It’s tip time!
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to start to keep a house book. The reason I started keeping the book was birthed after years of Carl and I debating when we had done certain repairs or improvements on the house. It came out of a broken knob which I needed to reorder, but had no idea who manufactured the knob or where to find it. Sheets of paper where I had jotted down project ideas or a house to do list only to misplace it or realize someone had thrown it away.
Thus, the house book was born! I bought a spiral bound book I liked which had three sections in it. I printed out labels on the computer (or you could use a label maker) and labeled the sections. The following is a list of each section and what information I include in each section.
HOUSE INDOORS
Dates we put batteries in the smoke detectors
Business cards of people who have done work on the house (stapled in)
Paint swatches of the color I have painted in certain rooms (stapled in)
A list of wants and dreams for the house
The name of a fabric I have used for valances and pillows in case I ever want to order more
Dates of when we have done repairs on the house
Empty pouches for knobs we have replaced (stapled in)
A to do list of projects or repairs which need to be done
HOUSE OUTDOORS
Dates we did certain repairs on the house
A to do list of projects or repairs which need to be done
Paints swatches (stapled in) or a list of when we have done exterior painting
Business cards of people who have given us estimates or have done work on the house (stapled in)
Warranties listed if there is any guarantee of workmanship
GARDENING/PLANTING
Names of trees, bushes, plants, flowers, etc. and when they were planted
Seed packets listing how to care for plants (stapled in)
Dates of tune ups or work done on lawn movers or other outdoor equipment
A list of dreams for outside plantings or gardening
A to do list for any work such as re-edging a particular bed or reinforcing a garden fence
You can tweak your book to your liking, but mainly I use mine as a reference for what I did, when I did it, and what I need to do in the future to keep the house in good repair. It is an endless job, isn’t it? With a house book system, it helps me spend less time searching through my files for the receipt for a particular repair or who did it or when. It works really well for me, and maybe it might work really well for you too.