You're right, that is ugly. I lucked out and bought a house with a gorgeous stone fireplace built back in the 1960s. But my stone is cut and stacked and flush with the walls. It's definitely an integral part of the fireplace. Based on the way the stone on yours juts out, it may not be. What is the outside the chimney made of? You might be able to tell if the stone is integral to your fireplace by removing the screen and looking up above the sill plate. Or you could take a saw with a diamond blade and/or a chisel (depending on the condition of the mortar) and remove the mortar around one of the stones. If it;s just "decorative" you should be able to pry it off. That technique may also work to remove all the stones if they're just attached to the fireplace. It's how I removed some of the bricks in my downstairs fireplace when we needed to raise the sill plate to fit an insert. It's a lot of work, but it is the kind of thing you can do yourself. It could actually be fun depending on how much you hate the stone.

Binsd--The Ranch Style lives! Love this thread because I too am the proud(?) owner as of last Feb of a 1960s ranch home. I got all the cool stuff from the 60s and 70s: avocado appliances, gold flocked wallpaper, pink tile, gold colored accents. Oh yeah! Immediately took the house down to the studs to turn it into a Modern Farmhouse. I took inspiration from these: Walker-Warner Sonoma Farmhouse (http://www.walker-warner.com/indexf.html#POR-GRC-001) Christine Lane, Boston, MA (http://christinelaneinteriors.com/) I think ranchers are particularly suited to blend styles. They were a bit funky then and they can still be. Yet, if you want to lean slightly more traditional, they can sustain the transitional. I think they are way more flexible than many styles. Your home in particular has some good bones! The raised ceilings and open one-story floorplan are great for toddlers since you can see them from most rooms. If you can mix some of your Spanish furniture with some more contemporary pieces, I think it will have that California Spanish casual style--with a cleaner look. Love it! In the green bathroom, take out the brass and replace with frameless glass. It will immediately look more contemporary. A glass company should be able to make the shower enclosure (this one's traditional, but you get the picture): From Misc photos If you want to embrace the modern look, peruse: Atomic Ranch (http://www.atomic-ranch.com/). I think they have more Eichlers than Ranch, but it gives you an idea of that style. Here's my old house and the old stuff that was in it, then here are two exterior shots of what it looks like now: From Menlo Farmhouse From Menlo Farmhouse From Menlo Farmhouse From Menlo Farmhouse From Menlo Farmhouse I wish I could cite all of the great pics I have seen in magazines where they have remodeled a ranch. Each had their own flavor: slightly more modern, slightly less modern, more funky, somewhat traditional, etc. Search: mid-century, modern, ranch home. Have fun! I think your house is a great choice!!

Since you already have a grey roof and new grey concrete, I would choose grey to match the existing colour of these two elements for garage doors and around the windows area. The gold windows trim looks good, so I would paint all trims and wooden elements of the house the same colour, including the garage beam and the garage frame (they are red-ish on my screen). I would put wood siding vertically above the garage beam to match the colour and stile of existing fence and trim (see pic). The same for the gable above the windows. It would give you more interesting look with additional texture. To enhance the contrast, I would change the lanterns to modern and black ones. The entrance might be stained or paint with fresh bright trim-fence stain/colour and the grey paint around.

Nivah, Thank you your the images! I have been quite torn between painting and replacing all the cabinets. That kitchen does look so much better! I have the same cabinet doors throughout my house...the built-ins in the Liv. Rm. & Dn. Rm., and both Bathrooms. Lately, I have been thinking that I should paint the cabinets in my bathroom, as there are only 4 doors, and 2 drawers. That way I can see exactly what my kitchen doors would look like if I painted them. If I do that, I will definitely post some before and after photos. Other than my layout questions, my main concern has been that the cabinets were built as one large box along each leg of cabinets. So things get lost. I have clear bins in some of them to keep storage containers organized, but some doors were too narrow. A couple of solutions for that is to add base runners and build some custom pull-out shelving. And if I just remove the uppers on the peninsula, I could use the doors from the dining room built-in to add doors to the back of the peninsula cabinet for easier access. Thoughts? Thanks!