You Must Keep a Home Diary

If you’ve ever tried to match a paint color, buy the right light bulb for your refrigerator, or remember where you ran a drip line on the street, you need a home diary. It’s a simple compilation of everything you don’t really think is important enough to keep in your obfuscated “house stuff” file (admit it, you have one too) but that you’re more likely to actually need than an owner’s manual. your washing machine.

An added bonus: these kinds of records are of infinite value to the next homeowner, in much the same way as car service records. Even as a tenant, if you stay somewhere longer than a year, your diary will make life easier for you by giving your landlord proof that you care about the business. Most importantly, it can save your ass if you ever need to apply for renters or homeowners insurance because you can use it to keep track of what’s in your rooms. (I keep mine in a small folder.)

Start with the basics

Make one sheet filled with facts about the house: how many square feet, how many bathrooms, bedrooms and other rooms, and their square meters. (Tip: Also measure window and door openings.) With this information at hand, you can file your office tax return, calculate how much flooring you need, or figure out whether a new sofa will fit in a room or through a doorway.

One of the best ways to find replacement parts for your home appliances is to find out the model number. You don’t have to look up those numbers every time you need them – even better. When you buy an appliance, take the time to add the model number to the list in your diary. It will also be there if you ever need to file a warranty claim.

Personally, I keep a page for every room in the house and make notes about anything out of the ordinary that I need to remember or want to pass on to the next owner or tenant: “The window sticks, but if you lean against it, it’ll wiggle free.” “This room was flooded on these dates,” etc. I write down the paint colors I used, what I kept in closets, which sheets and towels were used in the room, so I can easily find replacements if I ever need them.

Write down decor

I have several sheets of cardboard in a binder that I use to record paint colors. On one of them I draw a square, and on a can of paint I list everything: formula, color name, gloss and brand.

On each room entry, you should list your paint color cards so you can always recreate them without tearing off the baseboard and scraping off a bit to make the store match.

Also start a page for flooring – list the brand and name of any type of wood flooring or tile you have. Write down where you got any floor mats in case you need to pick them up or replace them. Do the same for window trim – make a note of where you got your curtains or fabric, as well as wall trim such as wallpaper.

Maintain a maintenance calendar

One important section in your diary: a calendar of everything you need to do during the year. When to change air filters, when you had your HVAC checked (attach receipt!), when you received a backflow certificate, etc. Any maintenance that needs to be done should be noted here – this will help remind and outline how to take care of the space for the next person.

Don’t Forget Appearance

If you ever install sprinklers or drippers, having a diagram, even a hand-drawn one, of where those lines are will be a lifesaver if you ever need to dig.

Your home diary is also a great place to create a simple planting map for your yard. People often buy plants, stick them in the ground, lose the tag and forget what they are. This will remind you, so if you decide to learn how to care for this particular plant (or want to plant it again next year), you can. You can also add things like a pruning or fertilizer schedule. And just imagine being able to hand over a yard map to a future homeowner, ensuring that your hard work gets done properly.

There are a lot of diaries that you can digitize and there is a strong argument for this – being able to open it on the phone while in the hardware store which is great. But even if you do, make sure you keep the physical version – including those paint chips and other receipts and samples – somewhere in your home.