Who's going to bail out craftspeople? You are.
Jane Powell
As the global economy falls to pieces, it may seem frivolous to pay attention to design or building. After all, people are losing their jobs, their houses, their health care - shouldn't we be cutting back, putting off...

5 Things in February
Sam Whiting
San Francisco: Andy Warhol's silent film "Screen Tests" runs 55 minutes, so it won't be as trance-inducing as "Empire," which ran for eight hours. Live music by indie rockers Dean & Britta should see to that. Tuesday at...

Mother-son realtors on reality
Sam Whiting
Mother-son sales teams have been in residential real estate since way back when prices were rising. None of the competition travels with the muscle of Ginny Kavanaugh, 67, of Portola Valley, though. Her partner, Joe...

Cottage industry: Get cash from your house
Carol Lloyd
With so much housing floating upside-down, it's difficult to regard our homes as anything but money pits. Even so, our homes - as long as we are not headed for foreclosure - may still be an important source of financial...

From 'motel style' to modern
Sam Whiting
The first time Katie Morford saw her future weekend retreat, she nicknamed it "the Motel," and it wasn't because she could envision a steady flow of guests. Listed as a "remodel," it was down in a hollow, a few miles...

Living within Sea Ranch specifications
James Nestor
If you've driven north on Highway 1 toward Oregon in the past 40 years, you've seen them: those weird-looking barn houses, the exposed wood rhombus frames scattered randomly along the Sonoma Coast like dice tossed on an...

6 reasons to make dessert the main course
Michael Bauer
With Valentine's Day less than two weeks away, thoughts are turning to the sweeter things in life. While people may have cut calories in January to make up for holiday excess, February is again a time for a little...