Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
13 Jun 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
7
Email verified
Badges (3)
Details
Description
I am in need of help to haul and split firewood right now. My partner and I are both 75 now and we do need some help with maintaining the property. I had built up a productive small scale farm on top of a big chunk of granite. Until a few years ago I could work like a Clydesdale but, not so slowly, my ability to maintain the basic operations has declined. This last period of time has been very hard on us and we have shut the farm down because it is too much for us. We are now overloaded with just maintaining the property and trying to get the place looking decent to go on the market in the spring. We need help now, just maintaining the property, weeding, cleanup, repairs to buildings and other general tasks. We could use some help for the last week of November and or the first two weeks of December.
We live on the unceded land of the Sto:lo people, part of the great Salish Nation.
I would also like to mention,just to be clear, that although everybody checks off the LGTBQ friendly box as a matter of procedure, members of the LGTBQ community will truly find themselves welcome here with friendship and respect. We do not ask nor speculate on a person's situation or preferences. If they feel a desire to tell us or discuss with us we are comfortable with that but we allow everyone their personal space.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Elderly Companionship
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
I have years of experience and a lot of knowledge to share regarding living a very simple life, in harmony with my surroundings. When I was 21 I built a small cabin out of all salvaged material, including the nails and only using a hammer, a saw, a square and a crowbar for tools. I had no electricity, so no power tools and that year I even cut my firewood by hand because I did not have a chainsaw. That little cabin is still standing after more than 50 years. The total cost of building was $15.
I have renovated a number of homes and taught numerous volunteers building skills as we built shops and storage on the property.
We have had over 250 volunteers from 29 countries stay with us from another program similar to this and have had many rich experiences and made a lot of friends in the process.
If a person is looking to improve their English language skills, I can be extremely helpful and enjoy doing it. I love the English language. My parents both had careers in print media and proper grammar, reading skills and vocabulary building were part of everyday home life. I started writing poetry when I was 15 and have continued to write poetry, music and small stories throughout my life and have studied the art of writing as well.
Help
Right now we are trying to dig out and recover from a devastating time for us because of situations surrounding the pandemic and other issues related to health. The person we need now will be helping me with general homestead projects, especially at this time cleaning up and organizing the property.
We will also be doing some home renovation projects which will involve woodworking for which I will provide the necessary training however the more experience a person can bring to this the better.
I am consolidating the homestead to something more manageable for myself as I adjust to the aging process. I have grown food naturally with an eye to regenerative methods that feed back hopefully more than they take. There will be some gardening help involved and also lots of opportunities to learn from my years of experience growing food and living in harmony with nature.
I have been having mobility issues so the person I am looking for will be helping under my direct supervision and will essentially act as an extension of myself. Though I can walk and get around, I have had nerve damage in my feet and that limits the amount of time and the distances that I can walk so I need a second set of legs to minimize my own movement.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
We have a small, but very comfortable little hut on the hillside overlooking one of our gardens. It has heat, is well insulated but it has no wifi access. Helpers can come down to the house to use the wifi for basic tasks on the internet. It is about 50 metres from the house where bathing, toilet and cooking facilities are available.
What else ...
We literally live on the edge of the wilderness. There are about a half a dozen homes in our general vicinity but for the most part our place is totally private and very quiet. Other than our few neighbours, all of whom live on fairly large properties, ours being 4+ hectares, we back onto wilderness in every direction but west where the town of Hope is. We are about 2 hours from Vancouver and we are happy to allow volunteers to use weekends to travel to the city if they like and even arrange the help so that they can take a few days to visit the city. There are tons of hiking opportunities. Volunteers have often woken up to see deer grazing right outside of their door.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can possibly accept pets
We can manage a well trained small to medium dog or a cat or something small like that. We will need to discuss each case individually.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (3)
Christopher is very interesting guy with some interesting stories to… read more
From day one I felt comfortable around both of them. Joe picked me up from the bus, which they had helped me to get. Helping me avoid the costs of inter Canada plane tickets. If you know, you know.
They had really helped me out of a bind as I needed a place urgently,… read more
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Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.7)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
Christopher is very interesting guy with some interesting stories to… read more
From day one I felt comfortable around both of them. Joe picked me up from the bus, which they had helped me to get. Helping me avoid the costs of inter Canada plane tickets. If you know, you know.
They had really helped me out of a bind as I needed a place urgently,… read more
