Pricing
How pricing works
We do not price by the room. A house is priced by the week as written, and the number comes to you in writing before anything is booked.
What decides the price
A house is priced by the hours its standing week takes, so the number follows what is in it and how it is used.
Square footage, rooms and floors, and how many bathrooms
How many people live in it and how often it is entertained in
The surfaces: stone, wood, rugs, glass, silver and brass
Pets, and whether a staff member is in the house during our visit
How many days a week we come, and how long since the house was last done properly
What the estimate covers
It lists every task in the standing week by day, the crew size, the hours, and the products we bring.
Included: the week as written, the crew, supplies and equipment
Not included: repairs, moving heavy furniture, pest or mold work, exterior and pool areas
Anything outside the estimate is quoted separately before it is done
What happens at the walk-through
Enid walks every room with you, writes down what to leave alone, and measures the work against the week you want. There is no charge for the walk-through.
About an hour and a half for a house of this size
She asks about keys, alarms and who else is in the house
You see the house card in draft before anything is booked
When you get the number
In writing, within two working days of the walk-through, before a first visit is booked. It is a fixed figure per week for the week as written, not a range.
If the week changes, the figure changes only after you agree in writing
Nothing is billed until the first visit has been done
How and when you pay
We invoice at the end of each month for the visits made. Each line is a visit, with its date and crew.
Pay by bank transfer or card
A visit you cancel inside the notice period is on the invoice; the policies page says when
No deposit and no sign-up charge
If the house changes
A new guest wing, a long stay, a party, a new dog: tell Enid, and she writes a revised week for you to approve.
The revised week replaces the old one only when you say yes
A one-off extra is priced before it is booked
You can pause the week for travel with notice
A walk-through in words
Five questions Enid asks before she names a number
For a house of about 8,000 square feet with seven bedrooms, one dog and a crew three days a week. There is no figure here on purpose.
- Which rooms are used every day, and which are kept for guests?
- Which surfaces need a particular product, or none at all: stone, wide-plank floors, silk, unlacquered brass?
- Who is in the house when the crew is: staff, family, nobody?
- Which days can the crew come, and what time can they have the key?
- What does it look like when you are pleased, and what is the thing that bothers you?
From the answers she writes the week, counts its hours, and gives you one figure for the week as written. If you change the week, the figure changes only when you agree in writing.
Prices, answered
Do you charge by the hour?
We measure the week in hours, so we can write it down. You pay a fixed figure for the week as written, not for the clock.
Is there a minimum?
A crew needs a day to do a house this size properly, so very short weeks are not something we write. Enid says so at the walk-through.
Do you charge for the walk-through?
No. It is about an hour and a half, and nothing is booked until you have the written week.
What if I stop?
Tell us in writing. The notice is on the policies page, and your key comes back to you.
Ask for the number in writing
A walk-through is the only way to get a figure. Enid will set a time by phone or text.