The real cost of keeping a large home looked after
A large home rarely has one maintenance bill. It has dozens: gutters, windows, grounds, heating, cleaning, vehicles and the time spent arranging all of them. Here is a transparent way to compare those costs with a coordinated Hey Castor plan.
A representative annual service stack
The ranges below use public Vancouver-area prices checked in September 2026. They illustrate a roughly 3,000-square-foot home with one heating system, a larger yard and two vehicles. They are reference points rather than quotes. Access, frequency, vehicle size and property condition can change every number.
| Service | Illustrative annual retail cost |
|---|---|
| Gutters · two visits | $540–$760+ |
| Exterior windows · two visits | $200–$600+ |
| Growing-season lawn service | $1,400–$2,380+ |
| One furnace or heat-pump service | $198–$275 |
| Exterior care for two vehicles · monthly | $1,200–$3,600 |
| Spring and fall cleaning · 16 labour-hours | $640–$1,120 |
| Annual carpet cleaning | $199–$500+ |
| Illustrative service subtotal | $4,377–$9,235+ |
The management layer changes the comparison
The service subtotal excludes handyman projects, pressure washing, pool care, materials, emergency work and the owner’s time. A separate home-concierge service can add roughly $500 to $5,000 per month according to one published industry comparison. Applied to the service stack above, the combined annual range becomes approximately $10,377 to $69,235 before additional projects.
For a qualified home, an illustrative Hey Castor Essential plan starts around $8,000 per year and includes the agreed recurring service scope and coordination. Against the combined examples above, a separately managed arrangement begins about $2,377 higher and can rise much further. The upper end is not a prediction for every homeowner; it represents high-touch concierge management.
When booking separately can still cost less
If you need only a few low-frequency services and are comfortable finding, scheduling and following up with every provider, booking separately may be less expensive. Hey Castor becomes more compelling as the service list, property complexity and value of your time increase.
The useful comparison is not a cheap gutter visit against an annual membership. It is the complete annual scope, service frequency, management time and follow-through required to keep the whole property in order.
How to compare proposals properly
Ask every provider or membership company to define the same property and service scope. Without that, a lower number may simply include less work.
- Number of visits and seasonal service windows
- Home size, lot size, window count and access assumptions
- Number and size of vehicles
- Labour-hours included for cleaning and handyman work
- Whether materials, chemicals, repairs and specialist work are included
- Who follows up when a visit is delayed or incomplete
The Castor approach
We begin with the property, confirm what should recur and quote the complete plan before activation. There is no payment for requesting a plan. Larger homes, extensive grounds, multiple systems and pools receive a tailored scope.
Sources and methodology
Public prices and third-party descriptions can change. They were checked when this guide was published and are used as reference points, not endorsements or quotes for your property.