From the bungalows of Texas to the cottages of Colorado, here are our picks for the quaintest areas in cowboy country. Downtown Mesa, Mesa, Arizona Located just east of Phoenix and neighboring Tempe, downtown Mesa (sometimes called Town Center) is home to about 3,000 residents. The area attracts young professionals, empty-nesters, and families with its easy access to the city. They also cherish the neighborhood’s historic architecture—which contrasts with the miles of cookie-cutter subdivisions, many stricken by the foreclosure epidemic, in the overbuilt metropolitan area....

We asked pros from all over to break out their best material and try to get a chuckle out of us. Okay, so there are a few groaners, but we’re hoping you think they’re mostly funny. Got a good jobsite-related joke? Post it in the comments below. (But please, keep it relatively clean!)

The Titlows soon found that shopping for energy-efficient lighting is a herculean research project these days. As incandescent bulbs disappear from store shelves, the bulbs that are replacing them have changed dramatically in the past few years. To get a better grasp on their options, the Titlows turned to lighting designer Susan Arnold of Wolfers Lighting in Allston, Massachusetts. We spoke to her, and a few other experts, to examine the pros, cons, myths, and realities surrounding this latest generation of lighting....

Steps: Remove the control head from the water softener and pull out the tank. Dump the old resin beads from the tank, and flush the tank clean using a garden hose. Place new manifold tube inside of tank; temporarily seal top end of tube with piece of electrical tape. Dump several inches of gravel into tank; fill remainder of tank with resin beads. Remove tape from top of tube, then thread new control head onto manifold tube....

General Tips and Tricks We prefer to use digital images, but will accept original negatives, transparencies and slides. When using a digital camera, select the highest-quality resolution, and save them in the largest file size possible. Save the files in RAW or TIFF format for submissions to the print magazine, and as JPEGs or GIFs for the website or contest entries. Turn off the camera’s date/time stamp. Don’t use a flash when photographing windows or glass surfaces....

Before picking a paint color for a small room, ask yourself what effect you’re after: Do you want the room to feel light and airy (try a cool color) or warm and cozy (veer toward richer and warmer)? Or maybe you’re craving a little drama. Shown: Castleton Mist, a yellow-green in Benjamin Moore’s Historic collection, is a favorite of San Francisco interior designer Arthur McLaughlin, who also stages properties for sale....

Cool-blue walls, sand-colored marble floor tile, and white beadboard wainscoting give the new room a relaxing feel. “The bath is our safe place from all the dust,” Stephanie says of ongoing work at the house. That payoff clearly inspired them—they’ve already added a half bath upstairs for guests. Paint: Benjamin Moore. Windows: Marvin Windows and Doors. Before: Cramped and Dingy Brennan started by gutting the addition, framing one new wall to create a workable rectangle for the bath, and laying a new plywood subfloor....

Tests All drivers tested by driving 4½-inch SDS structural wood screws into 6-inch-thick solid pine; 6-inch SDS screws into Douglas fir engineered lumber; 2 ½-inch deck screws into spruce 2x4s and oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing; and by drilling ¾-inch-diameter holes into spruce 2x4s. Selectable-Speed Impact Drivers Makita BTD144 Price: About $321; makita.com Our two cents: “Had the fewest impacts on the low setting, making it perfect for trim work or fasteners made of brass or stainless steel....

Hosta (Hadspen Blue) Also known as plantain lily, hostas produce showy sprays of fragrant white or lavender flowers. But gardeners grow them more for their stunning leaves, which unfurl from a central hub in a strikingly tidy way. The leaves are works of art, with crisp patterns on oval, heart or lance shapes. Colors include cream, light to dark green, chartreuse, gray and blue-green. Hostas aren’t entirely carefree, since slugs and snails can pose a problem....

These 14 places boast plant-friendly climates, community gardens, garden tours, or lush front-yards. West Adams, Los Angeles, California Once home to Los Angeles’s wealthiest 19th-century bankers and mining execs, West Adams seems like a studio backdrop for the set of a perfect small town. It’s become a shared secret among those of more modest means, who love its authentic feel in a city often chided for its artificiality. In recent years, residents have been restoring homes, showing how collectively invested they are in its future....

But if you can’t because of time—or budget—first weatherstrip, then try these other temporary solutions to fix drafty windows on a budget to help beat the chill. Plastic Film Applied to panes with double-sided tape and sealed using the heat from a hair dryer, this inexpensive clear shrink film can allow a room to retain as much as 55 percent of its heat. In a pinch, bubble wrap makes an effective replacement; just push the bubble side of the wrap against the glass and adhere with double-sided tape....

Trim the Boards to Length Cut 1½-inches off the length of the other three boards. If you are mitering your edging, this will allow the original length to turn and wrap the corners. Connect the Boards Clamp the three boards together facedown. Attach Battens to the Underside Cut two battens (one for either end of the table) from 1x boards that are wide enough to accommodate the hairpin-leg base. If desired, add a third, thinner batten in the center of the table for support....

Steps: Beautify the home’s exterior with new sod, foundation plantings and new fence. Freshen up exterior with new paint and contrasting trim color. Update a dark kitchen by painting the cabinets a lighter color and installing new hardware. Replace old, outdated sink faucets with modern faucets that have enhanced features, such as pullout spouts. Replace old ceiling light fixtures with contemporary models. Install under-cabinet lighting in kitchens to brighten up dark countertops....

In this design gallery from the pages of This Old House magazine, you’ll see a variety of colorful tiles used in lots of creative ways. Pass these pages onto your clients. Tell them to take a look and then spend lots of time at the tile store picking out exactly what they (think they) want. Repainting is a job. Retiling could become a career. Mix and Match Colors and Hues Black tile with an iridescent bronze finish offers contrast to the pale blue and contributes additional light to the space....

Here are twenty charming neighborhoods that offer historic houses along with a healthy dose of city life—proof you don’t have to give up one to have the other. Park Hill, North Little Rock, Arkansas Small-town values get big-city perspective in North Little Rock’s historic Park Hill neighborhood. Located just across the Arkansas River from the state capital, this cozy bedroom community is characterized by shady, sidewalk-lined streets that allow pet lovers, exercise enthusiasts, and pedestrians to enjoy getting around the old-fashioned way....

Creative Fixes That’s partly because the garage sits much closer to the street than the house does, probably because the yard behind it drops off steeply. But even more vexing to Tom and the TOH crew was the garage’s flat roof—a curious departure from the style of the house, which has a far more attractive hipped roof. Taken together, these odd characteristics meant the TOH project team had to gin up some creative ways to better integrate the ugly-duckling structure with an otherwise lovely little house....

Steps: Cut a piece of 8-inch-wide aluminum flashing to length using aviation snips; you could also slice through it with a sharp utility knife. Measure for the leading edge of the flashing to determine how far it’ll hang down in front of the window trim. Use a metal brake or homemade bending brake to bend the leading edge of the flashing passed 90 degrees. Make a gauge block from scrap wood to represent the thickness of the window casing and trim....

Choose Your Ladder Wisely Opt for fiberglass if there’s any chance you’ll be working with wiring or near power lines, since metal and dirty or waterlogged wood can conduct electricity, says Tom. And don’t underestimate the maximum load capacity you need: Even if you weigh 150 pounds, carrying three 44s will put you over a 225-pound limit. A duty rating of I, IA, or IAA (250, 300, or 375 pounds, respectively) should do the trick for most home projects....

Then again, that’s what we’re here for: to provide fast fix-it advice when it’s time for you to do your homeowning duty. Because at some point, you’re going to have to know how to change out a light fixture without zapping yourself to kingdom come. Or paint a double-hung without gumming up the works. Or stem the flood when the toilet overflows. And you’re going to want to do things right....