What belongs in a home maintenance record?

A durable home maintenance record answers three questions: what is due, what was actually done and what would someone need to repeat the job? The record should be understandable without access to a proprietary account or a complicated dashboard.

Keep the plan and the evidence separate

The plan contains task title, area, due date, interval, recurrence anchor, planned cost and equipment context. The service history contains an actual completion date, actual cost if known and a note. Moving a due date is not the same as completing a job. A forecast is not an invoice.

Upkeep Atlas keeps these as distinct records. Editing an estimated cost does not rewrite past spending. Renaming a task does not change its historical completion titles. Archiving a task preserves its history, so equipment you no longer use can still be represented in your record.

Use notes that survive a handoff

Include the exact part or model, a brief description of the work and the location of supporting paperwork. Avoid storing passwords, access codes or sensitive personal details. The data is local to this browser, but it is not an encrypted vault; anyone with access to the browser profile may be able to read it.

The planner does not upload documents, identify recalls or validate warranties. A manual URL is a link that you supply. Retain important documents in your own backup system and do not rely on a linked manufacturer's page remaining available forever.

Choose the right export

JSON is the complete application backup. It preserves IDs, monthly anchors, archive state, completion history and currency. Use it to restore your record or move it to another browser. Import validates the entire file before changing your current record.

Task CSV is a flat editing and spreadsheet view. CSV import adds new active tasks; it does not restore archive status, history or original monthly anchors. History CSV is a separate human-readable record of completions and costs. Together they are useful for reading your records outside the app, but they are not a full replacement for JSON.

Calendar export contains only the next due date for active tasks. It is not a backup, a subscription or proof that reminders will fire. Your calendar app decides how imported notifications behave.

Make backup a small recurring job

Export after substantial updates and before replacing an imported record. Keep the file outside the browser, such as in a folder you already back up. Opening the app on another domain, clearing site data, losing a device or using private browsing can leave you without the original local record.

The merge option refuses conflicting edits instead of silently choosing a winner. If you intend to replace the current record, download it first. Manual exports are a handoff mechanism, not live shared-household synchronization.