My wife an I own a 15 year old house. We have owned it for around 10 years now. It is starting to nickel and dime us. Both decks are rotting. Our water heater is close to the end. We have to get a new roof and although insurance is paying some it is not paying it all. We would like to get a real fence or dog fence for our two big dogs. We are currently taking much more out of savings than putting in. We are both teachers and although we make a nice income we definitely are middle class. Has anyone ever got a home equity loan? Would you recommend it? We purchased house for 220,000. It is now worth 245,000. We have 85,000 left. We both have excellent credit. What say you?