My name is Richard D. Cole. I am 32 years old and grew up on Long Island, NY with both of my parents owning second homes in the Manchester area. I can remember as a child leaving Stony Brook after school on a Friday night and arriving in Pawlet around 11 PM to a dark and cold house. It seemed as if every other time we came up here there was something wrong with the house. The water wouldn’t be working... there would be a broken window, etc. As anyone who owns a house knows, especially a second home, it can feel like more of a hassle than it’s worth sometimes.

My goal in establishing Home Away from Home Residential Services is to make the second home owners experience as hassle free as possible. Wouldn’t it be nice to arrive here in Vermont to a clean house with the lights on and the heat turned up... with the driveway plowed and the walkway shoveled... and some food in the fridge for the next mornings breakfast? Maybe even some flowers on the counter and some dry stacked wood next to the fireplace? And, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to head back home after a relaxing weekend in Vermont without having to worry about cleaning up or shutting down the house? The whole idea of owning a second home is to have a place to relax and get away from the hassles of day-to-day life. That’s where Home Away from Home Residential Services comes in: let us take care of the day-to-day hassles of your home here in Vermont, so that when you arrive you can simply enjoy your time here.

Vermont is a beautiful and relaxing place to visit. But the sad truth is that it is very hard to find quality trades people to work on ones house. My father has gone through several plumbers looking for some one to work on his house until I recommended some one. My mother had countless carpenters fix various things on her house until she found a truly reliable and knowledgeable company. Living up here full time has afforded me the opportunity to meet with and learn about many trades people in the Manchester area. I have had various people work on my home and spoken to numerous home owners to find a group of trades people that I feel comfortable recommending to my customers. While I do not guarantee the work of the people I recommend, I have filtered out many people to come up with the list of people I have.

The year 2001 was one of tremendous growth for Home Away From Home Residential Services. We were able to purchase brand new Exmark zero-turn mowers with vacuum bagging systems. We also purchased all new Stihl landscaping equipment. On the janitorial side of things we decided to switch from Electrolux to Miele vacuums. A year and a half ago when I opened Home Away From Home Residential Services I performed all of the work myself. This past year we have gained three employees. We hope that 2002 continues the growth seen in 2001.

If you have any questions or would just like to talk about your experiences as a second home owner, please feel free to call at your convenience.