The Kapickas could not wait for the economy to turn around.

With a toddler and a new baby, the couple had outgrown their adorable east Sacramento two- bedroom home. Despite the financial uncertainty that has gripped most of America, the Kapickas needed to either move or expand their house to fit their growing family.

"We weighed all the options," said Stuart Kapicka, an online entrepreneur who works from home. "I was trying to make an office out of a kitchen nook, working around kiddie gates. We had to do something. We could buy a big, foreclosed home with a pool in the suburbs or we could stay put in a charming neighborhood we love and remodel."

After much deliberation, Stuart and Christal Kapicka chose to add a second story, doubling the size of their modest ranch/Tudor-style house to about 2,200 square feet.

Their timing could not have been better; they saved thousands of dollars.

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