Show HN: HomeownerLog – For tracking the tasks you complete around the house

[zapstar]

One weekend, I had somehow successfully repaired my dishwasher (turns out it was just a bad fuse that cost $10 to replace), and three smoke detectors simultaneously needed batteries replaced. So at that point, I realized:

1) I wish I could record this very proud achievement of mine (regarding the dishwasher). And also make a note of where I got the fuse, how I fixed it, etc., in case it broke again. 2) I wish that I kept better track of when I replaced my smoke detector batteries, along with other routine household activities.

And so here we are! This idea expanded into -- what if I could log whenever I did tasks like this around the house/yard and also jot down details (model numbers, battery types, etc.) about appliances and other household objects so that I could quickly reference them whenever they're needed.

Give it a try and let me know your thoughts, positive or negative!

[smackeyacky]

Serious question: my wife seems to have a never ending list of these things and she would likely take it as some kind of passive-aggressive middle finger if I recorded all the stuff I did and then showed it to her. I think I'd rather keep it to myself unless she stumbles across me swearing at something with tools in my hands.

The fact that I find most of these domestic chores completely unfulfilling (i.e. just a long, constant reminder that buying a house means you suddenly realise that without you bashing on it, it will fall down in record time) is not something I want to be reminded of.

So, while I appreciate the idea, I just don't want to see how much of my "free" time is consumed with gardening, fixing stuff, honey do's etc. and I'd rather see a log of what I did with my hobbies instead. Kind of like the opposite to this.

[mlmonge]

It is indeed a great feeling to see accomplishment logged somewhere online. But I would be encouraged to do so if others would be able to review it and then find inspiration to quest on their own similar endeavor. I'm thinking of Indie Hackers, for instance--it's very encouraging to read of another's success. My suggestion thus... allow for comments & discussion on any given entry. I could imagine myself commenting, "Good job with the carpentry! Did you use maple or oak?" Or something to that effect.

And maybe later on, rankings. As more accomplishments are entered, one goes from amateur to master to ninja, etc. But I don't think that's particularly important, just a thought. Either way, good job with HomeownerLog!

[jiveturkey]

Not sure why you'd need or want a dedicated app for that? keep a paper notebook, or use a general purpose app ("notes", "word", etc) that is going to be around forever and be far more accessible? Using any app like this is a guarantee that the data will be lost down the road.

[wanderingmind]

For people who are looking for complex tasks and notes, I recommend org-mode + Orgzly app. The great thing is that you can create short tasks in the app, and you can expand it with more details on your computer later where it is synced. I use it for a wide range of different tasks.

[etewiah]

Really nice idea!! I started building a product for creating single property pages over a year ago. One of the things I got asked was a way to use it to manage tasks / inventories for a home. At the time I was not able to implement that but I'm now thinking of going back to do that.

In the meantime I open sourced it so people can add functionality and take it in the direction they want.

This was the feedback I got on hacker news when I first discussed it:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24339608

[irth]

Pretty cool! I do have a bit of a problem with forgetting that I was productive and assuming I am just not doing anything meaningful everyday. I also came across the idea of a "done list", but for anything, not just home stuff - I implemented it as a simple app[1] so that I can get points and track my week on a nice graph (inspired by Duolingo, I want to make a daily goal setting eventually too) :)

Your project reminded me of that.

[1] https://doneth.at - might be buggy and not very performant, I implemented it just for myself. I do hash passwords though ;)

[heffer]

I’ve been using something like this within Grocy, an open source grocery and household management tool. I find it very useful.

[soared]

This is cool. I’m looking at purchasing a house soon and was looking for good ways to track the improvement projects I complete and their costs. (Ie installed new siding 1/23, $1,500). This looks great!

[zapstar]

Good luck with your house hunt and if you start to use this, please don't hesitate to submit a few feature requests!

[toomuchtodo]

Do you have default tasks/templates homeowner users can pick from? For example, you’re supposed to drain your hot water heater annually and change the anode every 2-3 years.

[zapstar]

Not currently but that’s something I’d like to add!

I do start all users off with a “default” house, so that it’s a little easier to get started.

[diordiderot]

I think this is using the Bulma css framework

[zapstar]

It’s Bootstrap.

[kerv]

Pretty sweet idea! Thanks for sharing

[zapstar]

Thank you! Please post any additional feedback or ideas that you care to share.