Lyle Ostrand · Old House, Old Hands Free printable $0 No card · No subscription

Walk your house before winter does.
Free, in big print.

Six rooms, thirty-six checks from the floor, and the exact words to say when you call 211.

Most winter trouble in an old house starts small: a draft under the basement door, caulk that has cracked, a space heater a foot too close to the drapes. So I put the checks on paper — six rooms, thirty-six of them, every one done from the floor. No ladders, no roof, no gas, no flames. Then the calls: the signs that mean it's a job for a pro, and a last page to keep by the phone, with three official numbers and the exact words to say when you call 211. It's free. Print it big and keep it by the basement door.

✦ Free printable — no card needed Get the free walk-through · $0 → See what's on it ↓ Instant download · read it on your phone, tablet, or computer, or print it · free, no subscription, yours to keep
Lyle, the AI handyman character of Old House, Old Hands, in a basement workshop
Page three: a sheet to keep by the phone, with three official numbers and the 211 script Page one: The Old House Winter Walk-Through
I. The whole walk-through
Instant download

Your whole house,
on three big-print pages — for $0.

6 rooms · 36 checks · 3 official phone numbers · 1 script for 211
The Old House Winter Walk-Through, page one Keep this page by the phone: phone numbers and the 211 script, page three

Every room, every call worth making and every number beside it — free.

$0Free printable
No card needed

EVERYTHING YOU GET:

The Room-by-Room Walk-Through · six rooms, thirty-six checks, all from the floorFREE
Call a Pro If… · the five signs that mean stop and call for helpFREE
Safety First · four lines to keep, from space heaters to carbon monoxideFREE
Phone Numbers Worth Taping by the Phone · three official lines, with what each one is forFREE
The 211 Script · exactly what to say when you call for local helpFREE
Card neededNone
You pay today$0
Get the free walk-through · $0 →

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II. From the floor

Most of it, you can check from the floor.
The rest is a job for a pro.

A flashlight, a sheet of paper and the back of your hand will tell you a lot about an old house. Here's some of what you can check yourself — and the signs on page two that mean it's time to call someone.

You can check it
From the floor, with a flashlight
Daylight where the basement wall meets the floor aboveBasement
Cold air at the edges, against the back of your handDoors
A sheet of paper that slides out of a closed doorDoors
A space heater closer than three feet to the drapesKitchen
Low vents covered by snow, leaves or plantsOutside
Call a pro if…
Printed on page two
You smell gas. Leave the house and call for help from outside.
Your carbon monoxide alarm sounds. Get out and call for help.
The heat stops, or the furnace smells, smokes, or bangs.
Outlets feel warm, show scorch marks, or lights flicker.
The job needs a ladder, the roof, spray foam, or a leak you can't stop.

Three feet from the space heater. Off before you sleep. A carbon monoxide alarm outside each sleeping area.

The checks and the safety lines are printed word for word on the walk-through. Every phone number on it comes from official U.S. government sources.

But a list only helps if you walk it.
Grab a flashlight and start in the basement.

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III. What's on it

Three pages. Six rooms, and the calls worth making.

The first pages walk the house one room at a time and tell you when to call a pro. The last page is made to keep by the phone. Set down plain, in big clear type, so you can read it with your glasses off.

I
Pages one and two

The Room-by-Room Walk-Through

Six rooms, six checks each, the way you'd walk the house with a flashlight.

  • Basement — daylight at the top of the wall, cobwebs that move, pipes on outside walls
  • Doors & windows — the back-of-the-hand check and the paper test
  • Kitchen & living room — the space heater, and the sink cabinet on very cold nights
  • Bedroom — carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, blankets and a flashlight by the bed
  • Bathroom and outside (from the ground) — drips, caulk, gutters, vents and icy steps
II
Pages two and three

When to Call, and Who

When to stop and call for help, four safety lines to keep in mind, and a last page made to keep by the phone.

  • Call a pro if… — five warning signs, from a gas smell to a furnace that bangs
  • Safety first, in four lines
  • Three phone numbers worth taping by the phone
  • The 211 script — eight lines that ask for exactly what you need
❦
Included — the sources

Nothing guessed

Every phone number comes from official U.S. government sources and is printed with what it's for. Lyle is an AI character, not a licensed contractor: anything that needs a ladder, the roof, gas or flames goes straight to the "call a pro" list.

Print it big and keep it by the basement door.

❦ a taste of what's on it ❦
Doors & windows

The Paper Test

Close the door on a sheet of paper. Does it slide out easily?

Basement

The Cobweb Clue

Cobwebs that move when no fan is on mean a draft.

Safety first

Three Feet

How far a space heater stays from beds, drapes and furniture.

The calls

The 211 Script

Eight plain lines, ready to read aloud on the phone.

✦ Free printable — no card needed
Get the free walk-through · $0 →
IV. Straight from the page

In plain words.

★ Three lines from the walk-through, exactly as printed ★
“

Close the door on a sheet of paper. Does it slide out easily?

1
Doors & windowsThe walk-through · page one
“

Never leave a space heater on when you go to sleep.

2
Safety firstThe walk-through · page two
“

Is there any fee? I know LIHEAP does not charge one.

3
The 211 scriptThe walk-through · page three
Lyle, the AI handyman character of Old House, Old Hands
V. About Lyle

Who's walking you through it.

I'm Lyle, and I'll tell you straight from the first line: I'm an AI character. My face and my voice are made with AI, and I'm not a licensed contractor.

What I can do is walk you through the checks anyone can make from the floor, and tell you plainly when a job belongs to a pro. Every phone number on this sheet comes from official U.S. government sources, and the sources for every number in my videos are listed in the description.

I made this walk-through because most winter trouble in an old house shows up early, if you know where to look. Print it, take it room to room, and keep it by the basement door for next year.

If it needs a ladder, a gas line or a flame, it's a job for a pro. Everything else, we can look at together.

New videos every week on YouTube · youtube.com/@OldHouseOldHands

VI. Get the walk-through

Free. No card.
Yours to print and keep.

Instant access — the download link lands in your email within a minute. Read it on any phone, tablet or computer, or print it at the kitchen table. No subscription, nothing to cancel, nothing to buy.

WHAT YOU GET FOR $0:

The Room-by-Room Walk-Through · six rooms, thirty-six checksFREE
Call a Pro If… & Safety First · when to stop and callFREE
Three official phone numbers · worth taping by the phoneFREE
The 211 Script · what to say, line by lineFREE
You pay today$0
Get everything · $0 →

Your house, checked
before the cold sets in.

Three pages — six rooms, thirty-six checks, three phone numbers and the 211 script — free. Your link arrives by email within a minute. Read it on your phone, or print it at the table.

It's set in big, clear type, made to carry room to room and to keep by the basement door.

You don't have to climb anything. You just have to look — and know who to call.

Get the free walk-through · $0 →

Free · no card · no subscription · yours to keep

VII. Before you download

Questions folks ask first.

Is it really free?

Yes. Gumroad shows a "name a fair price" box; leave it at $0 and you pay nothing. There's no card to enter and nothing to cancel later.

Why do you need my email?

Gumroad sends the download link to your inbox, so you can open it again any time, on any device. We never sell or share your email, and one click unsubscribes you from anything you don't want.

Do I need tools or a ladder?

No. A flashlight and a sheet of paper. Every check is done from the floor; anything that needs a ladder, the roof, gas or the furnace goes on the "call a pro" list.

Are the phone numbers real?

Yes. They come from official U.S. government sources: the LIHEAP referral line for help with heating bills (weekdays, 9 am to 7 pm Eastern), the Eldercare Locator for local help for older adults, and the HHS fraud hotline to report heating-aid fraud.

Is this a book I'll get in the mail?

No. It's a three-page printable (a PDF) that you download right away. Print it at home, at the library, or read it on your screen.

I'm not much for computers. Is it hard to get?

Not a bit. If you can open an email, you can open this. You get a link; you tap it, and the walk-through is right there to read or print. A grandchild can print it for you in a minute.

Who is Lyle?

Lyle is an AI character: his face and voice are made with AI, and he is not a licensed contractor. The checks are simple ones anyone can make from the floor, and every phone number is official.

Is this professional advice?

No. It's a checklist to help you notice problems early and know who to call. If you smell gas or your carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get out of the house and call for help from outside.

❦

Not ready to download? Get word of Lyle's next free printable.

Leave your email and Gumroad will let you know when the next free page is ready. No cost, just another small fix for an old house.

❦

Winter finds the weak spots first. Find them before it does.

Free — three pages, six rooms, thirty-six checks and the calls worth making. No card, no subscription, yours to keep.

✦ Free printable — no card needed
Get the free walk-through · $0 →

Free · no card · no subscription · yours to keep

A flashlight, a sheet of paper and one slow walk around the house.