Annual Maintenance Program

Your House, Looked After Every Year.

Yearly inspection and upkeep for Peninsula homes, inside and out. Every home is inspected before it’s enrolled.

CSLB #803672 · FPE Master Certified · EPA Lead-Safe

A red-shingled Craftsman house with a stone-pillared arched porch under green trees

The program

Important work, on a calendar.

The same crew, back every year.

A yearly contract for single-family homes. Every cycle includes:

  • Full property inspection
  • Soft wash
  • Paint condition audit
  • Caulking reseal
  • Gutter service
  • Wood rot inspection
  • Defensible-space check based on CAL FIRE guidelines

Join the maintenance program

Your year

  1. Spring01 / 04

    A pale two-storey house with a deep porch behind white flowering trees and a green lawn
    • Soft wash, full house
    • Gutters cleaned, downspouts flushed
    • Property & paint inspection
  2. Summer02 / 04

    Weathered vertical wood boards under a low metal roof edge
    • Touch-ups & caulk reseal
    • Wood rot check & minor repair
    • Defensible-space check based on CAL FIRE guidelines, before fire season
  3. Fall03 / 04

    A dark gutter along a stone wall, filled with dry needles and leaves under a tree
    • Second gutter flush
    • Weather seal & close-out
    • Add-ons booked: decks, hardscape, repaints
  4. Winter04 / 04

    Raindrops on a window with blurred trees beyond
    • Interior paint audit & touch-ups
    • Wet-area caulk, door hardware & trim
    • Color consult & next year’s plan

A typical year. Yours is set to the house.

Close rows of grey weathered wood shingles

Most of the work is small: a wash, a bead of caulk, a gutter cleared before the first rain.

Paint fails slowly.

A caulk joint opens, water gets behind the paint, and by next winter the wood is soft. Each step costs more than the last. A program catches the first one.

  1. Keep the paint working

    Washes, touch-ups and fresh caulk between repaints.

  2. Catch it early

    Every visit is also an inspection: rot, failing caulk, vents embers could get through.

  • A hand brushing paint onto a wooden fence board

    01 Touch-ups

  • Weathered wooden boards with pale blue paint peeling away to bare wood

    02 Caught early

  • A calendar on a clipboard beside a pencil and paper clips

    03 Every visit logged

Exterior maintenance

Outside the house, piece by piece.

List no.
03
Years on the Peninsula
34+
Atherton Median Home Value
$8.3M
Service Options
3
Workmanship Warranty
Written

ThemeMost upkeep happens outside, where the weather is.

A brown shingled house with a steep gable, two bay windows, red front steps and a pine beside it
  1. Attic Vents clear and screened. Insulation and roof boards checked for damp after the rain. More
  2. Vents and gaps Torn screens and eave gaps closed. A licensed pest control company deals with any animals already inside. More
  3. Wood rot Soft trim, sills, fascia and siding fixed while the repair is small. More
  4. Roof and gutters Roof, flashing, gutters and downspouts checked. Our crew makes roof repairs and clears the debris. A re-roof goes to a licensed roofer we bring in. More
  5. Paint and caulk Washed and touched up. Failing caulk resealed before water gets behind the paint. More
  6. Crawlspace Vents, access doors and vapor barrier checked. If it stays wet, we find out why. More

04Choose Your Plan

Exterior, Interior, or Both.

Exterior

Priced to your home · by inspection

Washed, sealed and checked, every year.

  • Annual exterior soft wash (full house)
  • Paint condition inspection & touch-ups
  • Full caulking audit & resealing
  • Gutter cleaning & downspout flush (2× / yr)
  • Wood rot inspection & minor repair
  • Annual defensible space check (PRC 4291)
Join
Enrollment by inspection
Request a Consultation
A tan Craftsman house with a sunlit front lawn and flower beds
  1. A white gutter and downspout at a roof edge against a grey sky
  2. Old paint flaking off a moulded cornice beside a dark downspout
  3. Water pouring off the end of a dark gutter

01 Gutters. 02 Paint. 03 Downspouts.

Interior

Priced to your home · by inspection

Touch-ups and seals for the rooms you live in.

  • Paint condition audit & touch-ups
  • Wet area caulking inspection & reseal
  • Door hardware & hinge audit
  • Baseboard & trim inspection
Join
Enrollment by inspection
Request a Consultation
A hand with a paintbrush touching up a pale interior wall
  1. A hand resting on a white glazed sliding door beside a freshly sealed jamb gap
  2. A hand driving a screw into a black metal hinge with a drill
  3. A white front door, baseboards and a staircase with dark wood treads and iron balusters

01 Seals. 02 Hardware. 03 Trim.

Optional services

Add what the house needs.

Add them at enrollment or partway through the year, each quoted after we’ve seen the work. Bundle members get preferred terms.

Photos: Unsplash (1), Pexels (2 to 6)

A painter on a porch roof painting the trim of a window on a green shingled Craftsman house
A wooden deck and railing looking out over autumn trees
A yellow-gloved hand drawing a squeegee across a soapy window
A flagstone patio with a stone planter, ringed by garden trees
Looking up at bare wood rafters and the tongue-and-groove roof boards they carry
Vents in a painted soffit under a roof edge, rain falling past

Exterior add-ons

  1. Full Exterior Repaint FPE

    Per audit · Quoted per project

    Fine Paints of Europe systems under our written workmanship warranty, planned from the yearly audits.

  2. Deck & Fence Stain & Seal

    Annual bead test · Quoted per project

    Wood gets a yearly bead test, then prep, stain and a clear seal. Composite is washed, not stained.

  3. Exterior Window Washing

    Every 6 mo · Quoted per project

    Glass, screens, frames and seals. Done on the soft wash visit to save a trip charge.

  4. Driveway & Hardscape Wash & Seal

    As needed · Quoted per project

    Concrete, pavers and flagstone. Sealer cuts pitting and staining.

  5. Fire-Resistant Coating

    One-time · Quoted per project

    Fire-retardant and intumescent coatings, mostly for interior wood. At eaves and soffits they can improve the fire resistance of existing wood, but they’re never a WUI code measure.

  6. Ember-Resistant Vent Screening Wildfire

    One-time · Quoted per project

    1/8" metal mesh on soffit, ridge, and gable vents. Ember-resistant vents are home hardening per CAL FIRE guidance.

Interior add-ons

  • Full Room Repaint FPE

    Per audit · Quoted per room

    FPE Aquarelle, Eurolux or Impervo, in the rooms the audit flags.

  • Cabinet Refinishing

    As needed · Quoted per project

    Kitchens, vanities and built-ins, refinished instead of torn out.

  • Hardwood Floor Maintenance Coat

    Annual · Quoted per area

    Entries, landings and doorways. A yearly coat can stretch the time between refinishes.

  • Baseboard & Trim Refresh

    As needed · Quoted per project

    Crown, casings and window trim, where wear shows first.

  • Custom Millwork & Built-In Touch-Up

    As needed · Quoted per project

    Shelves, wainscoting, coffered ceilings and window seats, touched up without a full repaint.

  • Annual FPE Color Consultation FPE

    Annual · Included with Bundle

    1 to 2 hours with an FPE color specialist: rooms, colors, products.

Wildfire risk reduction is part of the program.

06Defensible Space

California law (PRC 4291) requires defensible space in SRA and VHFSZ zones, including Woodside, Portola Valley and parts of Los Altos Hills and Atherton. Our yearly check, based on CAL FIRE guidelines (not a CAL FIRE inspection), records Zone 0/1/2 conditions for you and your insurer. Your insurer decides coverage and pricing.

  • A shingled house among trimmed shrubs and tall pines below a wooded mountain

    Annual Audit

    A written record for you and your insurer.

  • Bare wood rafters and roof boards at an eave against a blue sky

    Fire Coatings

    Coatings on siding, eaves and trim can improve the fire resistance of existing wood. They aren’t a WUI compliance method.

  • Two louvered vent panels on a cream painted wall

    Vent Screening

    1/8" metal mesh on every attic vent.

DataPRC 4291SRA & VHFSZ zonesZone 0/1/2

Golden dry grass hills dotted with oak trees and a dirt track

07How It Works

Enrollment in four steps.

Three people seen from behind on a lawn, one pointing up at the tall windows of a wood-clad house

Step 1 of 4: Initial Consultation

  1. 30 to 45 minutes, no fee. We walk the property together and see if the program fits.

  2. A 2 to 4 hour condition assessment. Paid, and credited in full toward your program.

  3. In 3 to 5 business days: your custom proposal, suggested add-ons and the yearly schedule.

  4. You accept, we set your calendar and book the first visit. Program active within 30 days.

Enrollment requirements

Who qualifies.

Pre-enrollment inspection
for every home
Not every home is accepted.
The program suits larger Peninsula estates
Active wood rot
is repaired before enrollment

Join the maintenance program

Or call (650) 961-7415

How it’s priced

Priced after we’ve seen the house.

Two houses the same size can need very different work. So there’s no price list. We quote each program after we’ve walked the house.

  1. We assess your home

    The inspection shows what your surfaces need this year, and what they don’t.

  2. You receive a fixed proposal

    One yearly figure, built from the work, the products and how often we come.

  3. You track it in your portal

    Your figure, your schedule and every visit, in your private client portal.

Join the maintenance program

A Victorian porch with turned white columns and grey painted siding

09Our Commitments

What every program includes.

  1. Workmanship warranty

    Written, on every service, FPE exterior repaints included.

  2. Documented for your insurer

    Your yearly defensible-space check, in writing for your carrier.

  3. Priority response

    Members come first for scheduling, add-ons and anything urgent.

  4. One dedicated crew

    The same team every cycle, accountable for your home.

10Questions

Questions people ask.

How is pricing determined?

After the inspection we quote one fixed yearly figure, built from what your home needs.

What’s included, and what’s quoted separately?

Everything in your plan is included. Bigger work like full repaints, deck and hardscape sealing or cabinet refinishing is quoted as an add-on.

How do I join?

Request a consultation. We inspect the home and, if it’s a fit, send a proposal. Once you accept, the program is usually active within 30 days.

How often will you come?

It depends on the house and the plan. Some get light upkeep through the year, others a bigger service every six months, every year or less often.

Can I pause, change, or cancel?

Yes. Programs run on an annual term and can change at renewal. Talk to us anytime about travel, renovations or new priorities.

What about something urgent between visits?

Program members get priority response for anything that can’t wait.

How does this relate to my warranties and insurance?

Routine upkeep is the care workmanship and manufacturer warranties expect. Your defensible-space check is documented for your insurer, who decides coverage and pricing.

Do I have to join the program for a repair or a roof check?

No. Repairs and roof inspections are booked on their own, through the estimate. The program is for houses that want upkeep every year.

How is this different from a one-off repaint?

A repaint is one project. The program looks after the paint, wood, seals and vents in between, so the next repaint is planned, not forced.

Further reading.

11Related Reading

Upkeep on a schedule costs less than repairs after the fact.

Join the maintenance program
A pale blue house with a wood shingle roof, a small dormer and tall white paned windows

Enroll in the Annual Maintenance Program.

Every home is inspected first. We work in Palo Alto, Atherton, Menlo Park, Los Altos Hills, Portola Valley and Woodside.

A Craftsman house with lit windows at dusk above a green lawn
M
McDermaid Assistant
Automated assistant
McDermaid · (650) 961-7415