What a difference a year (or three) makes. While the building superstores Home Depot (NYSE:HD) and Lowe's (NYSE:LOW) have definitely taken their licks from the rotten housing market, these companies are well past the worst of the storm. Not only have Home Depot shares more than doubled from their early 2009 lows, but investors have become optimistic to such an extent that the company is posting substantially better results and still missing some estimates.