[ Austin, TX ]  Here are two antenna projects that show the simplicity of homebrew antennas that perform remarkably well.  So, before you spend big $$ on commercial antennas, take a look at these.
 
While living in Texas and surfing the WEB, I ran across a site hosted by W4RNL.*  One of his many pages described a doublet that would fit in a limited city lot.  I've played with a couple variations of his 44 ft and 88 ft designs, and they all worked great.
 
I've used open-wire feed, 300 ohm TV ribbon cable, 300 ohm ladder-line, and 450 ohm ladder-line with good results.  Of course, a balanced antenna tuner should be used with this type of antenna, and they can be easily built, too.  All my tuners use choke baluns.  (Note:  I haven't had any tuner heating issues tuning these antennas.)
 
Another interesting and surprising antenna is the vertical doublet.  I used one for many years in Texas (without radials) mounted just a couple feet off the ground.
 
When compared to a horizontal doublet at 19 feet above ground (neighborhood constraints), the vertical was superior for DX on 20 meters.  This antenna was a surprising performer.  It even loaded well on 40 meters with a balanced tuner, and did a respectable job.  I've been thinking about linear-loading this type antenna, but haven't followed-through.
 
(Note:  I finally got around to linear-loading this vertical doublet after moving to Michigan, and details are included in my Notebook Series - Linear-Loaded Vertical Doublet)
 
Construction details can been seen to the left and below.

73 and have fun with your construction projects...
 
Joe (AJ8MH)
ex: WPE8EUM, WN8AQL, WB5FCO and WJ5MH
 
*L. B. Cebik, W4RNL ~ 1939 - 2008 ~ SK as of April 2008