How big is a home in a retirement village?

Choosing the right size home for your retirement lifestyle

When you’re looking forward to your retirement, you’ll no doubt be weighing up what type of accommodation will really suit the future you have planned.

Naturally, different retirement villages will take different approaches. At one end of the spectrum, you can find retirement village houses with up to four bedrooms, but this is rare. Some villages feature 1 bedroom homes. But most retirement village accommodation features two or three bedroom homes.

Of course, the size and style of home you’re looking for will depend on whether you’re looking for a couple or a single retiree. And the ‘perfect’ home will be different for everyone. After all, coming from acreage is different from coming from a suburban home.

“Downsizing” in retirement is a term that gets thrown around a lot. Yet in our experience, a better goal is often “rightsizing” – finding the size and style of home that will give you the lifestyle you want without having to make too many compromises.

That means living somewhere that:

• Is easy to live in
• Is easy to maintain
• Enables you to have freedom to live the way you want to.

Ultimately, the objective should be to emulate the home you’ve always had, with enough of your own private space, just located in a village community.

Home features to look for once you’ve retired

Retirement housing can be stand alone, although you’ll find most are situated in a duplex. Look for a home that is private and secure, with its own front door, and raised garden beds.

Retirement villages that offer high level apartments often have no storage, and just a small balcony. Add this to the fact that you can hear the elevator going up and down, and it can feel like you’re living in a hotel. Not the retirement lifestyle you may have imagined!

When you’re weighing up different retirement village homes, think about your everyday life. For example, where will you do your hobbies or crafts on a regular basis? Where will the grandkids sleep when they come for a visit?

If you choose a home with a third bedroom, when you don’t have guests you can use this as a second living area, an office, or a computer room. Or simply to give you and your partner room to live in retirement!

What makes for a ‘liveable’ home in retirement?

Look for a retirement village with accommodation that really feels like a home, with nice high ceilings and everything you’re used to in a normal suburban home.

Think about the rooms you will use a lot. For example, a small kitchenette isn’t going to be fun after too long. You want a large kitchen, with a normal sized fridge, dishwasher, roomy cooktop, and a breakfast bench.

It’s the same with your living room. Your home for retirement should be big enough for a sofa and your large TV.

In retirement, you’ll find that open plan is great. It helps to create a bigger sense of space, and can even make food preparation with guests a social occasion – rather than being stuck away in the kitchenette.

Look for a home with plenty of storage, such as walk-in or built-in robes, or a large study for more flexibility.

If you’re still driving, think about the home’s garage. Can you fit a large car or 4WD in the garage? Is there space for your workbench, or a drinks fridge for when friends drop over to visit?

And finally, one absolute must-have in retirement is a home without stairs! Look for accommodation that is all on one level.

Come and see our retirement living for yourself

If you’ve decided that an independent, resort-style retirement community is what you’re looking for, come and have a chat with us at Renaissance Retirement Living at beautiful Victoria Point.

We invite you to join one of our regular small group information sessions where we answer all your questions about retirement living over a relaxing morning tea. You can even chat with our lovely residents and ask them all about life at Renaissance. We’ll take you on a tour of our stunning facilities and show you some of our attractive villas.

Call Renaissance today on (07) 3820 7700 or contact us to book a spot at our next information session. We look forward to meeting you!