There is no question that the life of a Caretaker is an odd one. This prompts the following dialogue on occasion:
Curious Individual - “What do the owners do for a living?”
Seasoned Caretaker – “I’m not sure”
Curious Individual – “Are they famous?”
Seasoned Caretaker – “You know, I think everyone is famous in their own way, it’s what makes us all unique, don’t you think?”
Curious Individual – “What’s a place like this cost?”
Seasoned Caretaker – “Couldn’t even guess, but If I don’t get back to work, it won’t stay this nice very long …”
And so it goes… It’s been my experience that discretion, accuracy, organization and the ability to be effective and almost invisible when the owners are in residence are some key launching points to do this sometimes very odd occupation.
But getting to this place of ten acres on the water in Chesapeake Bay was a long journey.
I started out in this business of caretaking and property management some 12 years ago after a divorce, a mid-life awakening, and a very strong desire to return to a much simpler life with less stress. Before heading to Maryland to begin my very first job as a caretaker on a 250 acre waterfront farm, I was managing a theater in North Carolina handling the technical set up of touring theater groups, and before that, several years as a television producer director as well as a framing carpenter and cabinet maker in Virginia. There were even several courses in basic boat construction at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, Maine. The hands on method is the life for me, always has been. Looking back, it is easy to see now that those seemingly disjointed paths I had chosen have somehow folded into this varied skill set that is a pretty good fit for the life of a beginning caretaker, and now property manager.
I often get asked “What exactly do you DO during the day”? My method has evolved over the years into three fairly broad categories of activity, bouncing at the needs of the owners between 1) – Direct service when owners or guests are in residence taking care of needs during the visit, 2) – Recovery of the property to a clean and ready state once they depart in prep for the next visit by the immediate family or friends, and 3) – Maintenance: I am what is termed a “Working Manager” handling organization, necessary repairs (many of which are done in-house), maintenance, (painting, plumbing, electrical improvements, boat prep and preventive work etc.). This last group is perhaps the most important beyond owner convenience and comfort as this is where I am able to stay ahead of the sometimes daunting task of keeping all the house systems working well, boats and cars at the ready, grounds tidy – the staying “ahead” is perhaps the most challenging as you need to develop an eye to spot trouble before it becomes an issue, usually at the most inconvenient time.
My current position is on a ten acre property right on the Chesapeake Bay. It includes a main house, two cottages for guests, a shop area, and newly built barn with indoor basketball court and office space adjacent to the tennis court. This is the first live out position that I have held as the others usually provided housing. While living on the property is convenient, it is important to also have an “outside life” away from the property. However, in this situation living away, it is equally important to be available to the owners when in residence in case the need arises for additional support or the odd repair that crops up. Perhaps the best feature of all this is that I am given the latitude to be totally self-directed. This is one of the best features of this position and allows for great flexibility of scheduling projects, but also affords time to become highly organized and proactive about maintenance issues at hand.
I suppose there is no typical day as there are so many things to look after. For example, I can work on interior painting or drywall repair, leave tools in place while drying and head outside to the vegetable garden and begin clearing the garden for the next growing season. I might start prepping some interior pieces on the family yacht (this is particularly fun as one of my hobbies is amateur boatbuilding and restoration). On rainy days I spend some time organizing cleaning supplies or reviewing vendor contracts so when the owners arrive, all is ready to go and all necessary things are at hand. When the owners are in residence I am always on hand to prep the family yacht, warm the diesel engine, check systems and safety gear, put the finishing touches on things like windows and galley, stock the fridge for drinks and head out for a day of fishing or take the family to dinner with guests on board. On the smaller boat, summer is filled with tubing and fishing trips to the bay with the owners’ kids. Winter will find me in the shop handling the tractor and machinery maintenance to ready the gear for spring, and there was a bit of time to build some needed shelving and custom drawers for the work bench built just last year. Some interesting opportunities also arise like when we had to remove a large oak tree, and instead of cutting it for firewood, hired a local gentleman with a band mill to saw the logs into lumber for a boathouse project.
Through it all, there is a quiet and gentleness about the day that adds to the pleasure of the job. Being able to enjoy that unfolding of the day is but one of the many things that was lacking in the television and theater business. And although the scope of my position encompasses not one, but now three properties, I still totally enjoy heading out each morning, waiting for the deer to cross the road as I turn down the lane and jump into the day’s projects. It is a far cry from that first day on the farm 12 years ago as a new caretaker, but I wouldn’t trade this job for any other, and I certainly wouldn’t head back into that dark control room surrounded by the blue monitors on the wall. Thanks to The Caretaker Gazette for being that one and only guide for some really terrific opportunities in my career. For those of you who are just starting out, this is a wonderful career filled with challenges and learning possibilities sprinkled with fun – give it a try!
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