Kitchens With Concrete Countertops and Home Value

I’ve seen a lot of kitchens with concrete countertops on Houzz and Pinterest. And while it looks super intriguing, I’m curious about how well homes with concrete countertops resell.

Kitchens with concrete countertops has been growing as a trend over the past 10 years, moving from West to East throughout the United States. To share how concrete can work for you and increase home value, consider a couple stories from homeowners who choose it for their renovation projects.

From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding custom designs and finishes in their kitchens. In particular, they are looking to express their individuality and distinct design preferences with the fast growing design material of choice — concrete.

In fact, kitchens with concrete countertops have become somewhat of a status symbol, rivaling granite and other high-end countertop surface options. Consumer Reports Magazine ranked concrete highest for its “customization” and “exclusivity” among high-end kitchen countertops.

The Showstopper

Increasingly, homeowners are moving away from the sameness in the manufactured look of traditional countertop surfaces and choosing concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for personalizing concrete kitchen countertops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertop’s surface, adding sentiment and character. Functional features 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 and industrial. On the 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 — a short-term investment 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 seen them.”

Return on Investment

Joy’s 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom built by her husband, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Homes. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the home’s kitchen and three bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then paired with natural slate of varying colors — like charcoal, rust and gold tones — that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen and baths. As a design accent, small rectangular slate tiles were added to the rim of the bathroom sinks, which provided a unique detail to the custom vanities.

When Joy and Ken decided to sell their house, their investment in concrete countertops proved its value. “We were able to list the house $20,000 over market value, and had no problems selling it,” comments Joy, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their house, including knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floors. “The concrete 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. Around here, all you see in homes are granite countertops —and I really think homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite.”

“Concrete countertops are a unique offering to homebuyers who see the same finishes used in house after house they visit,” explains Joy, offering her observation as a seasoned realtor. “Having concrete countertops almost gives you bragging rights — you have something different from your neighbors.”

If you are looking to tap into this new trend, don’t stop with your vision. Contact ACo today to learn how you can make your kitchen with concrete countertops dream come true. We look forward to working with you!