Reading rates are down, and Americans love casual living. And yet that most formal of rooms, the library, is back, with hidden panels and rolling ladders. Here's why (hint: it's not about the books).

Thanks to a strong loonie and stable economy, Canadians are snapping up American homes faster than Wayne Gretzky hitting slap shots, as I write in today's Weekend Journal.

Canadians are buying American homes, saving some areas hard-hit by the housing crisis. While sellers welcome them, in some places, they're turning the accents to French.

Second home owners are using webcams to 'visit' their vacation homes, watch the pool guy and spy on their guests

Buyers wanting one-of-a-kind custom homes without the typical high prices are finding bargains in a surprising place: with mass-market home builders.

Lenders are cutting off more home-equity lines of credit, crimping homeowners' plans for honed-stone tiles, copper roofs and other costly improvements.

Fluffy bathrobes. High-end linens. Plasma televisions. Original artwork on the walls.