Services
Everything, and a short list of nothing.
One retainer covers the running of the house. Everything else is drawn against it or added deliberately. The list of what we decline is at the bottom, and it is the more useful half.
I
Stewardship Retainer
The anchor engagement. Scheduled documented oversight, insurance and risk documentation, vendor management, household operations, and seasonal transitions.
II
Residence & Arrival Services
Personal logistics, drawn against a monthly allowance included in the retainer and available in blocks beyond it.
- Pre-arrival provisioning — groceries, flowers, linens, vehicle readiness
- Guest preparation and local arrangements
- Errands and personal logistics
- Driving and transport coordination
- Reservations, appointments and bookings
- Deliveries, returns, and waiting on service calls
- Pet care coordination
- Vehicle maintenance scheduling and service transport
- Departure close-down
Sold in defined blocks, never as unlimited availability. An open-ended commitment of one person’s time is how these arrangements degrade — for the household as much as for us. Bounded scope is what keeps the standard intact.
III
Project & Improvement Advisory
Available to retainer clients. An owner’s advocate on improvement work — not a contractor, and deliberately so.
- Vendor sourcing and introduction
- Scope review and bid comparison on your behalf
- Budget and timeline review
- Progress documentation and reporting
- Punch-list documentation at completion
We do not direct the means or methods of construction, hold any site-safety role, contract or subcontract for the work, or accept any fee from a contractor. Those lines are drawn on purpose: they are what keeps us your advocate rather than another party with an interest in the job.
IV
Household Staff Advisory
Role definition, job descriptions, onboarding standards and house-manual handover, delivered within the retainer. Where we know someone genuinely suited to a household, we introduce them.
We take no placement fee. Ever. An introduction that earns us a commission is not a recommendation, it is a sale — and you would have no way to tell the difference. So we removed the possibility.
What we decline
A short list, stated plainly, because a firm’s boundaries tell you more than its brochure.
- Rental management. We do not arrange lettings, place tenants, or handle rent. That is licensed brokerage activity in New York and we are not brokers.
- Security services. We are not a guard, patrol or alarm-response business. Those are separately licensed activities. We monitor a property’s condition; we do not police it.
- Licensed home inspection. Our condition reports are household operating records, not the statutory home inspection a licensed inspector performs.
- Contracting. We do not perform or carry construction work.
- Holding your money. We review and recommend; you pay. We do not operate pooled client funds.
- Event production. Not yet, and not badly. When we offer it, it will be with local staffing and the insurance that requires.
- Any compensation from a vendor. Not a requirement — a decision. It is the whole basis on which our advice is worth anything.