertop at the cooking area island all reverberate with the conventional heat as well as earthiness of the concrete countertops.

Pleasure and also Ken's particular histories in real estate and custom-made homebuilding, and also as investment property buyers, have actually helped them understand that concrete countertops can include tremendous visual and also economic worth to a home. Concrete's personalization as well as "show-stopping" charm is like no other counter top surface. Cheng is a proponent of emotional appearances as well as developing homes that record these feelings, as in the case of Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng wraps up: "Individuals truly desire distinction, something individual, something custom-- as well as concrete can do that for them.