The mansion challenges were the first ones I managed to consistently get wins in. To me, the thing that made the difference between 30% and 95 % wins, was going out of my way to break things. That means going upstairs in servants quarters and gallery, and go down the holes in the wine cellar. When you go down the back door, opening the locked cages is well worth too.
At first, I did Sam first and then Temptia if I had the crests. Now I do Temptia, Ugg (if I have the crests) and then Sam. That also gives the option of continuing onwards if you still have time. This way I average ~350-400 ings. per run, roughly 25-30 mins per run.
The Kobold Union challenges I only managed to solo after your guides last week, so thanks so much for those!