What would your perfect retirement property be?

[XingMing]

We plan to move from our lovely family house in the next year or two, but after looking for a place to move to, we've concluded that what we want doesn't exist. We'd like a big social space for cooking, eating and having friends, a snug place to watch TV, and two decent bedrooms with their own bathrooms. So we can have overnight visitors. What are you looking for in the house that you want to retire into?

Views over water without too much risk of flooding. A manageable south west facing private garden. No busy traffic but shuffling distance to a few shops/cafes.

A concierge, a large-ish sitting room and a really nice view.

The really nice view is the hard bit @BlackAmericanoNoSugar. That's what we're going to leave behind in the house we will be selling. There's zero chance of finding another as good as the one we shall leave.

I know XingMing. I used to live in a flat (with a concierge) that had a view of the Thames. I still miss it a decade later.

Could you stay where you are and make some adaptations?

I'm sure there were reasons for leaving, but why did you? Just out of interest.

Somewhere near the beach, in a village with local pubs and shops.

Perhaps a bit boring but lots of built in storage would be amazing. My home never feels tidy with nowhere to put everything.

I'd also love a big kitchen that could be a space to live in and not just for cooking and eating.

Lots of natural light is top of my list for my next home too as current house is down in a kind of a valley and so dark, I can't even keep plants alive here.

@Lightsabre, we love the house but want to move to be closer to family and friends. We need to stop driving past Bristol to get where we want to go. Everyone we know lives north of the M4.

Something like this.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/73455258#/floorplan?activePlan=1

I would go for 3 bed so 1 for main bedroom, 1 for guests and 1 as a hobby room.

Old large houses often have bigger rooms/ feel more spacious due to ceiling house.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/55987719#/floorplan?activePlan=1

(I would probably have to scale back my ideas a bit when budget is taken into account but these would be my ideals)

OP what youre looking for doesnt seem a big ask, hopefully you will find something.

We have a mountain view at the minute but I would love a sea/lake view.

@Suzi888, your wish list sounds expensive if you like the idea of the Southwest. Good luck.

It's lovely @Bzzzzbumblebee, but not the right area and not the budget I had in mind!

What is your budget - roughly?

Which area? Also are you a city/town/village rural person.

Not at retirement age (early 50’s) but we’ve just built a large extension that would allow us to stay in our home when we get older and can’t make it up the stairs, as well as a couple of extra reception rooms. All of the doors are wide enough for a wheelchair, as is the en-suite shower room - although we would have to make some alterations for a wet room if that were necessary, and there are no steps.

I’d echo a PP about storage and we made sure that we have sufficient downstairs. It might be being put to a different use at the moment but will be able to be made into wardrobe space when needed.

I’ve worked with a disabled group in wheelchairs in the past so I’d also be thinking about how flat the route is to local shops, what local walks are available, what public transport is available, what car parking is available if you needed an adapted car, how you would manage the garden etc.

If you can’t find what you want, could you find a plot and have it built?

Our budget would be about £500k. Location is within 90 minutes of Oxford, roughly. A few minutes more or less wouldn't be an issue.

space for hospital beds and hoists.
large shower with seat.
large enough bathroom for mobility aids.
close to anemities.

@XingMing

I'm sure there were reasons for leaving, but why did you? Just out of interest.

We moved country, we live in Ireland now. Otherwise I think I would still be in that flat, it had its issues eg the bathrooms were teeny tiny and the bedrooms were small, but the nice parts of it made it worth it.

your ideas taken on board @redcandlelight, and thank you, but we're not quite that geriatric yet! Those ideas will form part of our long term preparation plan however.

I always get itchy when an older couple (above 60) fawns over tiny impractical cottages in 'escape to the country'. nothing wrong with a great view, but I wouldn't move into a property that can't be adapted at any age.

Something like this?
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/101729021#/

Got an open plan kitchen, diner, lounge and a snug with 2 bedroom.

Love looking at properties.

A small villa/bungalow with a small garden and parking space on the outskirts of Rome, preferably within easy access of a bus or train station.
Not going to happen though.

DH is 6'5", so we are never going to move to a tiny house. In fact, our issue is that most houses are cramped.

That's quite nice Bzzzbumblee... you get the idea!