The Value of Concrete Countertops
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Article by: Deborah Meyer Customization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and Real Estate Investment for Homeowners From top-dollar homes , Solar Projects – Should You Do Them Yourself? in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes , Tankless Water Heater in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding custom designs , Solar Projects – Should You Do Them Yourself? and finishes in their kitchens. , Air Conditioner Parts In particular, they are looking to express their individuality and distinct design , Home Energy Savings Tips: Compact Fluorescent Lamps preferences with the fast-growing design , Building a Room Addition - First Develop a Room Addition Plan material of choice "ā€¯ concrete. , How to Install Kitchen Cabinets - You Can Do That In fact, concrete , What's So Special About My Front Door? countertops have become somewhat of a status symbol for kitchens, , To Frame or Not to Frame... That is the Question rivaling granite and other high- end countertop surface options. Consumer Reports Magazine (August 2004) ranked concrete , Why Modular Office Buildings? highest for its "customization"Ā¯ and "exclusivity"Ā¯ among high-end kitchen , Best Top Rated Handheld Shower Head countertops. As a custom product, , Acme Juicer - Perfecting The Art Of Juicing the amount of time and craftsmanship required to produce concrete , Adjustable Beds - The Right Choice countertops places , Going Solar Ā– Who is Who? them as the most labor-intensive and priciest among leading countertop materials. However, concrete , Going Solar Ā– Who is Who? countertops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest budget. The latest do-it-yourself (DIY) trend to captivate homeowners and builders is building , Old Cabinets Look New! your own concrete , Toxic Mold Tort Experts countertop. This phenomenon has gained popularity largely due to Cheng's best-selling book Concrete , Table pads - I think this covers everything. Countertops: Design, , Make Your Hardwood Floors Shine Forms, and Finishes for the New Kitchen , Old Cabinets Look New! and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete , Window Shutters On A Budget countertops, yet the creative gains of working with concrete , Durability and Care of Glass Sinks are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Increasingly, homeowners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured look of traditional countertop surfaces and choosing concrete , Toxic Mold Tort Experts for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for personalizing concrete , Eclectic Patio Furniture Shows Your Style countertops are endless: one can color, , Window Shutters On A Budget polish, stamp and stain concrete , What's So Special About My Front Door? or imbed personal objects like stones, , Solar Projects – Should You Do Them Yourself? seashells and fossils into the countertop's surface, adding sentiment and character. Functional features , To Frame or Not to Frame... That is the Question such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can also be incorporated to suit the homeowners' own needs and lifestyle. Concrete is slowly becoming demystified as characteristically cold , A Quick Guide to Plastic Mailboxes and industrial. In contrary, this age-old material is warm and surprisingly tactile; people cannot help but touch their smooth, polished surfaces. Real estate agent Joy Rasmussen, who has recently sold her mountain home , The Right Way Of Using Portable Generator "ā€¯ a short-term investment property , Tankless Water Heater in Steamboat Springs, , Hardwood Floors 101 CO "ā€¯ recounts her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open houses, , Ceiling Fans - More Pleasant Days visitors gravitated to the concrete , Make Your Hardwood Floors Shine countertops "ā€¯ many people around here have never seen them"Ā¯. Joy's 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home , What is Wire EDM? was custom build by her husband, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Homes. , How to Tell if Your Parking Lot or Driveway is in Trouble They built pour-in-place concrete , Get In-Home Care To Help You counters for the home's kitchen , Bathroom Vanity Cabinets - Considerations Before Buying Bathroom Vanities Online and three bathrooms , Make Your Hardwood Floors Shine by using Concrete , Laminate Wood Flooring and the Benefits over Traditional Wood & Ceramic Tile Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete , Designing Professional Porch Railings countertops were polished smooth, then paired with natural , Ceiling Fans - More Pleasant Days slate of varying colors , What's So Special About My Front Door? "ā€¯ like charcoal, rust and gold tones "ā€¯ that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen , If You’re Looking for Bedding, Think “Pink” and baths. As a design , Toxic Mold Tort Experts accent, small rectangular slate tiles , Window Shutters On A Budget were added to the rim of the bathroom , Solar Projects – Should You Do Them Yourself? sinks, which provided a unique detail to the custom vanities. When Joy and Ken decided to sell their house, , Installing landscape lighting their investment in concrete , Air Conditioner Parts countertops proved its value. "We were able to list the house , Vacuum Pump Repair $20,000 over market value, and had no problems selling it,"Ā¯ comments Joy, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their house, , Get In-Home Care To Help You including knotty pine solid doors, , Going Solar Ā– Who is Who? natural , Duct Tape: A Most Versatile Tool slate wall , How to Efficiently Install Ceiling Medallions accents and hardwood floors. , Algae Resistant Roof Shingles "The concrete , Going Solar Ā– Who is Who? countertops were easily the most unique and impressive of all the finishes. I believe they were a huge part in adding value to the home. , Carpet Dye: What You Should Know Around here, all you see in homes , Old Cabinets Look New! are granite countertops "ā€¯and I really think homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite."Ā¯ "Concrete countertops are a unique offering to homebuyers who see the same finishes used in house , Granite Tile: Stone Cold Beauty after house , Air Conditioner Parts they visit,"Ā¯ explains Joy, offering her observation as a seasoned realtor. "Having concrete , The House that Feng Shui Built countertops almost gives you bragging rights "ā€¯ you have something different from your neighbors."Ā¯ BREAKING THE MOLD Another advantage of concrete , Tankless Water Heater is its adaptability in either modern or traditional settings, especially when coupled with other materials like varied metals, , Get In-Home Care To Help You wood , Planning Permission Tips UK - Off Road Car Parking - What Value - Do You Need to Apply for Planning or stone. , If You’re Looking for Bedding, Think “Pink” "Concrete adds so many [possibilities] to stone, , How to Efficiently Install Ceiling Medallions and the combination with slate, which is hugely popular here, gives the mountain homes , Get In- Care To Help You an overall warm, natural , How to Install Kitchen Cabinets - You Can Do That touch,"Ā¯ says Joy. Joy and Ken have since built a much larger home , Retro-fit Hydro Massage Bathtub - Did You Know? (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is meant to serve as a long-term investment for the couple. They've also expanded their list of custom finishes, including hand-troweled walls, , A Quick Guide to Plastic Mailboxes elegant oil-rubbed bronze hardware, , Why Modular Office Buildings? knotty pine doors , The Right Way Of Using Portable Generator that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, , Laminate Wood Flooring and the Benefits over Traditional Wood & Ceramic Tile knotty alder, and their favorite "ā€¯ concrete kitchen , Planning Permission Tips UK - Off Road Car Parking - What Value - Do You Need to Apply for Planning countertops. Unlike in their previous home, , Solar Projects – Should You Do Them Yourself? KJ and his specialty crew poured charcoal-colored countertops using the pre-cast method in the unfinished basement , Going Solar Ā– Who is Who? of the new home. , Building a Room Addition - First Develop a Room Addition Plan Before pouring the concrete, , Tips for Designing with Hardwood Floors they sprinkled an array of semi-precious stones , The Right Way Of Using Portable Generator in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the finished result was an impressive blend of colors, , Vacuum Pump Repair "By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible,"Ā¯ says Joy. The L-shaped concrete , If You’re Looking for Bedding, Think “Pink” countertop has a rough, rustic stone , Ceiling Fans - More Pleasant Days appearance, complementing its rugged country surroundings. An integral drain board and trivets provides function and added interest to the concrete , A Quick Guide to Plastic Mailboxes countertop. Natural , Duct Tape: A Most Versatile Tool slate backsplashes, distinct wall , Tips for Designing with Hardwood Floors accents, and a butcher block countertop at the kitchen , Acme Juicer - Perfecting The Art Of Juicing island all resonate with the traditional warmth and earthiness of the concrete , Custom Log Home Design Ideas countertops. Joy and Ken's respective backgrounds in real estate and custom homebuilding, and as investment homebuyers, have helped them realize that concrete , Choosing The Best Woodworking Saws countertops can add tremendous aesthetic and financial value to a home. , Choosing The Best Woodworking Saws Concrete's customization and "show-stopping"Ā¯ appeal is like no other countertop surface. Cheng is a proponent of emotional aesthetics and building homes , Old Cabinets Look New! that capture these emotions, as in the case of Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: "People really want differentiation, something personal, something custom - and concrete , To Frame or Not to Frame... That is the Question can do that for them."Ā¯ For more information , How to Install Kitchen Cabinets - You Can Do That about concrete , The Cost of Replacement Storm Windows countertops please visit: http://www.ConcreteExchange.com/Deborah Meyer works as Marketing Assistant for Cheng Design, , What Do You use Your Garage For? a Berkeley-based interior design , Window Shutters On A Budget company headed by award-winning designer , Duct Tape: A Most Versatile Tool and author Fu-Tung Cheng. Deborah's work includes writing press releases for Cheng Design , Durability and Care of Glass Sinks and Cheng Concrete , Table pads - I think this covers everything. Exchange, with a focus on do-it-yourself stories of the company's customers. |
  
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