Hello house-sitters!
(Sorry we don't have more photos of our house and the area but we are in a real rush. Please look up Ottawa on Google or wikitravel to get a better idea of how much there is to see and do here. You can also google Ottawa Tourism's .
We will post more photos of our house when we get more time.)
We apologize that this request is so last-minute, but have just been informed by the sitter we had lined up that she can no longer come so we are desperately seeking someone else, so that we can head off on housesitting adventures of our own that we've already committed to.
We would be open to having sitters who are only able to spend part of the period of Sat. Aug. 4- Sat. Sept. 15 here, as we will then try to line up a few sitters in a row or ask friends and family to make up the gap. But realistically, we don't think it's worth it unless you can come for at least a week.
(Note: we don't actually leave until the morning of Sun. Aug. 5 and we actually return late Fri. Sept. 14 but we'd ideally like to have some overlap with the sitter so that we could meet, get them oriented/hear how their experience was.)
We require someone (or a couple or possibly a small family) who is responsible, trustworthy, experienced, mature, a great communicator, and is absolutely non-smoking (of anything--even if cannabis will soon be legal in Canada :)) to look after our cozy two-story home near the downtown core of Ottawa (about a 20 minute bus ride).
We don't have any pets at this time so you would be free to do overnight or possibly multi-day excursions to nearby Montreal (2 hours) or Toronto (4 hours), if you first let us know.
We have great relations with our neighbours and would like to keep it that way so we'd ask that you don't blast your music or otherwise make a lot of noise. We also would like you to not smoke outside.
We might be open to you having overnight guests but we would need to discuss it first. We might also be open to you bringing your own pets, provided they are absolutely house-trained and well-behaved.
We would prefer that you only use unscented cleaning and personal care products in our house and will leave you dish soap and laundry detergent that is fragarance-free.
This part is especially important:
We would like someone who is an excellent communicator. In other words, someone who is always reachable, who responds to our messages promptly, making sure to answer questions completely and honestly, and who is quick to let us know if there are any problems.
We want the housesitter(s) to give the house that "lived-in" look by turning lights on and off, opening and closing blinds, and taking out the garbage and recyclables. We might also ask you to mow the lawn when needed as well as keep our few plants and flowers watered and happy.
If you have a green thumb and would like to work your magic in our front and back yards we would be delighted, as we have never felt inspired enough to do much with them.
We would like you to be in regular contact with us, via and/or / /text to let us know how things are going.
Please refrain from using heavily-scented personal toiletries, cleansers, laundry detergent etc., as one of us is very sensitive to the chemicals that they contain.
Highlights of the house:
Cozy, unpretentious, cottage-like home built in the late-1940s. Lots of wood flooring and furniture. Parking for two vehicles in our driveway.
The open concept main floor (living and dining area) has hardwood floors and stairs as well as a fireplace and lots of book shelves. (Lots of books on a variety of topics, including environmental issues, contemporary and classic fiction, Buddhism, and science.)
The small(ish) kitchen has a microwave, blender, food processor, coffee maker (plus fridge and stove, of course.)
Upstairs is the bedroom (queen-sized bed) and an office (which may be closed off for storage purposes.) Downstairs is a finished basement with a pull-out futon that sleeps two. The back-deck has a gas BBQ and table and chairs.
Wifi, high-speed internet, big screen smart TV (Netflix, , etc.), washing machine and dryer (though we'd prefer you dry your clothes outside when the sun is out), dishwasher.
Bright with lots of windows. Air conditioning. Nice-sized back yard with trees, squirrels and birds.
Highlights of the area:
Ottawa is Canada's beautiful, clean, friendly, bilingual (French and English), multicultural capital city with lots of parks and green space.
There are lots of things to do and see, including tours of Parliament Hill, three national museums (history, nature, and science), music festivals, lakes and rivers for swimming, kayaking, canoeing, standup paddling boarding, etc., hundreds of kilometres of cycling trails, bike share programs, great restaurants and cafes, yoga studios (and free yoga on Parliament Hill at noon on Wednesdays), a great public transit system (and a bus stop right around the corner), farmers' markets, and much more!
Quiet, old, tree-lined neighbourhood near shopping centre (24-hour pharmacy that also sells some food, health food store, etc.), major bus routes, bike paths, the Experimental Farm and Arboretum, the UNESCO-listed Rideau Canal (largest outdoor skating rink in the world), the Ottawa River, and the vibrant neighbourhoods of Westboro and Wellington West (cafes, restaurants, theatre, etc.)
One bus away (20 minutes) from downtown Ottawa with Parliament Hill, the National Art Gallery, the Museum of Nature, the historic Byward Market and the Museum of History.
Forty minutes away (by car) from the fantastic Gatineau Park, a 361-square kilometre wilderness area with great hiking, cycling and swimming.
Two hours from Montreal and four hours from Toronto.
Friendly, helpful neighbours in case you run into trouble.
Possible use of our SUV.
On parle français (un peu). Si vous preferez de se communiquer en français, informez-nous et on peut l'arranger. Nos voisins sont aussi bilingues.
We apologize again that this is such a last-minute request! We realize that means you might have to scramble on your end to make arrangements and we want to tell you how much we appreciate your flexibility.
*** If it doesn't work out for this time period, please keep us in mind for the future. We plan to be away about 6 weeks from mid-December 2018 to late-January 2019 and then again for 2-3 months during summer of 2019.
Thank you!