Q: I live in a 900-square-foot house in East Oakland, Calif., built around the 1920s. I'd like to remove my fireplace. My living room is very small and has only one open/available wall, which faces east. The front wall faces the street to the north and is all window. Then there is the wall with the fireplace (west), which is flanked by awning windows, and the third wall (south) opens entirely into the dining room, with beveled-arch corners.

I need another surface for art/decorations, or perhaps there is a flat-screen TV in my distant future. With only one wall to work with, demolishing the fireplace would add value to the room/house. The wall already needs significant plaster work that's going to take it down to the lath to be repaired. I figure whenever I get that done, I could have the fireplace removed. In the four-plus years I have lived here, I've fired up the fireplace twice. What are your thoughts regarding value lost or gained?  more...