The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs

If you own your home, it’s incredibly beneficial to keep a log of all the projects, upgrades, and repairs you’ve done to your property. You might be a person who prides yourself on the ability to remember those details, but why use brain cells for things that could just live in a notebook?

I’ve found that the longer we live in our home, years start to run together and I can’t remember if we painted the front door in 2020 or 2015. Last year I sat down at my laptop and created a Google Doc that listed all the projects we’ve completed since we moved into this house in 2012.

Here’s what my home project log looks like:

When is a home project log helpful?

I initially did this project because we considered putting our house on the market, and our realtor needed this information for listing and showing the house.

It’s also helpful when something needs to be replaced or repaired. Not only do I have the purchase dates written on any manuals or paperwork that came with an appliance (which I store this way), I have a master list for easy reference.

When an appliance goes on the fritz or carpet starts looking ragged, it’s easy to think, “didn’t we just put that in?” When you reference your home project log and realize just how long it’s been, perhaps the cost of the replacement doesn’t sting quite as much. For reference – I found an article that details the life expectancy of many areas in the home.

Having a log of all the paint colors throughout the house is helpful for touch ups, but it’s also great to have for reference when choosing a color for a new project. I recently had to choose paint colors for a storage building we’re adding in the back yard. I referenced my home log to keep things consistent with our house colors.

How do I set up my home project log?

1 – Decide where you’ll keep the information.

This doesn’t have to be fancy. I keep mine stored in a Google Doc, but you can use a notebook from Dollar Tree or an unused journal you have in your stash.

2 – Fill in the past information as much as possible.

List each room in your house. Walk through the room, writing down as much as you can remember about the updates you’ve made over the years. Look at your Instagram feed or camera roll for clues to when things were updated. Don’t stress about getting all the details, just fill in what you can.

3 – Maintain the system going forward.

This is the important part. Make sure you add new projects and repairs to your log. Keep your list, whether physical or digital, in a place you’ll see it periodically.

Your log can be simple and straightforward, or you can embellish it and use it more like a scrapbook with before and after photos. It’s fun to see the fruit of your labor over the years!

Looking back over the projects and upgrades in our homes points our hearts toward the Giver of all good gifts. Everything we have is made possible because of Jesus – and He is always enough!

“In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4

See the rest of our home projects and upgrades in my full home tour page here: Tour My Home