WE LEARNED...

CREATING A HOME for retirement is about more than just erecting a facility to keep the rain off your head. When selecting your location, you need to have a connection to the place so you can establish a space that’ll allow you to interact with friends and family.

CHOOSE LOCAL TRADES where possible. That way, if something goes wrong they’ll be able to come back and take a look more easily than if they were based at the other end of the country. Plus, professionals working in the nearby area rely on word of mouth, so you can trust that they’ll do a good quality job.

DON’T FALL OUT with your builder or your architect. All that will bring is bad blood and poor communication. That’s not to say bite your tongue and let them get on with it – say something if anything goes wrong or isn’t completed as you expected. At the end of the day, you’ve got to work with these people until the house is complete, so do your best to maintain a positive relationship.