15 guides
Home maintenance guides
Plain-English guides to looking after your home. Safety first: hire a licensed pro for gas, electrical, roofing and structural work.
Planning
Schedule, budget, records and knowing your home.
- A simple home maintenance schedule
Monthly, seasonal and yearly.
- How much to budget for maintenance
The 1% guideline and its limits.
- Know your home's systems
What you have, and how old it is.
- Keep home records
One folder for everything.
By season
Spring, summer, fall and winter.
- Spring maintenance checklist
After winter's wear.
- Summer maintenance checklist
Outside jobs in good weather.
- Fall maintenance checklist
Get ready for winter.
- Winter maintenance checklist
Prevent frozen pipes.
Key systems
HVAC, water heater, roof and plumbing.
- Heating and cooling care
Filters and a yearly tune-up.
- Water heater care
Flush it, check it, set it.
- Roof and gutters
Keep water flowing away.
- Simple plumbing checks
Catch leaks early.
Big-ticket planning
Lifespans, saving and replacing.
- How long home systems last
Plan before it breaks.
- Save for repairs
A fund for the house.
- Repair or replace?
A simple way to decide.