Estate Grounds & Property Manager

Lake Simcoe (Oro-Medonte, Ontario)

Full-time, permanent, live-in · $75,000–$95,000 + 3-bedroom house, all utilities, vehicle, benefits

A private family is seeking an experienced grounds and property professional to live on and care for a 17-acre lakefront property on Lake Simcoe. The property is mature: two large owner-occupied residences (~10,000 sq ft each), established perennial beds, formal hedging, ornamental trees, hardscape, an outdoor pool, pond and water features, sauna, tennis court, dock and waterfront, garage, and outbuildings. It has been maintained to a high standard for over three decades, and the role is intended as a long-term placement — five to ten years and beyond.

This is a working role with hands-on care at its core. The job runs across two interconnected sides: the grounds (mature gardens, turf, irrigation, waterfront) and the two residences (routine maintenance, pre-arrival preparation, owner-property care). Day to day, you’re the one in the gardens pruning the hedges and running the irrigation, and you’re the one inside the houses doing the small repairs, checking the systems, and making sure both residences are ready when the families arrive. You’re well-supported: seasonal helpers come in for spring and fall peaks and major projects, and an established roster of specialist trades handles licensed and large-scale work. The judgment of what you do yourself and what gets a contractor sits with you.

The grounds — your hands

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The regular rhythm of the property is yours. Steady variety, real craft, results you can see.

• Gardens and ornamentals: mature perennial beds, formal hedging, tree care, pruning and shaping, plant identification and selection, seasonal planting schemes, ornamental shrub care, invasive species management, and the day-to-day attention that keeps an established garden from drifting

• Turf: mowing, edging, fertilization, overseeding, topdressing, aeration, repair and renovation as needed

• Irrigation and water features: running and maintaining the irrigation system, replacing heads, fixing lines, seasonal winterize and start-up; pond and water-feature upkeep; pool chemistry and routine care

• Equipment: operating and maintaining mowers, trimmers, blowers, small tractors and other property equipment; basic repairs you’d reasonably expect to handle yourself

• Waterfront, sauna, tennis court: regular care and seasonal preparation

• Winter: snow and ice on routine days (heavy events have contractor support)

The residences — your responsibility

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Both houses are owner-occupied (intermittently) and need to be kept at residence-ready condition year-round. This is not a property-management role for tenanted buildings — it’s the ongoing care of two homes by someone who knows them inside out.

• Routine maintenance: light carpentry, painting touch-ups, hardware replacement, caulking, weather-stripping, filter changes, fixture replacement, deck and walkway care, minor plumbing and electrical (within your competence) — the everyday wear-and-tear items inside both houses

• Systems oversight: checking HVAC, water systems, security and lighting, owner technology (audio/video, automation), pool and sauna equipment, the boat and jet skis, vehicles and golf carts; knowing what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs the trades roster

• Pre-arrival preparation: the property must be five-star at all times, with additional preparation when the families are arriving — driveways clear, lights and HVAC set, supplies in, vehicles ready, beverages stocked, cleaners coordinated, everything calibrated to the standard expected on a moment’s notice

• Vendor and trades coordination inside the houses: scheduling and supervising specialist work that exceeds your scope; verifying quality before sign-off; processing invoices

Where you have help

You’re not on your own. The property operates with two layers of support, and you direct both.

• Seasonal helpers for spring and fall cleanup, major planting or hardscape projects, and large snow events. You brief and supervise.

• An established trades roster for licensed and specialized work — HVAC service, licensed plumbing and electrical, roofing, major tree work requiring climbing or aerial equipment, septic and well, larger structural repairs, pool/spa servicing, audio-video and automation. You source quotes, schedule, supervise, verify, and process invoices.

The principle is simple: anything one person can reasonably do as part of a normal day’s work, you do. Anything that needs specialist hands, a licence, or simply more people than one, gets help. You make the call.

Administration

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Roughly 20–25% of your time, integrated around the physical work:

• Tracking spending against an annual operating and capital budget

• Maintaining a seasonal calendar and photo-documented records of property condition

• Procurement: plants, materials, irrigation parts, supplies, household items

• Equipment and systems log; preventive maintenance scheduling across grounds and residences

• Brief monthly written reports to the owner

Who we’re looking for

The right person likely comes from one of these backgrounds:

• Property manager at a private estate with both grounds and residence responsibilities

• Head gardener with broader property responsibilities at a private estate, heritage property, or institutional garden

• Senior landscape contractor — owner-operator or experienced crew lead — with genuine residential maintenance breadth, ready to settle into a single property

• Grounds supervisor or foreperson at a private club, polo or equestrian club, or comparable property with on-site accommodations

• Assistant golf course superintendent with genuine grounds-and-gardens breadth and confidence inside buildings (not just turf agronomy)

• Or a comparable hands-on grounds-and-property role

What matters more than the job title is the work itself. We’re looking for:

• 5+ years of professional grounds and property work, with practical breadth — turf, ornamentals, irrigation, equipment, light carpentry, painting, basic plumbing and electrical

• Comfort inside residential buildings — the kind of small repairs, system checks, and pre-arrival preparation that come up every week in a lived-in house

• Strong plant identification (ornamental, native, and invasive), pruning judgment, and a real feel for how a garden should look month by month

• Comfortable making the call on when to bring in a contractor and when to do it yourself

• Self-directed; able to plan and run your own week without daily oversight

• Full Ontario driver’s licence with clean abstract; clean criminal and driving record

• Assets: MECP Landscape Exterminator licence; chainsaw and small-equipment safety certifications; Landscape Ontario, OGSA, or trade certifications; ISA certification; basic Excel and email comfort for budgeting and reporting

• Discretion, reliability, and a genuine interest in a long-term placement

What’s on offer

• Salary $70,000–$95,000 commensurate with experience

• 3-bedroom private house on the property, all utilities included (heat, hydro, internet, water)

• Property vehicle for work use

• Health benefits allowance

• 4 weeks paid vacation

• Annual performance bonus

• Seasonal labour and a trusted trades roster to support the work

• Stable, long-term role with a private family — privacy and discretion respected throughout

How to apply

Send the following to admin@lighthouseestate.ca:

• Brief cover note describing your background and why this role suits you

• CV

• 2–3 examples of past grounds or property work, with references

• Any relevant licence numbers

• Earliest available start date

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis until the right candidate is found. All inquiries strictly confidential.

Location: Oro-Medonte, Ontario (on-site, in person).