New and updated Plain House Manual tools, records and guides for running a US home, each with its sources listed. https://plainhousemanual.com/feed.xml 2026-10-20T00:00:00Z Plain House Manual https://plainhousemanual.com/about/ 2026-10-20T00:00:00Z

What Plain House Manual does, how each tool and record is made, where the numbers come from and how to report a mistake.

https://plainhousemanual.com/contact/ 2026-10-20T00:00:00Z

How to reach Plain House Manual: one email address for corrections, questions and suggestions for new tools.

https://plainhousemanual.com/corrections/ 2026-10-20T00:00:00Z

How to report a wrong number or broken tool on Plain House Manual, and what we do when a page turns out to be wrong.

https://plainhousemanual.com/disclaimer/ 2026-10-20T00:00:00Z

Plain House Manual gives planning estimates and records, not professional advice. Check figures with the manufacturer before you buy.

https://plainhousemanual.com/privacy/ 2026-10-20T00:00:00Z

What Plain House Manual collects (very little), where the entries you type into a tool are kept, and what changes if analytics is added.

https://plainhousemanual.com/sources/ 2026-10-20T00:00:00Z

Every outside figure used on Plain House Manual, with the publisher, a link to the original and the date we last checked it.

https://plainhousemanual.com/terms/ 2026-10-20T00:00:00Z

The terms for using Plain House Manual: free planning tools, estimates you should check, and the rules on copying our pages.

https://plainhousemanual.com/ 2026-10-19T00:00:00Z

Free planning tools and printable records for a US home or rental: appliance and warranty log, HVAC filter sizes, paint quantities, sofa fit checks and more.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/ 2026-10-19T00:00:00Z

Printable home records with a calculator behind each one: appliance and warranty log, HVAC filter sizes and change dates.

https://plainhousemanual.com/calendar/storm-outage-prep-record/ 2026-10-18T00:00:00Z

One record for the next storm: count water and food by people and days, list what needs power, write contacts on paper, date the kit and check it yearly.

https://plainhousemanual.com/calendar/ 2026-10-17T00:00:00Z

A home maintenance calendar for your climate region: the jobs to book, check and write down each month, for owners and renters, with a year sheet to print.

https://plainhousemanual.com/calendar/outage-supply-planner/ 2026-10-17T00:00:00Z

Count the water, food and flashlights for a home supply and a go-bag from the Ready.gov and Red Cross lists, with refill dates and a printable supply list.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/gutter-downspout-record/ 2026-10-17T00:00:00Z

One page for your gutters: measure each run from the ground, check the size and downspout count, book spring and fall cleanings, note every spill.

https://plainhousemanual.com/calendar/monthly-house-check/ 2026-10-15T00:00:00Z

One page for the monthly house check: test each smoke and CO alarm, look at the filter, read the water meter, check under the sinks, write one line.

https://plainhousemanual.com/calendar/spring-home-checklist/ 2026-10-14T00:00:00Z

The spring list for a US home on one printable page: book the cooling check-up, date and test every alarm, check the filter, run the two-hour leak check.

https://plainhousemanual.com/calendar/summer-cooling-season-record/ 2026-10-14T00:00:00Z

One printable page for the cooling season: the AC model and age, the spring check-up, a filter date each month, hot rooms and bills to show the contractor.

https://plainhousemanual.com/calendar/seasonal-calendar-by-climate-region/ 2026-10-13T00:00:00Z

Find your county's climate region, then set up a 12-month home calendar: two checks a month, spring and fall bookings, and freeze jobs only where it freezes.

https://plainhousemanual.com/calendar/home-maintenance-calendar/ 2026-10-12T00:00:00Z

Pick your climate region, say whether you own or rent and tick what the house has. Get a year of household jobs by month and a year sheet to print.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/who-to-call-service-history/ 2026-10-12T00:00:00Z

Keep one page of who you call for heating, cooling, chimney, septic and the rest, with each visit dated, its invoice number and the next date to book.

https://plainhousemanual.com/fit/furniture-delivery-fit/ 2026-10-11T00:00:00Z

Measure every door, hall, stair and turn on the way in, check the sofa, mattress or fridge three ways, and give the delivery crew one sheet of numbers.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/home-inventory/ 2026-10-11T00:00:00Z

Film each room in one afternoon, type the list from the footage one room at a time, keep copies in two places outside the house and check it each season.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/keys-codes-remotes/ 2026-10-11T00:00:00Z

Count and test what you were handed, change the locks, clear the garage opener, set new codes, cut copies last and keep a list of who has each key.

https://plainhousemanual.com/moving/ 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z

Moving tools with a printable sheet behind each one: a numbered move-in photo list, a condition sheet for renters, and the dates to call each utility.

https://plainhousemanual.com/moving/move-in-condition-record/ 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z

Walk the empty rental in one order, photograph and note every item on a numbered sheet, then hand over a copy and keep yours for move-out.

https://plainhousemanual.com/moving/utility-setup-and-transfer/ 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z

Count back from move day to one call day, stop the old home the day after you leave, start the new one on key day, and photograph every meter both times.

https://plainhousemanual.com/paint/room-repaint/ 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z

Check the year the home was built, measure the room, buy each color in one trip, log every coat and record the paint before the can goes on the shelf.

https://plainhousemanual.com/fit/ 2026-10-09T00:00:00Z

Measuring tools for furniture: a doorway and hallway fit check, a bed size check for the room, and a printable sheet for every door and turn.

https://plainhousemanual.com/fit/holiday-light-length-calculator/ 2026-10-09T00:00:00Z

Measure the roofline from the ground, add the gable edges and 10%, and get the feet, the sets, the plug points, nets for the bushes and lights for the tree.

https://plainhousemanual.com/fit/holiday-lights-plan/ 2026-10-09T00:00:00Z

Measure the house front from the ground, buy the right sets once, read the tag, hang with clips, then tag each set by run so next year follows the same plan.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/appliance-warranty-records/ 2026-10-09T00:00:00Z

List every appliance, copy its model and serial number from the label, keep the receipt with the warranty, and print one log for the house binder.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/furnace-filter-record/ 2026-10-09T00:00:00Z

Find every filter slot, write down its size and arrow, buy a year of spares, then check monthly and log each change on one printable record.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/hvac-filter-size-finder/ 2026-10-09T00:00:00Z

Turn a nominal size like 16x25x1 into the filter's actual dimensions, or measure an old filter to find the size to buy, then plan the next change.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/smoke-co-alarm-record/ 2026-10-09T00:00:00Z

Number every smoke and CO alarm, read the date on the back, note the battery type, then test once a month and tick it off on one printable record.

https://plainhousemanual.com/fit/holiday-guest-prep/ 2026-10-08T00:00:00Z

Who sleeps where, whether each bed fits its room, how many fit at the table, and the guest room in three passes, on one printable guest-week checklist.

https://plainhousemanual.com/fit/sofa-doorway-fit-check/ 2026-10-08T00:00:00Z

Check a sofa against your narrowest door and a hallway turn: upright, on its back or tilted on its end, with a printable measuring sheet.

https://plainhousemanual.com/fit/table-seating-planner/ 2026-10-08T00:00:00Z

Count the seats at your table at 24 in a person, add a folding table to one end, then check the room leaves 36 in to pull chairs out.

https://plainhousemanual.com/paint/ 2026-10-08T00:00:00Z

Paint quantity tools built on coverage figures published by paint makers, plus a printable record of colors, codes and leftover cans.

https://plainhousemanual.com/paint/paint-coverage-calculator/ 2026-10-08T00:00:00Z

Work out how many gallons of paint a room needs from its size, doors, windows and coats, using coverage figures published by paint makers.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/smoke-co-alarm-planner/ 2026-10-08T00:00:00Z

Count smoke and CO alarms level by level from NFPA's placement list, then get the replace-by date and the next battery change for your alarms.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/appliance-warranty-log/ 2026-10-07T00:00:00Z

Record each appliance's model number, serial number and purchase date, see which warranty ends next, and print a one-page log for the drawer.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/home-inventory-sheet/ 2026-10-07T00:00:00Z

List what you own room by room, with what you paid, serial numbers and which items have a photo. See each room's total and print a one-page sheet.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/move-in-first-month/ 2026-10-07T00:00:00Z

Four weeks, one short job list each: smoke alarms, the air filter, appliance labels, a room-by-room inventory and the monthly reminders, on one printable page.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/fall-home-checklist/ 2026-10-06T00:00:00Z

What to book, check and write down before winter: the heating check-up, the air filter, smoke alarm tests, hoses and drafts, on one printable page.

https://plainhousemanual.com/records/home-records-binder/ 2026-10-06T00:00:00Z

Six tabs for the facts a house keeps asking for: appliances and warranties, filter sizes, paint colors, measurements, manuals and service visits.