Live in historic luxury — often, rent-free

Volcano Forest Inn, Hawaii

Nice and Drew Schultz live and work in what Nice Schultz calls "a tropical paradise" on the Big Island of Hawaii. For the past three years, they've managed the four-room Volcano Forest Inn, located on five lush acres in Volcano Village, a mile from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The couple found the job through an ad on WorkingCouples.com. They had a phone interview with the owner, who lives in Los Angeles, and flew to Hawaii from Florida to begin work.

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The role

The Schultzes handle all aspects of the inn, including cooking breakfast, housekeeping, reservations and general maintenance of the building and grounds. The perks, in addition to living in a beautiful place: "We wake up at work and share the welcoming aloha spirit with our guests who leave as friends," Nice Schultz says.

Their compensation package includes free rent, commissions and gratuities from their guests. 

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Pawnee Bill Ranch, Oklahoma

Ronny Brown's involvement with the Pawnee Bill Ranch in northeastern Oklahoma dates back to when he was in high school. Brown, now 51, was a groundskeeper at the historic 500-acre ranch and 14-room mansion in Pawnee. Brown went to college and worked in construction before returning to the ranch, where he worked his way up to becoming director in 2002.

The Pawnee County Assessor's Office values the 118-acre property at around $900,000.

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The role

The state historical society owns the ranch. Brown and his wife, Erin -- who oversees the ranch's historical photos and artifacts -- live in the four-bedroom carriage house rent-free.

"We do way more than our job descriptions," Ronny Brown says. Their jobs include feeding the bison and other animals at the ranch, answering tourists' questions and dealing with government red tape when making repairs to the historic main house.

"We think it's a beautiful place," says Erin Brown, whose children can play around features such as a 1903 log cabin.   

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Elk Lake Resort, Montana

When they looked out their window, Laurel and Jake DeLong had views of soaring mountains, a pristine lake and wildlife. The two were caretakers at tranquil Elk Lake Resort, off a dirt road about 90 minutes west of West Yellowstone.

"It's an absolutely gorgeous place," Laurel DeLong says.

The resort dates to the 1930s and offers fly-fishing, hiking, skiing and relaxation in Montana's Centennial Valley. The resort business is for sale for $595,000.

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The role

Their chores: "We [did] all facets of caretaking, including cooking, cleaning, yard work, fence building, laundry and on and on," Laurel DeLong says.

The perks, she says: "the chance to work for a generous and wonderful family"; free use of the motorboats, kayaks, canoes and rowboats; bird-watching; "hiking galore"; free dinners; and free horseback riding at a local outfitter.

The DeLongs, who found the position in an ad in The Caretaker Gazette and now live in Idaho, lived in their RV at the 10-acre resort for free. They received a monthly salary of $1,000, plus tips.

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Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Loralee Hutton and her "significant other," Mike Grunde, just wrapped up caring for a 24-acre spread on scenic Vancouver Island in Canada. The couple has had a diverse list of chores. They looked after the owner's three horses, including feeding them and mucking out the stalls. They also mowed the front and back lawns on a tractor mower and collected monthly rent from two tenants on the property.

Hutton and Grunde also could ride the horses, swim in the pool and take in the surrounding natural beauty and wildlife. "It's a beautiful, quiet place," Hutton says.

The couple lived rent-free in a spacious three-bedroom house that also has a basement suite. They found the job through the Canadian online classified site Kijiji.

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Boettcher Mansion, Denver

For Nathan Cook, home is a 110-acre estate in the foothills above Denver. He's the caretaker for the historic Boettcher Mansion. Built in 1917 as a summer home and hunting lodge for businessman Charles Boettcher, the estate was donated to Jefferson County in the 1970s.

The mansion is 20 minutes from downtown Denver, which makes the historic, Arts and Crafts-style mansion a popular locale for weddings and meetings. The mansion is in the Lookout Mountain Nature Preserve, which has about 110 acres of forest and meadows.

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The role

Cook sets up chairs, tables and other paraphernalia for events in the mansion. He also handles the mansion's janitorial duties, maintenance and security.

Cook lives in a two-bedroom apartment in the mansion's carriage house. He pays a monthly rent of $500 and receives a salary.

The perks: "The landscape is quite striking," says Cook, whose brother found the job online.

CORRECTION: Live in historic luxury -- often, for free
Nov. 1, 2012: The caretaker of this property is not allowed to accept tips. This corrects information that originally appeared in this article.

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Fred's Marina, Portland, Ore.

Tiffany Owens and her husband, Dave Waddle, work their way around the country as estate caretakers and innkeepers.

The couple's current gig is in Portland, where Waddle is harbormaster at the historic Fred's Marina, in the Multnomah Channel off the Willamette River.

At the marina, they live in a 100-year-old, 1-bedroom floating home. The free rent is part of Waddle's compensation package.

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The role

Owens and Waddle advertise their services through their website, Modern Day Nomads. Owens also helps others find caretaking positions via their Facebook page.

Owens likens the job to that of an operations-manager and caretaker. "[Waddle is] responsible for property upkeep, improvements and maintenance," she says. "But he also rents boat slips and sells fishing licenses and bait, collects boat launch and parking fees, and keeps an eye on 170 slips and boats."

They also pay no moorage fee.

Although they land work through their website, Waddle found this job on Craigslist.

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