What would you do with this fireplace?

Question

This is in a house we just bought to rehab and hold, but now I think I am going to flip it instead. What would you do to this fireplace? I want it to look really nice, but not totally out of place in a neighborhood of cookie-cutter '80s houses (all of which have the same tile-surround fireplace). ARV is about $160K, but I might get as much as $170K if it hits the sweet spot between awesome and overimproved. Leaving it as-is is an option too.

EDIT: I'd also appreciate thoughts on accent walls in flips. This house is small, and I've seen listing photos of the same layout looking really tiny without the depth added by an accent wall. But I'm not feeling the maroon.

Mike H. · Answer

This is something we did w/ homedepot materials.  there are ways to make things look great w/out much cost.

if you are doing tile in other places in the house, I wouldn't recommand using the same tile at fire place.  that's the exact reason we remove the fireplace tile because it is the same as the kitchen floor tile nearby which does not look very good.

Account Closed · Answer

Given your budget I'd focus on the roof and repairs, floors and paint.  Don't even change out any lighting or faucets until you've got the new roof, the granite, and flooring in place.  At that point, other necessary repairs may have surfaced.  You'll have your painting bid and know how much you have left over for extras.  The fireplace would be the last thing I would be thinking about at this point.

That's a tight rehab, but doable.  The biggest challenge will be thinking things have to be improved or changed in order to sell it.  Unless buyers have a ton of choices in your market, give them the freshest house possible with the allotted $20K of repairs and improvements.

Randy F. · Answer

I use satin on walls, flat on ceilings. Flat paint is not washable so only use it on smooth wall in high end applications.

I tend to not like wood floors to stand out like a turd in a punch bowl. I would select a new tile... Granite, marble, or travertine for the fireplace that pulls from the mid tones in the floor and a new mantle stained to pull deeper tones from floor. Wall colors that pull out light tones in floor and tile.

Tooty fruity wall colors seem to be all the rage but sales is all about eliminating objections. Earth tones are safe and most any furniture colors work with them. IMO, accent colors are best used to tie a room and its furnishings together. Want to attract to largest pool of buyers possible? Leave out the accent colors and make rooms features neutral and cohesive.

Account Closed · Answer

I sold a flip last year with the same fireplace (but was from the mid1990s).  Didn't do a thing to it.  Asking was $165K, got 3 offers over asking.  I had  similar weird recessed spaces.  No accent wall colors.

If you spend any extra money, I'd use it to make the kitchen and/or the bathroom pop.

Account Closed · Answer

Would you ever consider doing a stone veneer on the wall with a matching tile on the floor.  I might consider using a dark stained wood mantle rather than white.  I see the white matches the trim, but think it would look nice dark.  As for the paint, a slate (greyish with a blue tint) would look nice against the white trim and ceiling.  We just did this paint scheme to our nursery and it looks very nice.

Chris McIntyre · Answer

@Mike H. The stacked stone on the fire place is a classy touch.

Jessica G. · Answer

Who needs a mentor?! You guys are holding my hand every day! This is by far my favorite subforum on BP.

@Karen Margrave We do have plenty of discount building supply stores here (Seconds and Surplus is right by my house), and BuildDirect.com ships to a warehouse here, too, so I should be able to get pretty competitive pricing on materials. There are also a couple of Goodwill/Habitat for Humanity outlets nearby.

So I'll do the roof, the floors, the counter, the painting, the fence, and if I have money left for extras, maybe I'll put tumbled travertine on the fireplace surround.

I guess I know the fireplace is the least of my worries, but sometimes it's comforting to focus on something you can control!

Karen Margrave · Answer

Paint covers a lot of problems and instantly gives a house a new feel. But, @K. Marie Poe is correct, do the majors first. You can try on paint colors by using the Color Visualizer on Sherwin Williams site. Check the local big box stores for closeouts, or sales on countertops. Also, do you have a builders outlet anywhere close? Check Craigslist too, sometimes contractors have things they bought too much of and sell. Good luck.

Mirinda Lowe · Answer

@Randy F. Some brands of paint are now making washable flat paint.  I've used Dunn Edwards washable flat on a high end home I'm flipping right now and it washes up perfectly.  Plus it really does hide any imperfections in the surface of the wall.

Franklin Romine · Answer

I wouldn't touch it.  Save your money.  Maybe update the mantel.

What would you do with this fireplace?

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