The Home Owner's Journal: Everything About Your Home

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

The concept for this do-it-yourself home album is that detailed records
about the mechanics of your house, all together and neatly organized by
topic, will be a valuable resource during an emergency, when planning
renovations or regular maintenance, and when claiming on warranties. In
addition, the album is intended to stay with the house—a priceless
resource for the next owner.

There are sections for electrical and plumbing systems (inside and
out), heating, decorating, flooring and appliances, the exterior (roof,
gutters, chimneys, etc.), outbuildings and fences, hot tubs and pools.
For each section there are information forms (and an example of how to
complete them) and two deep pockets for documents. There’s also a
section in which to record contact information for local tradespeople,
as well as details of equipment rentals, floor plans, and warranties.
The one obvious omission is a section for the home’s history. Pages
for photos and notes are included.

Creating your home’s journal is a satisfying, useful project. This
album could supply the prompts needed to get started.