Five Ways to Upgrade Your Home

With tight credit and unemployment putting new homes out of reach, more homeowners will be staying put and investing in upgrades, small and large, to their existing houses, experts say.

Future-proofing, as the experts call it, can help cut energy costs now and boost the value of homes down the road.

Below are five ways to start upgrading your home, courtesy of Wall Street Journal editor Wendy Bounds.

Replacing Kitchen Cabinets

This is one of the most dramatic face-lifts a home can get, but it's usually quite pricey. Cabinets can range in price from $300 to $1,000 per linear foot, depending on the material.

Before investing, ask your cabinetmakers or dealers whether their products contain urea-formaldehyde. This chemical, which the World Health Organization classifies as a carcinogen and has been linked to respiratory problems such as asthma, is often used in the resin of wood products such as medium-density fiberboard, particle board and some plywoods.

To avoid getting caught with cabinets that a future buyer of your home and the government might reject as unhealthy, look for brands that use low levels or no added formaldehyde in the adhesives.

Check out Breathe Easy Cabinetry and Neil Kelly. Or ask your cabinetmaker to follow environmental standards found at www.greencabinetsource.org.

New Coat of Paint

Most paints contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which have been linked to kidney and liver damage, respiratory and memory problems and other illnesses, particularly in children. Many manufacturers and retailers are switching to affordable paints that contain fewer or even no VOCs.

Using paint without VOCs can be a selling point down the road, not to mention that it's healthier for your family. These paints can cost the same as regular paints or a few dollars more per gallon.

Find out more about environmentally safe paints at www.greenseal.org, www.greenguard.org and Scientific Certification Systems.