Cover Page : News from Smithville, the nation and world

Pale lumber framing for an addition rises beside an older brick house above rain-wet gravel.

Home additions and runoff: what to know before breaking ground

A new room adds roof, changes the grade and sends rain somewhere new. A checklist for before, during and after the build.

Sunlight crosses the wood floor of an empty room in an older house, with an open window onto green hills and a pair of work gloves on the sill.

Home heating and cooling across regions: what to know before a move

Heating, cooling and permit rules differ between Middle Tennessee and the dry Southwest, and families moving between them should plan for the gap.

Gloved hands setting a glazed brown clay tile on a farmhouse kitchen wall beside a bucket and trowel.

Tile in wet rooms: what to know before ordering handmade clay

Moisture, movement and installation decide how handmade clay tile holds up in a Tennessee kitchen, bath or entry, contractors generally say.

A home office desk with a laptop and plain cardboard shipping boxes beside a window overlooking green hills.

Online sellers weigh paid help with overseas orders as the holiday season nears

Home-based sellers face a trade-off on overseas orders: an agent’s fees against the work, risk and paperwork that stay with the shop.