Hello!,
I have a mountain home on 75 acres...with brooks and waterfalls...in central Vermont. I am close to ski areas of Sugarbush, Mad River, and Stowe.
Winter is just too hard for me now that I am older and I have been escaping to warmer climates for some of the season.
My home has oil heat, but is best heated with the wood furnace..it's so much nicer, but it is more work. I already have cords of wood for next winter and so I do need a caretaker who is experienced with heating with wood. This is a wood furnace (ducted into the main heat ducts) and not just a 'wood stove'. The furnace holds more wood, so if tended properly it requires less constant attention than a wood stove, but it can also get away from you (over fire) if you are not careful. Are you experienced with heating with wood?
I also have a separate apartment attached to the main house that I have been renting to vacationers and skiers off and on all throughout the year for some income.
The caretakers in the past have run the "Inn", seeing guests in and helping with any issues. The apartment is self-contained so there is no cooking or entertaining of guests involved. Greeting them, being here for any questions, especially when they first arrive, and then cleaning and re-setting for new guests would be the main duties. The caretaker would have the option of taking in guests or not, and doing the cleaning or hiring a cleaning person. The reservations and paperwork would be handled by me, as it is all done on-line. Income generated from 'guests' would be shared with the caretaker if they chose to operate the "Inn".
Utilities and major winter maintenance (plowing and sanding) are covered, but caretaker would be responsible for walkways and keeping stairs, etc. ice free.
This is a Vermont mountain setting. Part of the road (2 miles) is gravel, but is a major route across the mountain that the school buses use everyday. It is well maintained.
I have one sweet kitty who is quite independant, but she likes knowing someone is around to fill her bowl and scoop her litter box regularly. She was a stray (perhaps dumped on the road) and came through the woods 13 years ago and made this her home!
I am open to dates. I do have the apartment upstairs that could accommodate the caretaker if they needed to arrive before I leave. Then, they would come into the main part of the house. This could be arranged with departure dates as well. I am flexible!
I had a very bad experience last winter with a caretaker from , and would need references and background checks this time. :-)
Please contact me if this is of interest and we can discuss more soon.
Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from some great folks,
Dawn