Your family cabin
house manual template.

What goes in a family cabin house manual?

A useful house manual answers the questions people ask when they arrive, when something stops working and when they leave. The starter provides four prompts: arrival, equipment, contacts and departure. You can print the two-page worksheet or add the four editable starter notes to Everporch.

Write instructions someone else can follow

For each detail, record where to find it, the correct source of instructions and who to call with questions. “Check the furnace” is hard to act on. “The furnace model and filter size are on its label; the manual is in the equipment folder; call our service provider before changing settings” gives the next person a useful starting point. Replace that example with the actual details for your house.

1. Arrival: parking, what to bring, the first checks and where to find the current house notes.
2. Equipment: model numbers, manual locations, service history and the next planned check.
3. Contacts: a local contact, service providers, when to call and how to reach them.
4. Departure: your property’s agreed steps, unfinished jobs and who should receive the update.

Keep a master copy and a helper version

The family’s house book may contain information that a one-time helper does not need. Keep access codes and personal details private. Share only the selected job and its necessary instructions, and tell family members where the current version lives. Revisit the notes when equipment, providers or routines change.