Write down the small things only you know. Trash and recycling days, the filter size and when it was changed, where the water heater and sprinkler controller are, and the quirks of the house.
Add a short first-calls page that says who to call first and who handles what, so a helper does not have to guess.
How the house runs
- Trash, recycling and bulk pickup days.
- Heating and cooling filter size, how often you change it and when you last did.
- Where the water heater is, and its type and age.
- The alarm company, and where the alarm code is kept, never the code.
- A hint for where a spare key is that only you would understand.
- A door that sticks, a switch that does something odd, a breaker that trips.
- If you rent, the landlord's number and how to request a repair.
First calls
- Up to five people to call first, in order, and how each can help.
- Who is handling what, so the work is split rather than doubled.
- Where the shutoffs are for gas, water and electricity.
Free pages to print
How our house runs
A blank single page you can print and fill in by hand.
Start here (first calls and who handles what)
A blank single page you can print and fill in by hand.
Our shutoffs
A blank single page you can print and fill in by hand.
General information for families, not legal, medical or financial advice. In an emergency, follow local officials and call 911.
Related questions
All planning answersPrinting page by page?
Get all 120 pages bound, tabbed and lying flat in the official book for $39 with free US shipping.
- Lies flat while you write
- The Smith family's example faces every fill-in page
- Arrives in time for Christmas
- 14-day money-back guarantee