I went to or big box store and for about 250 bucks bought all supplies needed to change out to a modern ew 200 amp box. 

Also considered replacing the light kits currently on the fans with something more modern, with LED lights in it, and painting the metal parts of the fan with Oil Rubbed Bronze Rustoleum.

It's super modern and plays on the minimalist theme, which seems to be popular, especially in the Portland area.

If we file for a variance, it will allow us 15', but is not for sure, and will be time consuming and costly. 13' is a given.After looking at lots of small modern homes online, I believe we can fit a nice, modern "tiny home" on this lot (like the one attached) and sell for a profit and leave the stream buffer as is.

I used a local broker and landed on American Modern.  

Maybe into white trim, just basic modernization that the appraiser is going want to see to up its value without getting too buried in rehab costs.  

We now paint all ceilings and trim in pure white and use a modern, neutral color on the walls.

This is a nice modern setup!

We have a society afraid of being sued.

And then they may see that they must support the mainstay of the capitalistic society by removing those policies that drove most of them out of the market.