A shared cabin gets maintained one of two ways. Either one person quietly does everything and burns out, or nothing gets done until something fails. A maintenance calendar is the third option: the work is written down, spread across the year, and spread across the family.
Here is a month-by-month calendar for a seasonal place in a four-season climate. Shift the months to match your region, cut what does not apply, and add the quirks of your place.
How to use this
Assign each month’s tasks to a family, not to a person. Rotate the assignments each year so the same branch does not always get closing weekend. Keep the calendar with the house, where the family books time, so whoever is up that month sees what is due. And write down what got done, so the next family knows.
January
- Review the year: what broke, what cost money, what the family wants to change.
- Hold the annual family meeting, or set its date. Our guide to running the annual meeting has an agenda.
- Check insurance renewals and confirm coverage is current.
- If the place is closed, arrange for someone to check it after big storms.
February
- Run the booking draft or open the calendar for the season, per your booking rules.
- Schedule the spring services now, while calendars are open: septic pumping, chimney sweep, dock installation, propane delivery.
- Order anything that takes a while: replacement dock parts, a new mattress, screens.
March
- Drive up after the thaw, or ask the nearest family member to. Look for roof damage, ice dams, downed trees, and signs of animals.
- Check that the road is passable and the driveway drains.
- Confirm the power will be on for opening.
April
- Spring opening. Follow the opening checklist.
- Turn the water on slowly and check for leaks from the winter.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and the fire extinguisher.
- Clean gutters and check downspouts.
- Rake, clear brush, and check for tree limbs that came down.
May
- Put the dock in and launch boats. Check life jackets for fit and condition.
- Service the mower, the outboard, the generator.
- Wash windows and screens, and put screens in.
- Pressure wash the deck and check it for rot and loose boards.
- Restock the pantry basics, first-aid kit, and cleaning supplies.
June
- Have the septic pumped if it is due. Most seasonal places need it every two to three years.
- Check the well water, or change the filters if you are on a filtration system.
- Treat the deck or stain the siding if it is the year for it.
- Confirm the house rules and the guest policy are posted and current.
July
- Peak season. Keep the maintenance light and the family happy.
- Check the dock lines and ladders mid-season.
- Restock consumables often. Assign each visiting family a small item to replace.
- Keep a running list of things that break, so they are not forgotten by fall.
August
- Look at the roof, the chimney, and the flashing before the fall weather.
- Order firewood and stack it to dry.
- Test the furnace or heat source before you need it.
- Start planning the closing date and who will do it.
September
- Storm season on the coast. Review the storm prep checklist and make sure it is where the family can find it.
- Trim trees and clear the roof before leaves come down.
- Deep clean while the weather is still good.
- The treasurer starts the season’s accounting.
October
- Pull the dock and boats before the water gets too cold to work in.
- Clean gutters after the leaves fall.
- Fall closing, per the winterizing guide: drain the water, antifreeze the traps, seal against mice.
- Photograph everything and note what needs attention in spring.
November
- Settle the year’s accounts. The treasurer sends the ledger and everyone squares up.
- Confirm plowing arrangements if the road needs it.
- Arrange for storm checks over the winter.
- Update the house manual with anything the season taught you.
December
- Send the family the next year’s calendar dates and the draft date.
- Renew any permits, licenses, or association dues due in the new year.
- Rest. The place is closed and the work is done.
Spreading the work fairly
A few habits make the calendar stick:
- Rotate the big jobs. Opening and closing are the heaviest weekends. Make sure they rotate through the families and are not always on the sibling who lives closest.
- Pay or credit the work. If one family does far more, recognize it, in money, in booking priority, or at least out loud. Our cost-splitting guide covers the options.
- Hire out what nobody wants to do. Septic, chimney, dock service, and plowing are cheap compared to the resentment of doing them.
- Log what was done. A one-line note with a date turns “did anyone pump the septic?” into a lookup.
Keep the calendar with the calendar
The maintenance schedule belongs next to the booking calendar, because the family already looks there. With SharedStead, the procedures for opening, closing, and storms live on the property, the board is where “dock is in, ladder needs a new rung” gets posted for everyone, and the calendar shows who is up when the septic truck comes. Maintenance stops being one person’s burden and becomes something the family does together, a month at a time.
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