4 ms·

I see a few comments describing how their documentation that they handed over went without love. I'll add a different perspective. I bought a fixer upper (real

I see a few comments describing how their documentation that they handed over went without love. I'll add a different perspective. I bought a fixer upper (really just needed a face lift) from a couple who's parents lived there but passed away. The only thing left behind was a plastic bag of appliance manuals, some old receipts, and most importantly, a sheet of paper with dates, when things were updated, and how much it cost. This has been extremely valuable to me, allowing me to take the guesswork out of figuring out how old my A/C or furnace is, when the basement was remodeled, or how much carpet was ordered for the spare bedroom. This was a blessing to have as a first time homeowner and I am very grateful to have had that handed down.

dekhn 3y ago
We got the same when my parents moved into their current house (about 35 years ago). I thought it was a very grown-up thing- not just appliance manuals, but actual hand-written explanations of where all the important things were and details on the history of the house. It felt uncommon and special but I guess it isn't!
bombcar 3y ago
I don’t bother writing documentation, I write on the pipes and walls and equipment. My furnace has the install date in sharpie on it, along with maintenance dates. The main sewer line has the last time it was cleared, who cleared it, and where the blockage was. An industrial label printer makes these easy.
- nucleardog 3y ago
  > An industrial label printer makes these easy. So does a sharpie. This is my preferred method. "Permanent" things go on the thing with sharpie. Other stuff gets sharpied on some masking tape and stuck on. If my furnace ever walks off and takes the install date with it... chances are the install date's no longer relevant. Otherwise the documentation for my furnace is... on the furnace.
  - mtrower 3y ago
    > Otherwise the documentation for my furnace is... on the furnace. Sounds too simple, I’m skeptical it could ever work.

dekhn 3y ago

We got the same when my parents moved into their current house (about 35 years ago). I thought it was a very grown-up thing- not just appliance manuals, but actual hand-written explanations of where all the important things were and details on the history of the house. It felt uncommon and special but I guess it isn't!

bombcar 3y ago

I don’t bother writing documentation, I write on the pipes and walls and equipment. My furnace has the install date in sharpie on it, along with maintenance dates. The main sewer line has the last time it was cleared, who cleared it, and where the blockage was. An industrial label printer makes these easy.

nucleardog 3y ago
> An industrial label printer makes these easy. So does a sharpie. This is my preferred method. "Permanent" things go on the thing with sharpie. Other stuff gets sharpied on some masking tape and stuck on. If my furnace ever walks off and takes the install date with it... chances are the install date's no longer relevant. Otherwise the documentation for my furnace is... on the furnace.
- mtrower 3y ago
  > Otherwise the documentation for my furnace is... on the furnace. Sounds too simple, I’m skeptical it could ever work.