A properly operating steam system is an excellent heating device. You should not have to be doing this and you may be doing more harm than good. You need to find a professional who knows steam heat and get him in there to to identify issues, correct them and instruct you in how to live with your current boiler. Burnham makes good steam boilers. I suspect with all the clean water that has been added by you and the previous owner that there is quite a lot of debris in the system. A properly operating steam system should have an auto fill device to maintain the water levels. Fresh water has all kinds of chemicals in it. When you heat the water many of those chemicals will leach out of solution and coat the insides of your system. That will/can reduce heat transfer and create hot spots in the equipment. Get a pro in there. Today would be good!

I would do the grasscloth on the full wall -- including the bulkhead. And I would paint the walls in a tone to "match" the grasscloth as closely as possible so that the viewer's eye sees a co-hesive roomscape. And yes! -- putting in lights to highlight a buffet and/or artworks would be lovely too! :) Jan

I am trying to visualize the dining area, not sure if I have it right. Do you already have particular papers in mind? At any rate, I love wallpaper and have a lot in my home, including the kitchen and dining room. The most difficult application was in an alcove in my bathroom, but it is very pretty. I don't see why you couldn't have paper in both areas as long as the paint, trim, and art complement each other. Will you be doing it yourself or hiring hangers?

The new bilco doors are at least $800 (uninstalled) around here. The cost of the new stairs will be rolled into your estimates for excavation and foundation, and will depend on how many stairs you need, if the mixer truck can get close or if they need additional equipment to move the concrete in, etc. Figure at least a couple grand. Your public library may have a copy of the National Construction Estimator books - it took me a little while to figure out how to use them, but if you use the high cost area factor you should be able to get a sense of prices for various options. I bet there is an app for this, too, but I haven't found it.