A house at the level we build is, in mechanical terms, a small commercial building. Fifteen zones of HVAC. One hundred lighting circuits. Six bathrooms with fixtures from four manufacturers. A roof with copper flashing that needs to be checked. A boiler that needs an annual flush. Smart-home firmware that needs updating. Most of these systems are designed to last 20 to 50 years if they are maintained, and to fail in 8 to 12 years if they are not. The Heritage Home Program is the program that maintains them.

What It Is

The Heritage Home Program is a custom, owner-specific maintenance subscription for luxury residences in Boston and across New England. Each program is built around the actual systems and finishes of the home — not a one-size-fits-all checklist — and is delivered by Sleeping Dog Properties' in-house team and the trade partners who installed the original work.

The program is offered to every home we build or renovate, and is also available to owners who did not work with us originally, after a full systems audit.

What's Included

Each program is designed around the home, but most include the following elements.

Scheduled Mechanical Servicing

Quarterly or semi-annual service of HVAC equipment (filter changes, refrigerant-charge checks, condensate clearing, ERV/HRV cleaning), hydronic system flushing, water-heater anode-rod inspection, generator load testing, and humidifier maintenance. For homes with VRF or geothermal systems, the manufacturer's prescribed service interval is the floor; we typically exceed it.

Seasonal Envelope Inspections

Twice-yearly walk-throughs of the building envelope: roof, flashing, gutters, downspouts, sealant joints, masonry repointing condition, exterior wood, and window/door performance. New England weather punishes deferred maintenance; a $400 sealant repair in October is otherwise a potential $40,000 leak repair in March.

Cedar shake roof and copper flashing on a New England estate outbuilding — Cedar, copper, and painted trim all age on different schedules. Twice-yearly inspections catch the joint that opens before the season that punishes it.

Smart Home and AV Updates

Firmware and software updates for Crestron, Savant, Lutron, network equipment, and security systems. Coordination with the original AV integrator on system additions, replacements, and warranty work.

Interior Punch-List and Touch-Up

An annual walk with the owner to identify finish wear: paint touch-ups, hardware adjustment, door alignment, plaster crack repair, stone resealing, and millwork refinement. These items are addressed in a single coordinated visit by our finish carpenters and painters.

On-Call Response

A direct line to a Sleeping Dog Properties project manager who knows the home. For owners with second residences or who travel frequently, this includes vacant-home check-ins, freeze-prevention monitoring, and storm-event walkthroughs.

Fire protection system pressure gauges and inspection tags in a residential mechanical room — Life-safety systems are inspected on a fixed schedule and logged — not checked when someone remembers.

Vendor Coordination

We hold the institutional memory of who installed what and which vendor warranties are still active. If the radiant heating in the primary bath has a manufacturer's defect three years after closeout, we pursue the warranty — the owner does not.

Closeout binders including HVAC, appliance manuals, and warranty package for a custom home — Every home closes out with a full documentation set — warranty register, submittals, equipment manuals. We hold the copy so the owner doesn't have to chase it.

Who It's For

The program is designed for owners who hold homes as long-term family assets rather than transactions, who want institutional memory of their property, and who would rather not manage a roster of trades themselves. It is particularly suited to:

Primary residences in Boston's core neighborhoods, where a single deferred repair can create a building-wide insurance event.

Cape Cod and coastal second homes, where seasonal vacancy and weather exposure compound risk and where a relationship with a local team is hard to assemble independently.

Suburban estates with significant grounds, pool houses, guest houses, and outbuildings, where the maintenance scope exceeds what a single household manager can coordinate.

High-rise condominium residences where the owner wants a single accountable party to coordinate with the building's facilities team.

Aerial view of a New England estate with pool, pool house, and multiple outbuildings — Estates with guest houses, pool houses, and outbuildings carry a maintenance scope beyond what one household manager can coordinate.

How It Works

Engagement begins with a systems audit of the home — typically a half day on site with our project manager and the relevant subcontractors — and produces a written program proposal: scope, frequency, fee, and on-call response terms. Programs are billed quarterly or annually at the owner's preference. Owners receive a private portal with the home's full documentation: as-built drawings, equipment manuals, warranty register, service history, and submittal binder.

What It Prevents

The honest case for the program is that the most expensive failures in luxury homes are almost never the ones the owner sees coming. They are slow, systemic, and traceable to maintenance neglect: a small flashing failure that travels through a wall cavity for two winters before showing up as plaster damage on the inside. A humidifier left uncalibrated through a dry winter that splits a piano-finished mahogany floor. A generator that has not load-tested in three years and fails the night the power goes out. The Heritage Home Program is, in the most direct sense, an insurance policy paid for in maintenance hours rather than claims.

Kohler standby generator installed at a luxury residence, serviced under an annual load test — A generator that hasn't been load-tested in three years is a generator you find out about during the outage.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Heritage Home Program priced?

Pricing is custom to the home and the scope. Programs are typically billed quarterly. After a systems audit, we provide a written program proposal with line-item scope, frequency, and fee.

Do we have to be a Sleeping Dog Properties build or renovation client to enroll?

No. The program is open to homes we did not originally build, after a systems audit. Audit findings sometimes lead to recommended remedial work before enrollment.

What is the response time for an on-call event?

We commit to a same-day return contact during business hours and a defined after-hours protocol that varies by service tier. For homes in Boston's core neighborhoods, our team can typically be on site within hours.

Does the program cover landscaping, pool service, and housekeeping?

Not directly, but we coordinate with the owner's existing vendors or, where requested, recommend and manage trusted third parties. Our scope is the building and its systems.

Can the program scale across multiple residences?

Yes. Owners with primary, coastal, and out-of-region homes are common. We design a single program with regional execution by our team or by vetted partner firms.

Begin a Conversation

To inquire about a custom home, a renovation, or the Heritage Home Program, please contact our team through the Connect page.