Comes with our stove fan

Winter-Ready House

$9PDF by email, nothing comes in the mail

Get the house ready before the first frost, one plain chapter at a time.

  • Big print and plain words, on a phone or on paper.
  • 6 pages to print and tape up.
  • 30-day money-back.

Digital only. It's a PDF, and nothing ships.

30-day money-back.

Email us within 30 days and we refund you within 7 business days. Keep the file.

Buying it as a gift? Orders placed from November 1 to December 24 can be refunded until January 31. If your 30 days end later than that, you get the later date.

How you get it

Right after you pay, a download link shows on your order page and comes to your email. It opens on a phone, tablet or computer, and you can print it at home or at any print shop.

Can't find it? Search your email for "First Frost Home," and look in the Spam or Promotions folder. Still nothing? Write to and we'll send it again.

Where the numbers come from

Public U.S. sources like the CDC, the U.S. Department of Energy, the American Red Cross, Ready.gov, the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association. None of them are connected to this guide or endorse it. The guide covers simple, everyday upkeep and is not professional advice. Gas lines, wiring, furnaces and chimney repairs are work for a licensed professional, and the guide says so.

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What's inside

Six jobs before the first freeze

  1. Walk Your Walls

    How to tell you've got company, the rule "seal first, trap second," the walk-around, how to close a gap, then trapping what's already inside, why the guide skips poison, cleaning up after mice the CDC's way, and not leaving them a pantry.

  2. Drafts at the windows and doors

    Find the leaks first, then windows, doors, the other leaks, and letting the sun help.

  3. Wood That Burns Hot

    Where the pile goes, how to stack it, when it's ready, what never goes in the stove, bringing it in one day at a time, and the stove and the chimney.

  4. Pipes and outside faucets

    Which pipes freeze, what to do before the first freeze, what to do on a Freeze Warning night, if a pipe freezes, and if a pipe bursts.

  5. The Fall Walk-Around

    Outside, the alarms, the heat, space heaters, and the rest of the inside.

  6. When the Power Goes Out

    Getting ready before the storm, when the lights go out, the carbon monoxide rules, and the food in the fridge.

Cut out and keep

  • The Fall Walk-Around Checklist
  • Where Things Are
  • The Freeze Warning Night Card
  • The Woodpile Log
  • The Sealing Log
  • The Winter Kit

The guide in one line

  • "Fall is when you get ready. Winter is when you're glad you did."

The stove fan comes with this guide

Have a wood stove?

Our heat-powered stove fan comes with this guide by email, so you don't need to buy both.

Plain and simple

Our Porch Promises

  • A real business you can reach.

    First Frost Home is run by one person, Miguel Nunes da Costa, a sole trader in Portugal. Write to . Our postal address is at the bottom of every page.

  • Nothing to ship.

    The guide is a PDF download, and it opens right after you pay.

  • 30-day money-back.

    If the guide isn't right for you, write to us and we refund you. You keep the file.

  • No tricks.

    No made-up reviews, no countdown clocks, no "only 3 left."

  • A real reply.

    We reply within 6 hours, Monday to Friday, 9 am–5 pm Eastern.

Before you buy

Questions about the guide

Can't find yours? Write to . We reply within 6 hours, Monday to Friday, 9 am–5 pm Eastern.

Is it a paper book?

No. It's a 46-page PDF, and nothing about it comes in the mail. Every page is standard letter size (8.5 by 11 inches), so you can print it at home or at any print shop.

How do I get it?

Right after you pay, a download link shows on the screen, and a copy comes to your email. It opens on a phone, tablet or computer. Can't find it? Search your email for "First Frost Home," and look in the Spam or Promotions folder. Still nothing? Write to us and we'll send it again.

What's in it?

Six chapters, in the order you'd do the jobs: walking your walls for small gaps, drafts at the windows and doors, firewood and the stove, pipes and outside faucets, the fall walk-around, and what to do when the power goes out. In the back are 6 pages to cut out and tape up, like the Fall Walk-Around Checklist and the Freeze Warning Night Card.

Do I need it if I buy the stove fan?

No. The stove fan comes with this guide by email, so you don't need to buy both.

What if it's not right for me?

Write to within 30 days of the day you buy it, and we'll refund what you paid, within 7 business days. You keep the files.

See all questions

Get the house ready before the first frost.

$9PDF by email

30-day money-back. It opens right after you pay.