Are you curious as to how many folks are making home improvements these days? Who's doing what and for how much? A recent survey revealed that in spite of a weak economy, almost half of all homeowners are planning some sort of major home improvement. Among men, decks were first, followed by room additions, kitchen upgrades and enhancing a workshop or the garage. For women, kitchens were No. 1, followed by room additions, refurnishing or redecorating and a new deck or patio. The average project's planned expenditure was $17,000. When asked how they planned to finance the work, one-third of those surveyed said they'd obtain a home equity loan or tap into an existing line of credit. Two-thirds (surprisingly) said they'd use cash from savings or credit cards. But in this area, experts advised using caution. They suggest using home equity to finance the work, a tax-deductible way to build more home equity rather than depleting one's cash nest egg or running up high-interest credit cards. And that's the On The House tip for today.