The comeback Coverup

Drapes are making a comeback as window treatments after a few decades of being pushed aside for mini-blinds and vertical blinds.

A movie theater in your own backyard

To some of us, watching a movie outdoors is like cooking on a barbecue grill: It might be an average movie or a cheap cut of meat, but some things are just better under the sky.

Driveways with elegance

Short of a bronze front door and a uniformed doorman, few things class up the front of a house more than a circular brick driveway.

Tucson Vintage Motorcycle Riders meet to talk, admire bikes

The Hells Angels they ain't.

New uses for old swimming pools

Not long ago, Tucsonans wanted pools the way Southern Californians wanted convertibles and surfboards.

Inside the frame

Doesn't everyone have a growing pile or rubber-banded roll of art prints, photographs, posters - maybe even a painting or two - that are intended for framing?

joesler home plays lead role in indie film

Editors note: This is the first in an occasional series on local homes that have taken a star turn on the big screen.

No Kokopelli in this home

Just as sure as "You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger" there will be no flute-playing Kokopellis, neckerchiefed coyotes nor stick ladders-to-nowhere in Julie and Jeff Albiniak's midtown home.

Real wood furniture Needs a bit of care

Owning real wood furniture is like having a fine car: For the higher price you get a more exclusive look and maybe even improved function, when compared with furniture made of cheaper material. But to make it last and sustain its value, it should be maintained. For the most part, that comes …

Real Cavemen Need HD, cable, amps

"Man cave" is a relatively new name for an old concept. Then again, "garage," "workshop" and "den" just don't fully describe some of the latest takes on the modern version of these mainly male domains.

Your wine needs a home

There are a lot of ways to store wine, from simple racks in a cool room and little glass-door refrigerators in the kitchen, to purpose-built room-sized storage areas, including variations on the traditional wine cellar. You don't need to dig a cellar or move into a cave.

Faux-finish techniques

We've finally caught up with the Mesopotamians, who are credited with giving up on plain walls and inventing faux finishes - about 5,000 years ago. To modern faux finishers, amateurs and professionals, a monochrome drywall or plastered wall is an easel. Using paint and a variety of other mat…

Top it off: Coating can save roof, energy

Other than servicing a swamp cooler, coating your flat (built-up) roof is probably the most fundamental task for an Arizona homeowner - and the one with the greatest payback. If done right, and in time, it will extend the life of a flat roof and prevent dreaded leaks.

Steal these ideas That's how design pros do it

You may not know Gary Patch or Darren Clark, but you've probably seen their work.

home-task checklist

Hints of fall are a reminder to do some house-maintenance tasks that either should be done because our version of winter will be here soon, or just because it will be cool enough to work outside without extreme suffering.

Ready rentals for Tucson visitors

Hundreds of Tucson-area homes are available as short-term furnished rentals by owners trying to get income from second properties, houses they couldn't sell or picked up at a bargain price during the real estate crash. Some owners vacate their primary residences to cash in on winter visitor …

Furniture all their own

Dan Hostetler calls his business Tempus Fugit Woodworks. The Latin title sounds impressive, but he doesn't fool himself that he's ever going to get rich turning trees to his will. Tempus Fugit Woodworks is only Hostetler, 57.

Stereo Hospital sees growing demand for old analog units

Vintage stereo isn't exactly a booming business, but it's growing, says Jeff Brucker, owner of Tucson's Stereo Hospital. Nine years ago he moved from working out of his home, strictly repairing old gear, to a space inside Metrognome Music where he and fellow vintage-audio fan and tech Tom Hi…

At long last, say adios to grimy grout

Solid hardwood is the residential flooring gold standard, unless you're in a McMansion, where marble might rule. But in Tucson, where tile has been the class act for so long, increasingly hardwood floors have the look for high-end homes. And more modern products that capture the look of hard…

Refacing an option to replacing cabinets

The rule of thumb in kitchen cabinet refacing is that you can get existing cabinets refaced - with new doors and drawer fronts and matching exterior surfaces - for about half of what new cabinets would cost.

When you've lost your taste for popcorn ceilings

When it comes to houses built from the 1960s to late '80s, nothing says "needs updating" quite like popcorn (aka "acoustic" or "cottage cheese") ceilings.

Have color, will paint

Like most professional painters, Tim Bosveld knows a dozen or so easy- to-learn tricks that an amateur can use to make the difference between a regrettable mess and what could pass for a pro job. But, despite years spent as a professional painter, Bosveld insists the most valuable tip he has…

... Home-repair crisis averted

If you can't prevent a home repair crisis, the best you can do in advance is to know the tradesmen you can trust, or at least how to find one. The Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona maintains a free list of accredited businesses. The rating is based on the number of complaints and ho…

LED bulbs: The latest bright idea for lighting

The light bulb aisle at home improvement stores is an overwhelming display of options - CFLs, LEDs, incandescents, lumens and watts, warm light and cool light. That's not even getting into price variation.

Sound improvement

It may be called "multimedia" or "home entertainment," but for the last 10 years home entertainment technology has been mostly about video, ever-larger screens and, now, 3-D video.

Decorating is a sn-app

That honey-do project doesn't have to be a complex, research-heavy job. Not with the apps now available. For many of the decorating apps, you can use the iPad's camera to take a picture of the room in question and follow the instructions to see what the room would look like with new furnishi…

Bisbee musicians on a path less traveled

Old Bisbee Records, both the business and the musicians on its roster, is loaded with contradictions.

Preventing remodel remorse

If you've been glaring at your home's outdated kitchen or bathroom for years, you may have a very clear idea of what you want from a remodeling project. You may think you have no use for an architect.

Time-worn appliances pose tough decisions

As possessions go, home appliances don't get much respect. They don't have the sex appeal of a slinky car with a powerful engine or even a computer with a big glossy screen and a fast processor.

Marine author explores battlefield bond with IED spotter dog

Large-caliber machine gun slugs slammed into their Humvee as their 60-vehicle Marine convoy was ambushed approaching Fallujah, the bloody center of insurgence in Iraq.

'Rin Tin Tin' a challenge for productive Susan Orlean

Pigeons, dogs, chickens, whales, tigers. Animals pop up frequently in author Susan Orlean's magazine credits, books, blogging and life.

Raise the sun sails, heading to shade

Shade has always been a precious thing in the desert, but with increased energy costs and heightened environmental concerns, it's more valuable than ever. And there's a relatively new way to beat the heat that's faster than foliage, and can be artful, too.

Picking the right tree

Choosing a tree in a nursery is a little like picking out a puppy without seeing its parents. It may be cute now, but there could be trouble down the road.

A modern house that fits right in

A stark, modern house might not sound at home on the range, but Connie Ayres and Jeff Webster's home in the rolling high-desert ranch land 30 miles east of Tucson looks like it belongs there.