I'm looking for an intrepid couple, or the right single person to live in the vacation rental house on my property. I've decided to convert it into a 3-season rental and Winter will be my "off" season. I'll still live on the 50 acre property (1/5th of a mile away in my permanant home), but I will stop plowing the driveway to the rental around January 6th. This means access to the rental will be restricted to snow shoes. However, I do have a Polaris Ranger UTV, with snow chains, that can be used as a "shuttle" vehicle from where housesitters could park their car.
But, here's where the "intrepid" qualification comes in: In the event the Ranger UTV breaks down, or the housesitter proves unable to manage the vehicle safely, responsibly, or runs it into a snowbank, snowshoes become the only way to navigate that final 1/5th of a mile to the vacation rental.
The house in question is a beautiful, 2400 sq. ft, geodesic dome, perched on a mountain overlooking a spectacular view in Northern Vermont. It's a very popular rental and many photos and reviews can be found under "Albany Solar Dome" at Homeaway and . Please take a look if you're interested.
The second house on the property is my year-round residence and may need to be tended if we decide to leave for a week or two in February. That would entail visiting the house to make sure the heating system is working and watering the houseplants.
To be clear, this is a country setting on 50 acres of land, which is itself surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest. It's very quiet, peaceful, and potentially lonely during the long Winter nights. It's emphatically NOT a "party house". Though there is great downhill skiing (the house is 30 minutes from 4 different ski areas) and the Craftsbury Outdoor Center is 15 minutes away for amazing cross-country skiing, I'm not looking for ski bums. Instead, I'm searching for creative people with a "project", artists working on a masterpiece, writers crafting a novel, a student finishing an advanced degree -- people who enjoy a very quiet lifestyle in a beautiful remote setting (though how "remote" is a property that's 1 mile from a paved road and 2 miles from the village?) Nevertheless, the property feels isolated and quite often the only sounds will be birds, wind, and waterfalls.
As stated, the house is modern. High speed internet and are in place.
There's a 46" flat screen TV built into the wall and a DVD player, a wrap-around deck, cathedral ceilings, and radiant floor heat -- this is not a Grizzly Adams lifestyle.
The house is heated with an outdoor wood boiler and this must be filled at least twice each day with 20-inch logs. The logs can be heavy. A propane range/stove is used for cooking. There's a parlor stove in the living room for back-up heat if necessary (unlikely).
My normal Winter rate for this rental have been $ per night, but housesitters will not be charged rent. However, this arrangement does not include utilities, i.e. wood for heat and hot water, electricity, propane, and high-speed internet. Based on past usage, those expenses amount to $ per month. Housesitters must pay in advance for the entire 3-month stay, but if for any reason owner or housesitter(s) decide to terminate the arrangement, any monies paid will be refunded on a pro-rated basis.
There are no pets to tend at the house, only plants. As mentioned, the main duty is regular feeding of the outdoor wood boiler (located 20 ft. from the house). In addition, a few stairs and about 15 ft. of the wraparound deck should be shoveled for convenient access to the mudroom door.
And although the house is nothing short of amazing, gorgeous in the winter, super warm, and very comfortable, it's not the kind of property a "delicate" person would enjoy. Snow can get deep in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. It's perfect for any outdoor winter activity, but deadly for someone trying to hide from the Winter by huddling over a wood stove (ever heard of Cabin Fever?)
But for the right persons, you can snowshoe for miles after leaving the front door. Groceries are a 10 minute drive and the nearest "major" towns are Newport to the north, and Hardwick to the south, both 20 miles away.
There are many more details, but I'll leave those for a more personal contact.