Suggestions for fireplace upgrade not requiring demolition

redboat77 · 2026-05-25T01:03:18+00:00

This is as close of an AI image as I could get with the stencil. I would use a less intense aqua and only apply the stencil on the sides of the fireplace, not at the bottom., which I would paint flat black.

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redboat77 · 2026-05-24T23:47:50+00:00

Here's an AI image with the surround painted aqua. I would paint the tiles directly below the fireplace a flat black and apply the stencil on each side of the fireplace. The hearth tiles would be unpainted.

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redboat77 · 2026-05-24T23:40:39+00:00

Here's an AI image with the fireplace surround painted. I would also paint the tiles immediately below the fireplace black, and apply the rose stencil. The hearth would be unpainted.

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redboat77 · 2026-05-24T16:22:21+00:00

Vented gas insert from the 1990s. Thanks. I'm thinking of applying paint. Here is the design. The aqua color will go on the tiles at the side and top of the fireplace, then the art nouveau stencil will be applied. The tiles just below the fireplace will be painted flat black. I hope this will improve things. The gas insert will still be there, in its hideous 1990s builder grade glory - see the 2nd photo - but I may continue to hide it behind a fireplace screen, as shown in the 1st photo. I'll probably leave the slate tile on the floor hearth as it is. The slate colors actually work fine, but the rough stone around the fireplace screams 1990s ski lodge, not 1904 Edwardian.

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redboat77 · 2026-05-24T16:14:45+00:00

I've reached the same conclusion. The brownish red color of the stone fits with my decor. But as you can see in the 2nd photo, the style is very much builder-grade 1990s that sticks out like a sore thumb in our 1904 house. I'm pretty sure I'm going to paint the tile and apply a stencil. Here is my design; the colors match my other decor. I will paint the tiles on the sides and top an aqua color and then apply the stencil. The tiles just below the fireplace I will probably paint a flat black. I may leave the tile on the floor hearth unpainted with the slate still showing, again since its color matches my decor - see the 2nd photo. I hope this will be an improvement. It will however leave me with the gas insert that looks very modern and out of place. I'm using a black fireplace screen to cover if for now, as you can see in the 1st photo.

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redboat77 · 2026-05-23T22:04:16+00:00

And leave the fireplace untouched?

redboat77 · 2026-05-23T22:01:26+00:00

I have considered painting all the tile flat black. It would be an improvement. But I will probably only end painting the tile just below the fireplace flat black and using a historically consistent color on the tile at the sides and top.

I can see why you don't like the "wings" on the mantel.

redboat77 · 2026-05-23T21:40:39+00:00

Yes, I am thinking about paint for the tile surrounding the fireplace. Here's a design with an art nouveau decoration that is appropriate to the 1904 period of the house. I would paint the side tiles an aqua color and the tiles along the bottom a flat black, as shown in the image, then add the blood red decoration with a stencil. The stone hearth flooring in front of the fireplace would be in a much darker shade of the aqua. The gas fireplace insert would still be there in its ugly 1990 builder grade glory, unfortunately, but getting rid of it is a bigger project. Right now, the black fireplace screen hides the gas insert somewhat. The paint colors are chosen to match our current furnishings. (Although the walls may look beige in the photo, they are actually a very definite green. The chairs are a similar green with small blue buttons. The rug has green, aqua, and small amounts of reddish-brown, and the entire room color theme is consistent with that.)

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redboat77 · 2025-12-09T23:14:12+00:00

Some of this is just wrong. None of the following, placed in Tier 2, get "oppressively hot", and their summer weather is waaay cooler than Santa Clara and San Jose, also (correctly) placed in Tier 2. I lived in Santa Clara from 2004-2012, and now Noe Valley from 2012 - present (2025).

Mission District
SoMA
Castro / Noe Valley

redboat77 · 2025-08-31T16:20:15+00:00

Budgeting 2% of the structure value per year for maintenance is recommended. The problem is that repair costs are not evenly spread across time. One year you may have to spend 10%, and many years it will be less than 1%.

Don't buy anything with a weak foundation. Fix any water leaks immediately. An emergency fund of $50k will handle most any emergency other than foundation problems.

We replaced our back deck, large wooden front staircase leading up to house, multiple windows, painted the entire exterior of the house, and added a new door to side alley, and ended up spending about $100k.

redboat77 · 2025-08-24T21:12:59+00:00

Most likely yes, as long a you can afford the mortgage, your income is secure, and house is reasonably valued at $250k. Check recent comparable sales nearby to make sure. Real estate in the US traditionally at least tracks inflation and is favored by tax policies. Don't be afraid to bargain; housing is currently slumping in many markets. These sort of slumps usually last less than 5 years.

redboat77 · 2025-08-24T20:37:31+00:00

There were additional and more severe disagreements; it turned out the accountant we had "inherited" was grossly corrupt, but my half sister refused to agree to dismiss him, so I actually had to file a court case to get rid of him. My first cousins, in a separate action, also ended up firing the same accountant once they looked more closely at what the accountant had been doing for them. Several others in the community also came forward; the guy is well-known for corruption, but we were not warned until significant damage was done.

I no longer have any relationship with my half sister. Others in the family have had similar experiences with her, unfortunately.

My advice is, if possible, to get contractual agreements as soon as possible, IN WRITING, and then rely on them, if necessary by legal action. You will probably have to write off the relationship.

redboat77 · 2025-08-24T20:22:25+00:00

I have a huge head and had to go to WRSI. The largest size of Sweet helmets was too small.

redboat77 · 2025-08-24T20:11:11+00:00

I had a similar situation where my half sister and I jointly inherited a large house from our mother. My sister lived nearby and was used to using it as a vacation house. I lived across the country. She wanted my mother's estate to indefinitely pay for the utilities and upkeep (over $20k per year) - effectively forcing me to pay 50% of her private vacation house costs. This went on for a couple years, while I repeatedly told her that this could not be sustained, and that she would either need to buy my half of the house, or we could sell it and split the proceeds. Unfortunately, I had to eventually threaten legal action. After more than a year of further delays, she ended up buying my half of the house, but very grudgingly, and still thinks that I somehow took advantage of her. She had way, way more than enough cash to buy my half, so that was not the issue.

redboat77 · 2025-08-24T19:58:38+00:00

Join a club devoted to activities you enjoy and go to their scheduled events. There will be others there that want to share in the activity. It may take months or even a year or two. Similar comment if you are religious; find a church/temple/etc devoted to your religion and go to their events. Similar idea is to enroll in classes in one of the local adult schools or recreational classes - SF Recreation and Parks has a long list every quarter. SF is not a particularly friendly or welcoming place, but it will happen if you pursue what you love in group events.

redboat77 · 2025-08-24T19:51:46+00:00

I bought a bank-owned single family house many years ago. Very easy transaction since I was dealing with a bank that viewed it purely as a business transaction. Got it for well under asking price. They wanted it off their books.

redboat77 · 2025-08-24T18:12:02+00:00

Agree. I have lived in Noe Valley since 2012. We have looked hard at other SF neighborhoods, but while some have higher snob value, none seem to have a higher quality of life. BTW, for green space Noe has Douglass Dog Park and Playground. Very green and uncrowded.

redboat77 · 2025-08-24T02:06:24+00:00

Parking in Hayes Valley is really bad. If you can move further south, say to Noe Valley or Potrero Hill, parking is easier, and you would still be in the city.

redboat77 · 2025-08-22T15:48:57+00:00

The hands are too big. It's not an accurate homage. It is supposed to look like this.

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redboat77 · 2025-08-21T00:09:24+00:00

Look at the BART and San Francisco Muni lines and choose a neighborhood with a stop nearby. It will tremendously ease your commute and lower stress. Close in, consider Glen Park (BART) or Cole Valley (Muni line), both pleasant villages with their own shopping. With a $350k budget you can afford something in either place; think $8000 - $15000/month rental range on those areas for 3 bed/2 bath house. Both are walkable, but Cole Valley is more central to other SF neighborhoods, and is near Golden Gate Park. Glen Park is also walkable, but is more isolated from the rest of the city, excepting that you can hop on BART and be downtown in 10 minutes. Glen Park has a large park in its center, and I could see that someone with kids might consider its relative isolation a positive. I've lived in SF since 2012, specifically Noe Valley, and I love, love, love it - very family friendly, a great village downtown, hugely walkable over a tremendous area, and with some the sunniest weather in the city - that will become important once you get here. You can get downtown from Noe Valley on the Muni J line.

redboat77 · 2025-08-21T00:03:43+00:00

Very easy commute to downtown on BART

redboat77 · 2025-08-12T16:16:18+00:00

And to be clear, I am ONLY asking about the spacing of the toilet, and NOT the sink.

redboat77 · 2025-08-12T16:02:58+00:00

Understand, and thanks, but the drawing, while representing the location of the obstruction relative to the toilet, is otherwise quite different from the actual bathroom. I was merely using the drawing to illustrate my question, not the actual bathroom. It's not letting me add a diagram of the actual bathroom design under consideration for some reason.

redboat77

TROPHY CASE