A few more random photos

Here are a few more random photos of the house that didn't fit in with the other posts from last night. Click on the photo for a larger version.

This is the hallway off the kitchen:
That door to the left is the smaller bedroom, the door to the right is the bathroom, and the larger bedroom is at the end of the hall. I'm trying to decide what to do for heating upgrade. If I tear up the floors, I'll see about putting in radiant heat. If I don't tear up the floors, I'll probably do HVAC, but all that ductwork is going to be a pain in the tush.

Here is the chimney and it's really pretty climbing rose:
The TV antenna would go. The chimney has a crack in the masonry. I think I'm going to do a gas insert instead of repairing it. I know Santa Clara County code requires a gas insert if you do any fireplace repair because they are trying to reduce the number of wood burning fireplaces to improve air quality. I don't know if San Mateo county has the same code. Regardless, I think gas is the way to go.

While we're talking about it, here's the fireplace:

On the front of the house is a little garagey-shed thing. It's not big enough to park a car in it, and it's definitely an addition. I'm not too sure what to do with it. I think garage conversions generally look like crap, but I don't think I have enough easement available to build a real garage. That's my tentative long-term plan, so I'm going to leave it as is for now. I'm definitely relocating the water heater out here, and maybe the furnace if I end up with one.

I'd like to build a garage that uses the whole existing carport slab, which is the maximum of my setback, but I think I'm too close to the neighbor's for that to get approved. I'll have to look into it since there is certainly a lack of easement going on in general. I think my neighbor's house is a mere 6 feet away (I hope they are nice!). I have seen 2 cats in the windows, so maybe Mali will make some friends to stare at across the sidewalk between our houses.

So there you have it, the expanded tour of the grounds. I should be getting bids back early next week and will likely have to adjust my plans after that, but we will see!