Greater Des Moines, Iowa

Your estate, quietly handled.

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Every disaster sends a warning first.

A furnace that quits during a January cold snap while the house sits empty. A sump pump that fails in the spring thaw and floods a finished lower level. Ice dams that push water into the ceilings. A frozen pipe in a guest wing no one has entered in weeks. We walk your estate as you would if you had the time, and catch the warning before it becomes your problem.

The work

One manager for the whole property, rather than a different vendor for every problem.

Oversight

Scheduled walkthroughs of the house, outbuildings, and grounds, with a written report after every visit.

Systems

Boilers, water, climate, and standby power, tested on a schedule rather than discovered in a storm.

Grounds

Gates, fencing, roofs, drainage, docks, and lighting, kept sound and secure through every season.

Collections

Routine care for cars, motorcycles, boats, and equipment, from batteries and tires to seasonal storage. Larger repairs go to trusted specialists, managed by us from pickup to return.

Trades

The right specialists, sourced, scheduled, and supervised on site until the work is done properly.

Absence

Freeze watches, storm checks, and arrival preparation while you are away, with one number to call at any hour.

Every visit, accounted for.

Each visit closes with a written report like this one, filed to your estate book with photographs. Two minutes to read. Nothing left for you to notice.

ONYX Sample report
Visit report Main residence and grounds, Wednesday, October 14
7:05 a.m. Main water shutoff exercised and tagged. Sump pump cycled, discharge line clear.
7:40 a.m. Standby generator run under load for twenty minutes. Battery reading low, replacement scheduled for Thursday.
8:15 a.m. East gate hinge showing wear. Repair booked ahead of the first hard freeze.
8:50 a.m. Car barn: battery tenders connected on all vehicles. Tire pressures set for winter storage.
9:20 a.m. Guest wing exterior wall: moisture readings normal. Photographs filed to the estate book.
All systems in order. Two items scheduled. Owner notified at 9:30 a.m.

While you winter elsewhere

For owners who spend the coldest months in Scottsdale, Naples, or the mountains. The house stays in Iowa, and so do we.

Weekly visits

A full walkthrough every week, with a photo report in your inbox the same day.

After every cold snap

Heat, water, and power confirmed in person, not assumed from an app.

Mail and deliveries

Collected, sorted, and forwarded, with nothing left sitting on the step.

Your return

Heat on, lights set, refrigerator stocked, and cars charged before you land.

How an estate begins with us

The walkthrough

Two unhurried hours on every system, shutoff, gate, and outbuilding, before we take on the property.

The estate book

Serial numbers, service dates, key holders, and trusted vendors in one record, kept current by us so you never have to.

One number

If something is wrong, you call Onyx. The same person answers, day or night, and often already knows.

What we see at your property stays there.

Keys are coded, never tagged with an address. Photographs go to your estate book and nowhere else. We do not discuss our clients, including with one another, and we are glad to sign your NDA.

$2M liability coverage Bonded Background-checked Certificates of insurance and references on request

A mechanic's standard

I learned this trade where failure is not an option. It began as a motorcycle mechanic in Colorado Springs, where I learned to read a machine by its sound and feel, and that the smallest overlooked part is usually the one that leaves you stranded.

From there, I worked as a lift mechanic at Keystone ski resort in Colorado, keeping chairlifts running through long mountain winters, ready before the first riders arrived.

Most recently, I cared for the commercial properties of one of Iowa's most highly regarded real estate firms, where the standard was simple: problems are handled before anyone knows they existed.

Onyx brings that standard to the properties that matter most, and to the cars and motorcycles in their garages. I keep a small roster on purpose, so every estate has my full attention.

Nick Nieuwenhuis Founder

Request an introduction

Onyx takes on a limited number of estates each year, by referral or introduction. Tell us about yours, and we will reply personally within one business day.

What happens next A private call to understand your property, then a complimentary walkthrough. No obligation.
Held in confidence.

Your information is used only to respond to your inquiry and is never shared. Privacy