Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
22 Mar 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 42 days
Feedback
9
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
My name is Tom. I am an artist and carpenter. I enjoy acting, farming, painting (landscapes) and building and hope to find creative individuals who can help me with various projects. I have various children and grandchildren who come to visit me all the time but are too busy to help much.
I live in a beautiful four bedroom log home right on Lake Michigan with a private beach. Depending on the time of year, I have several accommodation options for my guests. I have a few extra rooms in my lakefront cabin when it is not rented out, as well as a barn behind my cabin or an apartment behind a building I am renovating in downtown South Haven.
I have a 30 acre organic farm adjacent to my home. My son-in-law farms it and there is always extra work to be done there. The farm is a private homestead, not a business. There is also various landscape work and carpentry that could be done (such as building another barn). The farm is 4 miles outside of South Haven, Michigan, a major tourist destination during the summer.
Downtown, I own a historical building that I am converting into a theater for my improvisational theatre group to use for performances. I need help renovating, moving furniture, and organizing. This building has an attached apartment that can be used by my workawayers and is a short walk to the public beach.
I also love to work on my home and could use help with organizing guest and storage spaces, gardening and general home maintenance. I rent it out a few weeks a year as a vacation home, but when it is not rented, I can offer accommodation here as well. I can also offer kayaks, canoes, and bicycles for your free time when the house isn't rented.
Learning more about social media and helping me advertise for my Improv group and workaway projects would be a great help as well. I'm very flexible and have an endless list of projects, so I am certain we can come to an agreeable exchange and ultimately want to host fun and memorable experiences.Types of help and learning opportunities
Art ProjectsGardeningDIY and building projectsAnimal CareFarmstay helpCreating/ Cooking family mealsHelp around the houseGeneral MaintenanceHelp with Computers/ InternetCultural exchange and learning opportunities
I have lived all over the world and I've done all different types of work. I am retired. I have hosted exchange students from Norway and I welcome all kinds of people. I can teach people how to do lots of different things and I am curious to learn from people of different cultures. I should add that having an enjoyable time is high on the priority list.
Help
***UPDATED 07/23/2021*** This year the farm has really slowed down. There are still some farm projects that could use help. The church renovations may be finished for the year. However, If you're traveling through and would like a place to stay, I would love help with maintaining my cabin, and the landscaping. We can still have improv nights if that's something you're interested in. I love meeting people from all over the world and would love to share my story with you as well.
I need help with anything and everything. I'm transforming the old church into a theater for my acting group, so there is construction tasks needed: sawing, nailing, painting, and gardening. Also if there is an interest in directing an improv theater it could be a lot of fun. I also have a 30 acre organic farm, a private homestead, not a business, where we grow asparagus, hops, salad greens, tomatoes, and herbs.
This spring we will also be transplanting a thousand trees. Ideally you would be prepared to do what ever it takes to move the farm forward. From plant to harvest, to social media and video documentation. While none of these skills are required, I appreciate individuals with building/construction skills, cooking skills, farming/gardening skills. Creative, educated, and artistic people are welcome.Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
German: Beginner
French: Beginner
Russian: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.Accommodation
I have a full apartment behind the historical building with several bedrooms. When my house is not rented out (I usually only rent for about a month or so), I can also potentially host people in the furnished upstairs of the barn behind my house or in my cabin when family is not visiting.
I am open to feeding my workawayers, but this is something I would like to do with a bigger group and would need help cooking.
I can definitely offer a place to sleep and depending on the situation, I can offer a lot more as well.What else ...
In your free time, you can cycle around, I have many bicycles available to borrow. There is great swimming (in the summer) at my private beach and walking in and around the quaint city of South Haven. In the past I have hosted exchange students. I have accommodations at my home in the log cabin, in the barn, or at the renovated church in the town. In town, all shops are available by walking.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 2-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (7)
You will feel from the first moments that you are truly living with your family. It is a beautiful place and a very good man. I highly recommend him and I will visit him soon.
Feedback
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You will feel from the first moments that you are truly living with your family. It is a beautiful place and a very good man. I highly recommend him and I will visit him soon.
My friend and I had a last minute cancellation with another workaway spot and we… read more
The accommodations were very nice - I stayed in an old converted church, in a large bedroom by myself, and Tom… read more
With Tom, I just spontaneously… read more