Get an instant, deeply coffered ceiling

You know those nice, deeply recessed coffered ceilings you see inside some Queen Anne houses? You don't always have inherit them or hire a carpenter to build them from scratch. After seeing that a few people on TOH discussion boards are wondering aloud—and in vain—where to get one that's prefabricated, I was driven crazy to find one too. And the age-old Elizabethan look is available from Midwestern Wood Products Co. in an easy-to-install modular system that gives you a coffered ceiling instantly. For a competent DIYer, this could be well within reach—minus the labor associated with a custom job.

The interconnecting solid wood pieces (cross tees and main runners) are deep for that built-in look—up to 4 inches from the base (the wood grid) to the flat ceiling panel. Plus, they come with a how-to video. (Given the company's 30 year track record, you may be willing to forgive them for switching over only recently to compact discs.) Basically, you're putting up the grid and dropping in the panels. At $12 to $15 per square foot unfinished, you could have the formal dining room ceiling of your dreams without losing your shirt.