This would be the perfect question for the inspector over at hearth.com Look for elk, he has experence building masonry chimneys and inspects them, he goes by Elk.

I already have my wish list ready: Bathroom Overhaul (all new tub and toilet, tile, add granite counter and new sink to existing cabinet). The vent fan needs replacing as well, I would like an automatic unit that senses humidity and turns itself on and off. New stove and dishwasher. New washer and dryer. Drywall the laundry area and add cupboards and a countertop. Widen the driveway just a bit so the angle isn't quite as sharp and I no longer have to drive over the grass. Deck and screen house around the pool, or take down the pool and install a cement pad and greenhouse in that area. Oh, and I need a new mattress for my bedroom and a queen size bed for my daughter. That should about cover it ;) Dances.

This is a story of what you should NOT do with your house. Bought a tiny 2 bedroom 1950s ranch in 1989. Added a floor and put the living, dining and kitchen on the top floor. It gave us a view of the mountains and the lake. Garage in the basement was incorporated into the basement floor space. Built a detached garage in 1997 to augment the garage that was lacking. Tried to see if we can move up in the neighborhood. Could not afford the comparable view and did not want to give it up. So we brought the middle floor to the stud and reconfigured it for 3 bedroom and 2 bath in 2002. (previously only 1 bath and very knarly floor plan which was inherited from the original house.) Finished the basement with a media room, infloor heating, trim to match the rest of the house etc. Fast forward another few years... We still cannot afford the view in the slightly better neighborhood any other way. (The upcharge is about 1/2 to 1 mil.) We looked at many houses recently! I recently saw a beautiful house that was done very well. But there was no view from the kitchen or the dining room. Saw another house that had a view from the living room only. We are not in the living room until it is dark outside! We would lose our breakfast with sunrise over the mountains. This was the usual story of all the houses that we looked at. At the comparable price point, the houses have the view from the bedroom, not from the kitchen or the living space. Because we have the ususual space arrangement of living/kitchen/dining floor at the top, we have the view from the rooms we use everyday as a family. This is unusual but gives us a very open space with 180 degree view. We are now embarking on a kitchen remodel of the kitchen that was put in 1989/1990. The kitchen was done on a budget and is not at the level of the quality that we have updated the rest of the house. So we are actually the other way around. Whole house remodel first and back to the kitchen which is 20 years old. In the end, we have the house that we want to live in. Had we not done this and lived with what is there or moved to another house and given up a few things, ie view, open living configuration, natural light etc, we would be way ahead in the money! Oh well, you can't take it with you...

Thank you ALL so much for your helpful comments. And, thank you, Courtney, for the picture you posted for me. That fireplace looks great and the picture is inspirational. I would reply to each of you separately but I'm new to this and there doesn't appear to be that option--not that I see anyway. Jan, I understand what you are saying about the curtains. I hope to replace them some day (in the not-too-distant-future) with white plantation shutters. I also understand and agree with your comments about the darker wood and clutter. Some of the clutter on the coffee table and media console has been removed since I read your comment and I am considering plucking up a bit more. I have a light teak stump table between the two navy leather chairs that you don't see in the pictures. It helps lighten things up a bit and has a coastal (driftwood) feel. I also plan to (chalk) paint the wood on the chair to the left of the fireplace and lighten the wood table where the old slot machine sits (I think you thought it was a lantern). I think, possibly, that a big part of the darkness you mention probably comes from our rug. It's a rather good rug and we love it but it doesn't look so coastal. We have similar rugs throughout our home and they looked great when we lived in the Hill Country. Maybe I should think about changing out my rugs too. It's sort of hard to think about doing that but it might also make a huge difference. I do have floor plugs (under the rug), and I will think about adding lamps. I had a table lamp on the table next to the couch but ended up moving it to the back because I didn't like it. (It was probably in the way of my clutter!) We do have recessed lighting, though, and a fan that is not seen in the pictures because of the height of the vaulted ceiling.