A few honest questions
How well do you know your home?
Most homeowners know less about their own house than they assume — not because they're careless, but because nobody ever handed them the information in the first place. These six questions are a quick, honest way to find the gaps.
Answer these honestly, not the way you'd like to answer them. Each one points to a guide if you want to close the gap.
Could you shut off your main water supply in under a minute?
A running or burst pipe does the most damage in the minutes before the water gets shut off, so knowing the exact location and how the valve operates matters more than almost anything else on this list.
If you had to hunt for it, or aren't sure it still turns, that's worth fixing before there's an emergency.
Is your electrical panel labeled accurately?
A panel with vague or outdated labels ('misc,' 'bedroom?') means every electrical issue starts with trial and error instead of a quick, confident answer.
Panels get relabeled less often than rooms get remodeled, so mismatches are common even in well-kept homes.
Do you know your A/C filter size and when it was last changed?
The filter size is printed on the old filter or the housing, but it's easy to forget between changes — and an overdue filter is one of the most common causes of reduced HVAC performance and higher bills.
Model and serial numbers matter too, especially if you ever need warranty service.
How old is your water heater, and is it still under warranty?
Water heaters have a working lifespan, and knowing roughly where yours falls in that range changes whether a small issue is worth repairing or a sign it's time to plan a replacement.
The age and warranty status are usually printed on a manufacturer's sticker on the tank itself.
Do you know what's still under warranty in your home?
Manufacturer and installation warranties are easy to lose track of because the paperwork is rarely kept anywhere obvious, and a warranty that's forgotten is functionally the same as no warranty at all.
This applies to appliances, roofing, HVAC systems and any recent installation work.
Do you know what previous owners or contractors changed?
Homes accumulate invisible history — rerouted wiring, replaced plumbing, patched drywall over old work — and none of it is obvious just from living in the house.
Some of it only surfaces the hard way, during a repair or renovation.
What should you do if you couldn't answer most of these?
Start writing things down, and start now — before the next repair, not after it. Hands On builds this kind of information into a Home Logbook as work gets done, so the answers to these questions live somewhere permanent instead of in someone's memory.
You don't need to fix everything at once. Locating your main shutoff this week and confirming your filter size next week is more useful than trying to document your entire house in one sitting.
Could you shut off your main water supply in under a minute?
A running or burst pipe does the most damage in the minutes before the water gets shut off, so knowing the exact location and how the valve operates matters more than almost anything else on this list.
Is your electrical panel labeled accurately?
A panel with vague or outdated labels ('misc,' 'bedroom?') means every electrical issue starts with trial and error instead of a quick, confident answer.
Do you know your A/C filter size and when it was last changed?
The filter size is printed on the old filter or the housing, but it's easy to forget between changes — and an overdue filter is one of the most common causes of reduced HVAC performance and higher bills.
How old is your water heater, and is it still under warranty?
Water heaters have a working lifespan, and knowing roughly where yours falls in that range changes whether a small issue is worth repairing or a sign it's time to plan a replacement.
Do you know what's still under warranty in your home?
Manufacturer and installation warranties are easy to lose track of because the paperwork is rarely kept anywhere obvious, and a warranty that's forgotten is functionally the same as no warranty at all.
Do you know what previous owners or contractors changed?
Homes accumulate invisible history — rerouted wiring, replaced plumbing, patched drywall over old work — and none of it is obvious just from living in the house.
Related pages
- The Hands On Home Logbook
A permanent property record built from the work you already have done.
- Browse all Home Guides
Practical guides on shutoffs, HVAC records and maintenance history.
- Home repair services in Tampa
For the small fixes that come up while you're getting to know your home.
- About Hands On Home Improvement
Why we focus on knowing a home instead of just closing tickets.
Not sure where to start?
Start with Hands On.
Send Hands On a photo of whatever's on your mind — a panel, a leak, a fixture — and we'll help you figure out the next step.