The farmhouse, the Alibaug villa, the hill house: a private suite that a caretaker can run

Who runs it when you are not there

A suite in a second home is empty most of the week. We design a stand-by mode: the heater is off, the cold plant is set to a holding temperature that saves energy, and the circulation keeps running so the water stays clean. A caretaker then needs three jobs on a card: switch on before arrival, check the log once a day, switch to stand-by when the family leaves. We train the caretaker at handover, with a picture card on the plant-room wall.

Power, backup and water

• Supply. A cabin of 8 kW or more asks for three phases. Many farmhouses have one; the upgrade is a line on the layout, and the utility, not us, approves it.
• Backup. If the sauna must work during a power cut, the generator set has to carry the heater load, and the cold plant's starting current.
• Water. Borewell water can be hard. A TDS and hardness test before we specify the filtration saves the descaling job later.
• Drain. A farmhouse may have no sewer: pool water goes to a soak pit or to garden irrigation, which the local rules and the chemistry of the water decide.

Leaving the house for a month

Holidays and travel are the real test of a private suite. Water that circulates and is dosed automatically stays usable for weeks; water in a tub with no circulation does not. For a long absence we leave one of two instructions on the plant-room card: keep the circulation running on its timer, or drain the tub and cover it. Pools stay full and circulating, with the cold plant in stand-by.

Three tiers, priced

The compact tier suits an apartment or a small terrace; the family tier suits a garden villa; the estate tier is the Chattarpur or Alibaug plot. See the farmhouse saunas and built-in plunge pools pages for the parts.

Staff, privacy and insurance

A suite is used in swimwear and robes, often with the household staff nearby. Draw the plant room, the towel store and the service route so that the caretaker never crosses the deck during a session. Tell your insurer about a heated timber structure and a pool before the first session; their conditions can touch the cabin's distance from the boundary and the pool's fencing, and the answers go on the drawing.

What a year looks like on the plot

From idea to first evening

1. Week 0: photographs of the plot, the DB and the gate; we reply with a spec sheet.
2. Week 1: 3D layout, equipment schedule and a range; the family chooses between pool and tub.
3. Weeks 2-3: contract, deposit, civil drawings to your contractor and the electrician.
4. Weeks 4-12: production at the workshop while the plinth, shell and feeders are prepared on the plot.
5. Weeks 13-17: freight and clearance, then delivery to the gate.
6. The last week: installation, caretaker training and the signed temperature test with the water at 4 °C.

A house policy for children, guests and staff

• Children. The cold pool and the cabin are adult-supervised spaces; the family's own doctor sets the rules for children, and the pool's gate or cover is locked when the house is unattended.
• Guests. A card at the door states the cabin's working temperature and a sensible session length, and tells guests to shower first and to leave the door ajar.
• Staff. The caretaker knows the switch-on, the daily check and the stand-by; no one else operates the plant.
• Insurance and records. Keep the handover file, the test sheet and the service log where the insurer can see them.

We make no health claims and give no medical advice. The household decides who uses the cold pool and for how long, on the advice of its own doctor.