Why Grumpty exists

A century-old house, a sewer line full of tree roots, and a list of dull jobs that wouldn't stop growing.

We moved into a century-old house in Grand Rapids, and one of the first jobs we had done was getting the sewer line scoped and cleared, because roots from the huge sycamore in our front yard had found their way in. Apparently you're meant to do this every couple of years, because a collapsed sewer line is a five-figure dig, and a backed-up one is… not exactly part of the old-house charm.

Then the list started growing. Flush the water heater. Swap the anode rod. Clear the dryer vent. Gutters twice a year. Furnace filter. Smoke alarms. All these boring little jobs, each on its own clock, quietly waiting to become expensive.

I looked at existing to-do apps, but nothing did what I wanted. So I built Grumpty: a grumpy little pig who keeps track of the unglamorous house stuff before your house decides to make a point.

Grumpy, not boring.

Most apps for this are a grey checklist that makes you feel worse. Grumpty's got opinions. He mutters something different every time you open your list, does a small grudging cheer when you tick a job off, and there's a daft game hidden in here somewhere. The gutters still won't clean themselves. At least he's decent company while you sort them.

It's one loop.

You add the upkeep your home needs with how often it repeats. Grumpty shows what's due, emails you in time to actually book it, and lines up the next one the moment you mark it done.

Be the third little pig

The one who did the dull jobs on time. His was the house left standing.