House book no. 1Frank Kowalski
Your whole house, ready for winter, in one plain book.
The checks an old super did every fall, and the jobs he always handed to a licensed pro.
Thirty-eight years keeping old brick buildings in Buffalo warm and dry, written down for your house: the furnace, drafts, frozen pipes, the water heater, the roof and the first hour of a power cut. Plain words, big print, and a checklist at the end of every chapter.
Instant download · Large print · PDF + EPUB · 7-day money-back guarantee
No. I · The problem
Winter finds every small thing you skipped.
Then the 2 a.m. calls and the "urgent" quotes start.
For thirty-eight winters I was the fella tenants called when the radiator banged, the window whistled or the kitchen pipe turned into a popsicle. Almost every one of those calls started the same way: a small, cheap thing nobody checked in the fall.
- The furnace that quits on the coldest night. Usually a filter nobody changed since spring, or a vent blocked by furniture or snow.
- The pipe that freezes at 2 a.m. An outside wall, a cold garage, or a sink cabinet that stayed shut.
- The window you can feel across the room. Heat walks right out through gaps a few dollars of weatherstrip would close.
- The ice dam over the kitchen. Clogged gutters and a warm attic make ice that pushes water under the shingles.
- The CO alarm with a dead battery. Or no alarm near the bedrooms at all. It's the most important check in the book.
- The "urgent" repair quote. A cold house, a worried owner and someone who knows it. A few good questions save a lot of money.
Most of it you can check yourself in an afternoon. The rest, the book helps you hand to the right pro.
No. II · The bundle
The Winter-Ready House Book, and 4 bonuses
One download. Every check. Every season.
Everything you get
Frank's Winter-Ready House Book123 pages · 8 chapters, checklists, tables and a "Call a Pro" card$47
Frank's 30-Day Winter-Ready Plan38 pages · one small job a day, from the water shutoff to the yearly tune-up$27
Frank's Printable House Checklists & Cards26 pages · freeze-warning and power-out cards, logs, a scam red-flags card$19
Frank's Four-Season House Calendar35 pages · what to do in fall, winter, spring and summer$29
When the House Acts Up30 pages · 12 problems, from no heat to a new ceiling stain$15- If bought separately$137
$37all 5 together, today
Get the bundle · $37Instant download · pay once · yours to keep
7-day money-back guarantee. Read it, try it, and if it isn't for you, email us within 7 days of buying for a full refund.
No. III · Who does what
Check it yourself, or call a licensed pro
The book draws a clear line. Here's how it splits a few common jobs.
You can check it
Call a licensed pro
This book never asks you to open a gas line, work inside the furnace or touch household wiring.
A grey furnace filter. A whistling door. A CO alarm nobody tested. That's where most winter trouble starts.
From Frank's fall checklist
No. IV
What's Inside
Eight chapters. Each opens with a memory from the basement, then plain steps, a checklist and the mistakes I saw most.
Chapter 1 · pages 10–22
Heat: Furnace and Boiler Care You Can Do Yourself
- Know Your Machine, Then Mind the Filter
- Radiators: Keep Them Clear, Bleed Them Safely
- Thermostat Habits That Make a Difference
- The Pre-Season Start-Up Check
- Sounds, Smells, and the Yearly Tune-Up
Chapter 2 · pages 23–37
Drafts: Windows, Doors, and the Attic
- Hunting Drafts Without a Candle
- Windows: Rope Caulk, Weatherstrip and Plastic Film
- Doors and the Little Leaks
- The Attic Hatch, and What Needs to Breathe
- Which Fixes First?
Chapter 3 · pages 38–49
Frozen Pipes: Keep Them from Freezing, and What to Do If One Does
- Where Pipes Freeze, and Why
- Before the Cold: Sleeves, Seals, and Outside Faucets
- Cold Nights and Trips Away
- Thawing a Frozen Pipe the Safe Way
- Your Main Shutoff and the First 15 Minutes
Chapter 4 · pages 50–61
Putting the Cooling to Bed and Keeping the Air Right
- Central Air: Putting It to Bed for Winter
- Window Units: Out or Wrapped Up
- Heat Pumps: The Outdoor Unit That Works All Winter
- Fans, Humidifiers, and Dry Winter Air
- The Spring Restart
Chapter 5 · pages 62–75
Your Water Heater and the Small Plumbing Jobs
- Get to Know Your Water Heater
- The Right Temperature and the Safety Valve
- Signs Your Water Heater Is in Trouble
- The Small Plumbing Jobs
- Drain Cleaners and What Not to Pour Down
Chapter 6 · pages 76–89
Roof, Gutters and Ice Dams: All from the Ground
- Your Roof, Seen from the Ground
- Gutters and Downspouts Without a Ladder
- Ice Dams: How They Form and What to Do
- Water Stains and Snow Load
- Clearing Vents, Meters and Walkways
Chapter 7 · pages 90–102
When the Lights Go Out: Power Outages and Carbon Monoxide Safety
- Carbon Monoxide Alarms: The Watchman That Never Sleeps
- Generators: Useful Tool, Deadly If Misused
- The First Hour of an Outage
- Staying Warm Safely
- Your Outage Kit and Phone List
Chapter 8 · pages 103–114
When to Call a Pro and How Not to Get Ripped Off
- Jobs You Can Do and Jobs for a Licensed Pro
- Finding Honest Help and Checking the License
- Get Three Written Estimates and Ask Good Questions
- Red Flags and Scams That Target Older Folks
- A Fair Contract, Paying in Stages, and Keeping Records
At the back: a seasonal checklist, a "Call a Pro" card, a page for your own house's facts, and an index.
No. V · Look inside
Real pages from the book
Large print, one job at a time, and a checklist you can tick with a pencil.
Swipe to see more pages.
On the workbench
Keep it where the work is.
Read it on your phone, tablet or Kindle (EPUB), or print just the page you need (PDF) and keep it by the furnace or the water heater. Big print either way.
No. VI
About Frank
I'm seventy-one. For thirty-eight years I was the super of old brick apartment buildings in Buffalo, most of that time at the Halloran, a big steam-heated place where I learned the trade from Henryk, the super before me.
I was the fella you called at two in the morning when the radiator was clanking or the kitchen pipe had frozen. Mrs. Kaminski in 3B could feel a draft from across the room, and she was right nine times out of ten. I wrote down what she and those boilers taught me.
I was never a licensed tradesman and I don't pretend to be. Anything with gas, wiring or the inside of a furnace, I'll tell you plainly: call a licensed pro.
— Frank
No. VII
Order the bundle
The 123-page book and all 4 bonuses, emailed the moment you pay. Each one is also sold on its own in this shop.
$37all 5 books · $137 if bought separately
Get the bundle · $37Instant download · Large print · PDF + EPUB · 7-day money-back guarantee
7-day money-back guarantee. Read it, try it, and if it isn't for you, email us within 7 days of buying for a full refund.
No. VIII
Questions homeowners ask
I'm not handy at all. Is this for me?
Yes. Most checks need a flashlight, a screwdriver and ten minutes. Each one says what you'll need, and when to stop and call someone.
Will it tell me to work on gas or wiring?
No. Gas lines, wiring, chimneys and venting, and the inside of a furnace or boiler are jobs for a licensed pro. If you ever smell gas, leave the house first, then call from outside.
I rent. Is it still useful?
Yes. Many checks are habits and safety, and the book shows what to report to your landlord, and when.
Is Frank a real person?
Frank is the storyteller of our channel and this book. The checklists are real, everyday home maintenance, and for gas, electric and anything you're unsure of, the book always says: call a licensed pro. The book is written and checked by the Zylvane team.
Why $37 when the parts add up to $137?
Each of the 5 items (Frank's Winter-Ready House Book and the 4 bonuses) is also sold on its own in this shop: $47, $27, $19, $29 and $15. Bought together they're $37, paid once.
Is this a printed book?
No. You get large-print PDF and EPUB files to download right after checkout. They read on a phone, tablet, Kindle or computer, and you can print any page you like.
I'm not good with computers. Will this be hard?
If you can open an email, you can open this. You'll get a download link by email; tap it and the book opens. Stuck? Email sanyal@zylvane.com and we'll walk you through it.
What if it's not for me?
Email sanyal@zylvane.com within 7 days of buying and you'll get a full refund. No forms, no fuss.
Keep the heat in and the water moving.
Frank's checklists, season by season, in big print.
Instant download · Large print · PDF + EPUB · 7-day money-back guarantee