If you wanted to get crazy with it, do a layer of stucco leaving some of the stone exposed.

Sorry, no Tim Hortons here but the outdoor patio approach to eating is ideal for Canadians wanting to be in the vitality of a vibrant city. 

For example, I'm no residential roofing expert but if I see a lot of curling shingles or if I can tell that there's already more than 1 layer of shingles...I know I can expect to be putting $$$ into the roof soon if its curling or a larger amount of $$$ if its multiple layers.What are the similar "tells" for Hot Water/Steam heat systems?

You may have noticed the quarter inch thick layer of grease all over it?

As others have pointed out, selecting carpet and a thick padding, or adding insulation, or additional sheetrock, will help do this.To address the vibration through the structure, you need to provide an isolation layer, which can be a floating floor on isolators or a dedicated acoustic ceiling hanging from springs (these can be complicated and expensive).I've been involved with a few projects in NYC where we added an isolation layer, but these were for noisy workout studios below and above apartments, NOT for stacked or adjacent apartments.

You will be working on a two layer subfloor.

We have a layer of oil based kilz on the walls, covered with a layer of knockdown, with two coats of paint, new trim and doors and carpet, bathroom and basement gutted to the studs and rebuilt, and some new drywall, windows open all summer, and....just being there for five minutes and I can smell it on my jacket.  

You mean the cost of a brick layer I assume?

I just checked all my properties against the latest FEMA flood maps here:https://msc.fema.gov/portalNow sometimes your county may also have a layer of this in their GIS system.In any case I noticed three of my properties seem to lay inside ZONE X (which is lower risk) then previously ZONED AE.Down here insurance is expensive, we got liability, windstorm and flood and just flood on one subject property is $1500-$2500.I am guessing I can't just call up my insurance agent and say check out this web site...so I need to obtain an updated elevation certificate just from the map being rezoned by FEMA.For ZONE X I actually am not required to carry Flood but I guess I still will just for the peace of mind especially if the new rate is lowered.Anyone else been through this, would appreciate if you know of a way to get a formal rezone for a specific address that you can use for insurance instead of another elevation certificate which requires a new survey I believe.

The material of the fencing plays a vital role when it comes to determining the final price of the house in the market.