House Cleaning in Queen Elizabeth, Saskatoon
Queen Elizabeth sits in south-central Saskatoon on land annexed between 1910 and 1919. A 1913 map shows the modern neighbourhood straddling two registered subdivisions — the G.T.P. quarter section in the west, named for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and part of the Broadway Addition in the east.
It has one detail that captures the era exactly. During the speculative property market of 1909 to 1912, developers had a local lumber company build three stately brick homes at 1906, 1908 and 1910 York Avenue — show houses meant to convince buyers the boom was real. The boom ended; the houses are still there.
Older houses need a different hand
The stock here spans the pre-war survivors through to later infill, and the older end is not simply a modern house with older fittings — it is a different construction system that fails in different ways.
- Original woodwork. Fir and oak trim, panelled doors, built-ins, staircases. Every one is a dust trap with dozens of surfaces and every one is irreplaceable. Dry methods and gentle product, never a wet cloth and pressure.
- Plaster rather than drywall in the older houses — harder, textured, holds fine dust in the surface and does not forgive scrubbing at corners.
- Hardwood refinished as far as it will go. Over-wetting is the fastest way to ruin a floor that cannot be sanded again.
- Brick, in the ones that have it. Interior brick and the sills around it hold dust differently from painted wall, and want brushing rather than wiping.
- Original windows and sills, where a winter of condensation shows up as paint damage or soft wood. Worth inspecting each spring while repairs are still small.
Close to Broadway
Being a short walk from Broadway and the river is the reason people buy here, and it brings more foot traffic through the front door than a quiet suburban street sees. Entry floors carry more, particularly through the winter when the City's sand-and-salt mix comes in on boots from November to April.
Booking a Queen Elizabeth clean
Call or text 306-700-6576. Flat-rate quote by phone or text, and we will agree what gets touched and how before we start.
Nearby: Avalon, Buena Vista and Nutana, plus the rest of our Saskatoon service areas.