Tiny House Living on a Peaceful Permaculture Farm near Vienna

About this assignment

Although our property is small, it is an active homestead with lots to do! Experience with gardening and farm animals is necessary.

If you have a strong interest in things like growing and preserving your own food, regenerative agriculture, market gardening, homesteading, permaculture, pastured poultry, horsemanship, carpentry, sustainable community living, we would like to hear from you.

The living space is a recently renovated tiny house. It has wifi, kitchen with cooktop, microwave, fridge/freezer, toaster, coffee maker, living room with wood stove for heating, double loft bed above and single bed below, bathroom with shower and eco/compost toilet (requires daily maintenance).

We don't smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs and appreciate the same in others. We prefer a couple with a car, but not a requirement. Ideally your schedule is flexible for up to 3 months.

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

We need people who enjoy caring for an active homestead where we produce much of our own food. When we are away you will need to be on site most of the time for garden and animal care.

Prior experience with off-grid rural living, vegetable gardening, carpentry, home maintenance, horses, and chickens is ideal. Also helpful if you love cats.

The elderly horse requires specially mixed feed twice a day. The 3 cats are fed once a day. Caring for the large poultry flock includes feeding once a day, collecting eggs, checking safety from predators, moving mobile chicken houses and electric fences. Garden care varies depending on the season and weather and can be very time intensive. Daily farm chores like stall cleaning, turning compost piles, moving firewood, require being in good shape and physically active.

What are the good features of the property and location

We are a farmer/artist American/Austrian couple, ages 54 and 66, living on a mini-farm in the famous Vienna Woods outside the city. One of the goals of our homestead is to educate and inspire others towards more sustainable, creative lifestyles, and to create a small residential community here.

Our property is within a mini village of 10 cottages set in the Vienna Woods, originally an experimental homesteading community or early eco-village, established by the Austrian government in the 1920's. Today most of the cottages are privately owned but still entirely surrounded by protected land within the Vienna Woods.

Our homestead focuses on demonstrating sustainable living and regenerative food production. We have a large pastured poultry flock, a retired horse, 3 cats, ever-expanding permaculture/regenerative fruit and vegetable gardens, forested hillside, a tiny house created from the foundations of an old barn, 2 historic cottages, multiple small greenhouses, stable, and outbuildings.

This is a beautiful scenic area; sort of the first baby foothills of the Alps. A rare combination of quiet peaceful seclusion where you can see the stars at night, surrounded by public forest land for hiking, yet only 30 km from the city of Vienna.

What does the house sitter need to consider before applying for this assignment

You need to be mature, responsible, and ideally have extensive experience with off-grid rural living, gardening, and farm animals.

It's best if you can come with your own car, but also possible without if you are resourceful. The closest village with bus connection is about 5km from here and the train station about 10 km. The city boundary is a 10 minute train ride, 20-25 minutes to the center. We can provide bicycles.

Can I bring my own pets?

Yes
Restrictions: It's not our first choice to have additional animals here, but we understand people often travel with their animal family. We can consider it if your pets are compatible with ours. We had a positive experience with a long term sitter who brought her very

Enlarge map