Granite Countertops for Kitchens that are the Center of the home
Natural and cultured stone counters add style and value to new homes
 The kitchen is the heart of the home and, according to some, a key to resale value. In many new home designs, the kitchen has become an area of high visibility as both the place where the family gathers and the center for entertaining. The choice of what material to use for kitchen counters -- which often incorporate a serving area and bar -- takes on added importance. Products including Silestone and Avanza, which are manufactured in Houston, have been received well by homebuilders, but natural stone -- particularly granite -- continues to top the list for high-end products, two Houston builders said.
"The saying in real estate used to be location, location, location. Now it's granite, granite, granite," said residential builder Jim Frankel of Jim Frankel Custom Homes. Granite counters have been a trademark of high-end custom builders. Now, he said, less exotic granites with simple-cut edges are also a staple of higher-end production homes. Production builder Ryland Homes now installs granite countertops as standard in a third of its homes, said Patrick O'Flynn, marketing manager for Ryland's Houston division.
"Whether you're buying or remodeling, the two places where you're going to get the most return on your investment, in my opinion, are countertops and flooring," he said.
A granite countertop in a Ryland home costs about $3,200, "but the value is there," O'Flynn said. "We as builders are still looking at ways to offer solid surface countertops to buyers in all the price bands." Natural granite is a very hard mineral -- so hard that cutting directly on it is not recommended because the material will damage a knife blade. The trend to natural and cultured stone countertops has been fueled by the Internet and TV home-improvement shows.
"The Internet gives people a color picture of the material, and they buy it," said Frankel. "There is a big trend toward natural stone. Marble, granite and limestone are so available today that people all over the world import them."
Although high-end new constructions might feature countertops made of concrete, cultured stone or stainless steel, Frankel said his customers "almost always" opt for natural stone.
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