I am in the process of updating my fireplace hearth as we also will install a gas fireplace insert. The wall surrounding the fireplace is stone and we will not remove that. I've removed the old hearth and reduced the overhang to be a rectangle shape. I'd like to use a material that is more contemporary but still looks great with the stone. My two material ideas are to make the hearth of a sleek wood in a dark cherry or smoky mahogony stain. There is an offset mantle further down on the wall that could be updated with the same wood material to tie the look together. My other thought is to use a 10x20 sleek tile with 1/8 grout line, and possible glass tile accent trim. This is the fireplace that will go in: http://www.kingsmanind.com/files/file/152/idv33_36_100.pdf Picture of the fireplace here: https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=772a390f7245b2ba&page=play&resid=772A390F7245B2BA!311&authkey=wBNqeH5xVWY%24

I believe what you are asking is this: would it be worth it for me to purchase this house, given I don't like how it is looking now? I would say, unless it has something that really appeals to you: a great location, price, view, etc, I would move on. Here is why: Overcrowded and "Miami-vice" look can be changed easily. Fireplace can easily be updated, as well as the stairs. But: 1) Note there is no place to put the tv, except the stair wall. The room is all windows. Notice they currently have a door blocked. I imagine that is the window with the view. Corner fireplaces are challenging to work around. 2) The windows in the upstairs are awkward. Is this an A-frame with no windows in the bedrooms? If you can close the windows in, fine. But then if there are no other windows in the rooms, then not good. They could be trying to put the focus on the view, which I imagine is on the wall with the sofa? Now, it could be that none of that bothers you. But, I am trying to point out the negatives. There may be many positives or this might be the best for the price.

Thanks very much! I accidentally included pictures that showed the front of the house before we replaced the kitchen window and added a window to the left of the front door. The quick background is we renovated the kitchen during quarantine (because that is a fun project to take on with working remotely full time in IT and having kids at home 24/7 :)) and as part of that project we replaced the double casement kitchen window with one that has a larger, fixed center flanked by casement windows on each side. We took the old kitchen window and added it to the bedroom that is to the left of the front door. Previously, there was no window on that wall. This seemed like a no brainer at the time because the wall to the left of the door was begging for a window. We also ended up adding a 4 ft. by 5 ft. double casement window to a wall in the master bedroom that looks out onto the backyard. Against my better judgement I ordered the same window for a smaller bedroom that has the same orientation to the backyard as the master bedroom. My hesitation in ordering it was that this bedroom is smaller and has french doors that open onto our back patio, and I suspected the window was going to be too large for the room. Once it arrived, it was clear that I had made a mistake. However, I had an aha moment when I realized it would be perfect in the front bedroom (to the left of the front door). If you are reading along at home and shaking your head, I UNDERSTAND! SO! The window by the front door will be replaced with the new window. May I claim quarantine craziness?! I swear I'm usually much better at executing on projects.

Since it appears that the original fireplace is a woodburner with gas logs installed, you need to keep a non-combustible hearth extension, You can cover up all of the exposed sheet metal on the fireplace, which will give you more of a low-slung, linear look like you show in your "after paint" photo, but anything that covers the face of the fireplace must be non-combustible. If that 's drywall I see on there, it needs to come off. Unless you have a specific purpose for shelves on that wall, get rid of them in your design. Let form follow function. The size, height and arrangement should be connected strongly to your purpose. Stone always looks better al the way up to the ceiling. I would only go somewhat wider than the fireplace to create a strong focal point. Unless you have a mid-centruy modern aesthetic you're working with, placing stone on the whole wall will make the texture less special, Since your fireplace is already raised off of the floor, I recommend against placing the TV over it, not because of the height of the TV, but because it will be an awkward fit. Come up with a side-by-side arrangement you both can live with.