Customer Reviews

The Home Owner's Diary

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I work for a home builder, and a co-worker of mine introduced me to this book as something we could give to our buyers to help them keep up with their homes. After reading through it, I thought "I wish I'd had this book when I bought my home."

The contents of this book are very comprehensive. This book can create order and ease of use for all the information that should always be at your fingertips regarding your home/apartment. From paint samples to make, model, and serial numbers on major appliances/furnaces to the insulation in your walls and ceiling, this book's got it all.

If anything, this book is too comprehensive. Most people don't have game rooms, steam rooms, and pool houses, but the ability to fill in all the specifications on what you're using in your residence and to include swatches is invaluable.

I like the book so much that we're now giving them to our buyers as part of their housewarming gift. We're also providing them with the information that we can, to get them started on keeping records for all items covered by this book.

Whatever you do, just don't ever loose the book!

The expanded edition is finally out so you can keep even more important facts about your home on file. If you have an apartment, home, condo, townhouse, rental or even a vacation home, this is a way to keep a comprehensive record of all your important details safely in one place! This is the new expanded edition.

Do you remember where your receipts are for repairs? When did you last have the yard sprinkler system checked? Did you remember to tell the pool boy to check the weatherproofing on the pool house roof?

The Home Owner's Diary was created to replace that stuffed manila folder or pocket notepad, shoebox stuffed full of records...you know the drill. This will become a very useful tool that will serve you well in the future.

When we moved from a townhouse to our first real home, we had no idea how much there was to keep track of. Not getting lost down a hallway, being the first priority, but then I saw the yard and wondered what was I thinking? Then after some investigation, I started finding lots of odd jobs that are going to need to be done.

Welcome back to reality, I said and bought another book.

A Tax Work Sheet (oh bliss) brightens your life as you start on the first page to write down your purchase price, additions, commissions, remodeling details and renovation notes. Then, as you go screaming and kicking...you will get to list your "Important Personal Papers" and where you keep them. Hopefully in a fire proof safe.

There is a page for a small picture of the house and grounds.

The page on Finance Information borders on obsessive, but hey...you might need this information one day. The Warranties page is like a dream. Suddenly this book started to make sense to me. You list your purchase date and expiration date of the warranty.

So, now that you are all settled in...what's next? Building and remodeling tips are followed by areas to write in information about your House Exterior (siding, trim, storm doors, windows, landscape gardening, side yard, back yard, pond, greenhouse, window boxes, container shrubs, gazebo (hello! I wish). Then you can step indoors and list everything about the floor coverings, ceiling finish, curtains, blinds, wallpaper, ceiling fans, parlor, kitchen, breakfast nook, dining room, wall shelves, furniture, family room, mud room, hallway, stairway (room to put in info about three if you have a mansion), laundry room, bedroom number 1, 2, 3, 4 and then bathrooms. Each area has space to write about everything in the room.

If the mood strikes, take pen and paper and sketch the layout of your fuse box. The same can be done with your attic....if you dare to enter it. Miscellaneous Room 1, 2...and then Storage /Closets follows.

Thinking of resurfacing your Driveway? There is space to record what type, sealant brand, supplier, contractor, cost and notes. The same type of information can be included under, fence, patio, porch, deck, garage, gutters, roof, siding, trim, toolshed, cooling & heating, fireplace 1, fireplace 2, air filter, heat pump, heating plant, wood stove, solar heating, insulation, venting, home security system, smoke detectors, fire detection system and video security system.

Then you can log in all your information about telephones, answering machines, thermostat, radon testing, well, water heater, water softener, whirlpool, hot tub, sauna, Jacuzzi, septic system, sump pump, sprinkler system, swimming pool (sigh), pool house (no fair), siding, basement, home office, ceiling fans, wall shelves, game room, home entertainment room, steam room, sun room, etc.

Then, finally an Index and a page to list phone numbers so when problems arise, this is the book you will reach for to call the Attorney or Cabinet Maker or Electrician.

Della Sheffield has to be the most organized person on the planet.

~The Rebecca Review

If you want to keep records of your home improvements to save you time, money and headaches in the future...this may be a great book to have on hand.

If you plan to sell your house sometime in the future, this will be invaluable as you will have records of when you bought the water heater or installed the new carpet, etc....There is space to log in everything from major renovations to smoke detectors. In the 136 pages you will find a place to include information about the interior, exterior, garage, utilities, security systems and more.

~The Rebecca Review

This book is wonderful. We were looking on Amazon for something to track our remodeling on the house and this is the most comprehensive book we could find. It does not leave anything out, from writing down the paint brand and color name, it also has a place for a smudge of color to be added to the page itself. It is definitely a good tool to have.

This book was not all it was cracked up to be, for me. I expected to be able to write down all the important homeowner information in it, and refer to it for years to come. However, there is space to enter ONE chimney cleaning (a task that should be done annually) and similarly space to put in info for ONE computer, ONE printer, etc. REALLY? In the past 5 years I've owned/purchased 3 printers and 2 computers.
While the organization and scope of this book are OK, there's just not enough room or flexibility built into it to make it useful for the many types of homeowners there are out there.
I found something called Life.doc at Target and that seems to fit my needs much better. Comes with a disc to print out more/different pages so that you can customize it for your particular needs.

I am a REALTOR and I give this book to every person who buys a home from me. I figure the day of closing is the best time to start keeping a record of the home and anything done to it. The only thing I don't like is that the original book I bought is spiral bound (I like that!) and the recent ones I have purchased are not spiral, but no matter, I still buy the book and my clients seem to apprecite them.

I guess based on the reviews I was expecting more than pages listed with all types of rooms that the average house would not have with blanks to fill in the size of the rooms. Most of the blanks for the rooms you would have no idea how to comlete unless you built or renovated your house. I would have saved money buying a binder and marking the sizes and dimensions of the rooms, windows, etc.

I discovered this type of book years ago and found it a useful teacher of just what homeowners face in terms of upkeep. It's a useful place to keep track of expenditures and even plans. Houses are like gardens. They require constant tending and care to function comfortably and beautifully.

A couple of years ago I gave a copy of this book to a friend as a housewarming present. Another friend who was present at the "gifting" called it a "baby book for a house," which I thought was a marvelous description.

My husband and I have just bought another house in another state (meaning that in both senses of the word) so we're ready to begin a new diary. We chose this one again because it's so complete.

Perfect condition! Great x-mas gift for a new family with a new home. It arrived in time a was very pleased.

I bought one of these for our first house and set it out during all of the showings. The new owners indicated that it was a nice bonus since they knew we cared about the house. So when we moved into our new home I purchased another one. It's amazing how quickly you forget the details. I just look them up in my home owner's diary.