Return home prep in Exeter
Professional return home prep services in Exeter and surrounding areas. Local, reliable handyman - no job too small.
Price Guide
£60-£110
Typical Duration
1-2 hrs
Location
Exeter, Devon
Your house prepared and ready before you arrive home. Heating on, essentials bought, beds made - everything welcoming after a long journey or hospital stay.
The Cold House Problem
You've been traveling for hours. Or you're coming home from hospital. Or you've had a lovely holiday but the drive from the airport was exhausting. The last thing you want is to walk into a cold, empty house and have to start doing jobs before you can relax.
💡 Pro tip: This service is especially appreciated by elderly residents returning from hospital stays - they need rest and recovery, not chores.
Why This Service Exists
Coming home should be the relief, not the start of more work:
| ✅ House Prepared | ❌ Not Prepared |
|---|---|
| Walk into warmth | Shivering while heating kicks in |
| Make a cup of tea immediately | No milk, cupboards empty |
| Straight into bed if tired | Have to make beds first |
| House smells fresh | Stuffy, closed-up smell |
| Lights on, welcoming | Dark, cold, unwelcoming |
What You Get
🏠 The Standard Prep
| Task | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Heating | Set to comfortable temperature 2-3 hours before arrival |
| Lighting | Lights on in key rooms (welcoming arrival) |
| Airing | Windows opened briefly if weather allows (fresh air) |
| Basics | Milk in fridge, bread in cupboard (ready for tea) |
| Beds | Made with clean sheets if you want |
🔧 Optional Extras (You Choose)
- Proper grocery shop from your list
- Flowers or fresh items
- Post collected and sorted
- Bins brought in from the street
- Plants watered
- Washing machine run (if you left bedding out)
Pricing Guide
| Service Level | Estimated Time | You'll Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Basic prep (heating, milk, air) | 1 hr | £60 |
| Standard (+ beds, shopping, tidy) | 1.5 hrs | £85 |
| Full prep (all extras included) | 2 hrs | £110 |
Based on £60 minimum (first hour) + £50/hr after. Shopping costs separate - you reimburse actual spend.
Perfect For Your Situation If...
✅ Post-hospital discharge - elderly patients returning home
✅ Long holidays - returning after 1-2 weeks away
✅ Winter travel - house has been cold and empty
✅ Late arrivals - getting back after dark or very tired
✅ Elderly living alone - children arranging parent's return
✅ Post-surgery recovery - need to rest immediately on return
Why Choose Us for Return home prep in Exeter?
Warm house on arrival
Fresh milk and essentials stocked
Beds made and rooms aired
Perfect after hospital or holidays
What to Expect
Step 1: Planning The Prep
We'll discuss exactly what you need - some people just want heating and milk, others want the full works with shopping and fresh sheets. You tell me what arrival time to aim for, and I'll schedule to finish about an hour before.
Step 2: Getting Ready
I'll arrive a few hours before you're due back. Heating goes on first (takes time to warm properly in Exeter's older houses), then I work through the prep list - shopping, beds, airing, whatever we agreed.
Step 3: Final Touches & Leave
About 30 minutes before you're expected, I'll do a final check - is it warm? Lights on? Everything ready? Then I'll lock up and leave. You'll walk into a house that's ready for you.
🔧 DIY Tips
If you want to make returning home easier without using this service:
🏠 Before you leave
- Strip beds and leave fresh sheets out (easier to make up than finding them)
- Leave heating programmer set to come on the day you return
- Put a reminder in your phone to text a neighbour (they can put heating on)
- Buy UHT milk before you go (keeps in the cupboard, available immediately)
⏰ Timer tricks
- Modern smart thermostats can be controlled remotely (heat house before you land)
- Smart plugs can turn lamps on before you arrive (looks welcoming)
- Some people set heating to come on automatically same day each week
🛒 Shopping alternatives
- Online grocery delivery scheduled for day after you return
- Use local corner shops on way home from airport (quicker than supermarket)
- Keep UHT milk and long-life basics in cupboard always
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Forgetting to set heating timer (coming home to freezing house)
- Not leaving fresh sheets accessible (making beds while exhausted)
- Arriving home late to dark, unwelcoming house
- Not planning that first cup of tea (no milk is genuinely disappointing)
💡 Pro trick: If you've got a good relationship with a neighbor, they'll often put your heating on and grab you milk for free. But not everyone has that option - or wants to ask favors - which is where this service comes in.
Rather leave it to a pro? No problem - that's what I'm here for. Give me a call.
Good to Know
🏥 Hospital discharges are unpredictable. I know that. If your discharge gets moved (very common), just text me and I'll adjust timing. No stress, no penalties for changes - people coming home from hospital have enough to worry about.
This service pairs perfectly with property checks. If I've been checking your property weekly while you're away, the return prep is just the final visit before you arrive. Makes sense logistically and saves you money.
Families book this for elderly parents. Adult children in Exeter often arrange this for their parents returning from hospital - means Mum or Dad walks into warmth and comfort, not chores and cold. Really thoughtful gesture that makes a real difference.
Winter makes the biggest difference. In summer, an empty house isn't too cold and milk can wait. In winter, coming home to a freezing Devon house when you're already tired or unwell is genuinely grim. That's when this service is most appreciated.
Fresh sheets are underrated. Getting into a bed with fresh, clean sheets after a long journey or hospital stay feels luxurious. Takes me 10 minutes per bed, but makes coming home genuinely pleasant.
Shopping lists can be detailed or basic. Some people send me a full Tesco list with specific brands. Others just say "milk, bread, butter, tea" and trust me to use common sense. Both work fine - depends how particular you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's actually included in preparing my house?
The basics are heating on, lights on, beds made with fresh sheets if you want, milk in the fridge, and the place aired out. But I can do more - basic shopping, bin taken in, post collected, even flowers on the table if you like. Tell me what would make coming home nicer, and I'll sort it.
Can you do this for my elderly parent coming home from hospital?
That's actually when this service is most useful. Coming home from hospital is stressful enough without walking into a cold house needing everything doing. I can have the place warm, bed made with clean sheets, essentials in the fridge, and everything ready so they can just rest. Many families in Devon use this service exactly for this.
How do you know when to come?
You give me a date and rough time (like 'arriving home around 4pm Thursday'). I'll aim to finish about an hour before you're back, so the house is warm but I'm not in your way when you arrive. If plans change, just text me - flights get delayed, hospital discharges get pushed back, it happens.
Do I need to provide a shopping list?
If you want specific items, yes - text me a list and I'll get them (you reimburse me for the shopping cost). But if you just want 'the basics' (milk, bread, tea, butter), I know what that means. Most people go with basics, then do a proper shop themselves the next day.
Is this service worth it just for heating and milk?
When you've been traveling for hours or spent days in hospital, walking into a warm house with milk for a cuppa genuinely makes a difference. It's not about the tasks being complicated - it's about not having to think about them when you're already exhausted.
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Make the most of your first hour - I can often tackle several small tasks in one visit. List everything you need done when you call!
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