Know your home, one room at a time.
Start with a free room-by-room walkthrough, keep what you learn in a home record, and discover the checks that help you catch small problems early.
Read the guide: Know your home, one room at a time.Homeownership simplified
Maintaining your home is worth more than what it costs.
Clear, useful guidance for the maintenance, systems, tools, and decisions that arrive after closing day.
Homeowners in the United States
Free homeowner guide
The 15 Repairs You Can Still Avoid
Learn to recognize small home problems before they become expensive repairs.
- 15 preventive checks covering water, drainage, wells, septic systems, and backup power
- Clear labels for what you can do, what to check, and when to call a professional
- A one-page seasonal plan plus three free tasks to start this week
Get the PDF by email
Explore your home
Walk the house, one room at a time.
Hover over the plan or choose a room to see what is worth locating, checking, and recording.
Room guide
Choose a room to explore
Use the plan or the room buttons to find useful checks, records, and released guides for that part of your home.
- Preview a room
Hover over the plan or move focus to a room button.
- Keep it open
Select a room to pin its checklist while you explore.
Free printable guide
Take the room-by-room walkthrough with you.
Get the DO / LEARN / NEXT guide and carry the same practical first pass through six areas of your home.
Start here
Guides for the first year
Begin with the controls, records, and observations that help you understand the house before you change it.
Keep Air Moving Through Your Home
Cleaning a range hood filter, testing a bathroom exhaust fan, and clearing HVAC vents are three small checks that decide whether cooking exhaust, bathroom moisture, and conditioned air actually go where they're supposed to.
Read the guide: Keep Air Moving Through Your HomeProtect Your Septic Drainfield and Spot Trouble Early
The drainfield does the final treatment in a septic system, and it is the part most easily damaged from above. Here is what to keep off it, what to keep out of your drains, and the signs that mean it is time to call a professional.
Read the guide: Protect Your Septic Drainfield and Spot Trouble EarlyWhere the Water Goes: Gutters, Downspouts, and the Ground Around Your House
Follow rain from the roof edge to the ground, record where it slows or pools, and learn which drainage problems are safe to correct from ground level.
Read the guide: Where the Water Goes: Gutters, Downspouts, and the Ground Around Your HouseFind Your Septic System and the Records That Go With It
A septic system works out of sight, which makes it easy to lose track of. Here is how to confirm your home has one, get the drawing that shows where the tank and drainfield are, and mark them without opening anything.
Read the guide: Find Your Septic System and the Records That Go With ItTest Your Smoke and CO Alarms
How to test, maintain, and replace the alarms already installed in your home, and what the U.S. Fire Administration says about each step.
Read the guide: Test Your Smoke and CO AlarmsA Maintenance Routine You Will Keep
Turn scattered home upkeep into a small number of repeating tasks, using the manufacturer intervals your own house already came with.
Read the guide: A Maintenance Routine You Will KeepBuild Your Home Record
Create one dependable index for the contacts, equipment details, warranties, project records, and maintenance dates that belong with your home.
Read the guide: Build Your Home Record