Yes, the usual problem… way too much money required to fix everything under the covers. They are very understanding (and grateful) and are already considering what they are going to have to remove from their list. I did have budget allotted for rebuilding the kitchen addition.
Does anyone have an opinion on whether we should keep the hearth ledge thing sticking out from the wall? I don’t know what their design style is. If they like Mid Century Modern, (which doesn’t go with the house style at all) then we should leave it in
What is the cheaper option? 
In the picture it looks pretty ugly and beat up, is that just because of the demo or is it really that ugly?
What is the plan for this fireplace?
If you can freshen it up a bit, I’d say keep it.
FYI those latest pictures seem to be on Flip 5 rather than the Flip 6 album. I would agree with keeping the hearth for now and let the owners decide how they want to finish it.
If you can do it cheaply, rip it out.
Marilyn, thanks for that catch. I accidentally added to the #5 group. I have moved them into #6 group now.
All of the fireplace is going to get new tile. That hearth sticks out about 6" above the floor. Have no idea how someone cleans underneath it. But, it can be tiled with same fireplace tile if we want.
Probably cheaper to rip it out rather than trying to tile top and sides and I honestly do not even know what the bottom looks like, I’m not into crawling around and checking things at that house right now.
I am suddenly really busy with paperwork (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it) to hang out a long time over at that project. Yuck… don’t want to be there. My carpenter calls up every couple of hours with “OMG… you are not going to believe what I just found” followed by excruciating detailed explanation and ending with “I need to wait for you to get over here and check this out and tell me what to do. I don’t need to come check it out!!! I can tell you what to do… RIP IT OUT and fix it.”
Did I miss the link to the number 6 group? Maybe the link was private messaged only to those who specified they wanted to see pictures? If so, I would also like to see the photos. Thanks.
If the link was already posted in this thread, just tell me and I’ll search for it. Thanks.
Oh brother. Is $60,000 really enough to deal,with all of this?
Photos are on Flickr
See Post #78
It amazes me what you and your crew are willing and able to do at such reasonable rates. Just remodeling bathrooms around here (Honolulu) had budgets of 6 figures.
cb, I have a suggestion for the Flickr links – can you number each picture in its title? It would be great to be able to refer to one of your photos by number.
Originally I thought the hearth was a nice piece of stone, in which case I’d say leave it. But if it isn’t, I’d say rip it out. A raised hearth like that with sharp edges is just the kind of thing a toddler is going to fall and hit their head on.
Each Flickr picture has a name - that should be good enough for reference. No need for extra work!
I don’t think that hearth adds anything to the home as it is. A raised hearth looks nice…in my opinion…but NOT that one! It’s awful. If you are going to have a raised hearth…which you might need depending on where the floor of the actual fire place is…build a nice new one.
We have a raised hearth in this home and had one in our previous home. Toddlers can fall and hit their head on kitchen cabinet corners too…doesn’t mean you eliminate cabinets
We made the decision to remove the jutting hearth. All I could think about is “how does anyone clean under that thing”?
We are going to do a nice wood mantle with molding that will surround the fireplace and something neutral on the floor for a hearth. New hardwood floors are getting installed in the family room for continuity from the front of the house
Today is the fun day at this remodel. We are going out to buy all of the bathroom stuff because that is something the guys can work on while it is pouring rain here. Going to get a new bathtub and make a decision between fiberglass bathtub surround or tile bathtub surround. The tile provides the Wow factor and is better for resale. But, if she is going to stay in the house with young kids the fiberglass surround is much easier to clean and is less expensive. Her choice.
Then we will pick out some fun tile for the flooring, new vanity and all the fixtures.
I’m hoping that it doesn’t matter if we load the bathtub into the back of the truck and transport it in the pouring rain. It’s a bathtub… it’s meant to get wet ??
I’ve had problems with fiberglass/plastic surrounds and don’t particularly like them.
The single-piece ones (all three sides are one single piece) are very hard to work with unless there are no walls in the way. The multiple-piece ones never fit together perfectly flat and level because the walls will not be perfectly flat and level. Maybe it’s my lack of skill, idk.
And they are ugly and look cheap IMO unless you really go high-end with corian or the like.
I don’t feel like they are that much easier to clean, either. Especially if they have built-in storage or shelf moldings. You have to be careful scrubbing them because you can take the shiny finish off.
You can get some pretty inexpensive tile, it doesn’t have to be the fancy stuff you normally use. Material-wise cheap tile is probably not any more expensive than a decent fiberglass surround. You are only looking at 60 sq ft or so of tile I would guess.
Yes, she will probably pick the tile choice and we can do a really good job shopping hard for tile. It’s the cost of labor to put in the tile that is expensive. But, I’m pretty sure my carpenter would be grateful if I didn’t show up with the fiberglass panels that he has to try to install on old studs that are probably not straight and level