" It has a wood shake roof that needs to be replaced very soon." Can she have it repaired? I know replacing shake with shake is not allowed, but repairs to existing roof is usually allowed. I had heard from several roofers that my shake roof in Phoenix needed replacement. A good shake roofing contractor removed the damaged shakes and put in new ones for way less than a full replacement. There are good-looking fake shake replacements: http://blog.davinciroofscapes.com/blog/fake-cedar-shake is one. http://www.classicmetalroofingsystems.com/products/country-manor-shake/ is a metal roofing with a shake look And they might allow shake if it's fire retardant http://www.watkinsawmills.com/fire.html

Thanks for the replies! I've got rolls of R-30 fiberglass ready to roll out, just waiting until I figure out what to do about air sealing. The house was designed in 1910 to be comfortable in the summer without A/C, so it has deep eaves and great ventilation. Downstairs is comfortable except on the very worst days. It's only upstairs that has a heat problem in the summer. (If money were no object, sure, I'd pop for cooling right away for both floors.) Good catch on the 5 ton vs. 4 ton unit, that was sloppy of them. http://www.energyvanguard.com/blog-building-science-HERS-BPI/bid/53540/Keep-Your-Elbow-Rigid-A-Lesson-in-Flex-Duct-Installation agrees that at least the places where ducts bend should be metal, and the guy who came out mentioned they would be. I was disappointed to not see that spelled out in the estimate. The past two years of energy use were: 2013 heating degree days: 1501 2013 electric, gas use: 16960 kwh / $5,235.29, 1334 therms / $1,600.88 2014 heating degree days: 1037 2014 electric, gas use: 11609 kwh / $2050.43, 948 therms / $1,259.44 Electricity use declined because a) I started paying attention and turning things off when not in use, b) I replaced about 70 (!) light bulbs with LEDs, and c) I stopped using an electric space heater. My previous solar house had 4.5 hours of full sun on average over the year (i.e. its 8kw array generated 36 kwh/day on average). This one has slightly more shading so I'm guessing it'll get 4 kwh/kw on average, or 32 kwh/day. The price after subsidies is about $18,000, or about $720/year over 25 years. (Net metering is truly a sweet deal.) My goal in partly switching from natural gas to solar electricity is not to save money, but rather to reduce my carbon footprint. Supposedly all new residential houses in California are supposed to be zero net energy by 2020; I wanted to see how practical that was for my historic house. I'm still figuring it out.

Hello Carolly, There is a very high likelihood that you will have asbestos in the home, but the only way to be certain is to have a test done. Please keep in mind that by the law, any home that was built before 1978 needs to have lead and asbestos testing done prior to any remodeling/demolition/disruption of surfaces such as drywall, paint, tile, stucco. etc. It is very hard to tell you what the cost would be without having more details, as there is so many variables, but it could quite possibly cost you $100K or more. Your best bet is to do the testing first since if there is lead and/or asbestos present, you would need to hire a licensed remediation company to do the removal (the remediation in itself can be costly), and meet with some local contractors and architects to get a better idea of the costs.

Comments (without reading anyone else's) Kitchen: looks fine except that wall of squares and rectangles. I am glad no subway, though I would have wanted something warmer for the tile color. Island and floor are stunning. I like the cabinet pulls. Bath: Again, happy with no subway. I could do with a lot less gray, and I think the shower tiling is way too busy. That mirror is cool. Back yard: Too small for the price this is offered at, but this is San Fran after all. For what they have, they did a nice job. Exterior: I'd like to see a light tan or beige color to that stucco. Just to keep it less industrial looking. Front entryway: That could grow on me. Much of the interior: WAY WAY too open for me. Too much noise bouncing around. Spend some moolah on some properly-placed walls! I'm with you, Lars! Bath sink area: I like the marble or granite they used, and the fixtures -, the door is not me at all. Stairs going up: I like. I have to stop here and note that the dire lack of color on walls is truly disturbing, but nothing that can't be solved with several or more gallons of PAINT. Things were going good until bathroom image 32. That thing I'd replace within a week of purchase. Or was that a laundry room? Terribly vanilla for a high end home, or for any home. I like lots of balcony space. Hallway with all the doors: would have to see why all those doors, but I do like that they are wood-framed - adds some interest to the home.