Rightsizing for the Next Chapter of Your Life
As you approach your mid-fifties and early sixties, you suddenly notice retirement-related junk mail appearing in your mailbox. Among the invitations to a steakhouse lunch to hear about investments; selecting Medicare options; adding walk-in bathtubs and choosing hearing aids, there are invitations to tour the 55+ townhomes and condos near us. It seems as though society has planned out how the next chapter in our lives will go, without even asking us what we want!
Realtors look forward to selling your family home and helping you “downsize” into a little condo. But this doesn’t mean it has to be your path. Is it true that your family home is now “too big” for you in your 50’s and beyond?
Welcome the Family Over For the Holidays
This might be the time of our lives when we can host holiday dinners for our adult children and our grandchildren in our home. Without the stress of a job, you now have more time to enjoy planning recipes, baking and cooking; but is your dining room large enough to accommodate 2, 3 or 4 families? If the family holiday dining experience includes a plastic portable table set up at the end of the real dining table, complete with folding chairs spilling into the living room, it’s time to think about designing an entertainment space with the proper dimensions to fit everyone comfortably.
And when out of town relatives and friends come over for the holidays, will they have to drive to the local hotel, or can you show them to their guest bedroom(s)?
How Do You Prefer To Keep Fit?
As you age you want to be as fit as possible, keeping your muscles and bones strong. But driving to the gym every day is a hassle. No one wants to go out in the rain or freezing temps. Yes, those adult living communities have a “fitness room”. It is most often a small room with 2 cardio machines and a weight rack. Unless your unit is close to the clubhouse, you will often have to drive there, so how does this save you time?
Do you have a large enough space in your home for a comfortable and lovely gym? A new dedicated fitness room in your home can accommodate larger equipment such as an elliptical and a treadmill or exercise bike, along with free weights and a TV, plus a floor space to stretch and do yoga.
Imagine a room with mirrors on the walls to check your form, well lit to see all the settings on your machines, and windows bringing in every ounce of sunlight. A home gym can look far more pleasing and welcoming than the public gym down the road, or the tiny workout room in the condo clubhouse, with the added benefits of convenience, privacy and cleanliness.
Needing More Room to Work and Play
Whenever you decide to retire, you’ll be spending less time going to the office, but having a home office for your computer will always be essential. Is there enough room in your house for a home office and a room for your new crafts and hobbies? Do you have a space for gift wrapping and to store the holiday presents? Whether you’re learning new musical instruments, quilting, or working on multiple puzzles, you’ll want enough room to spread out your tools and materials and papers, and perhaps add a TV and music device.
We Are Here to Help With Your Transformation
None of these living spaces require you to build a mansion, but all are meant to give you a happy, lovely, and comfortable home to enjoy the next chapter of your life. If you can’t see how to make it happen, schedule a design consultation with us. We have helped many clients in their fifties and beyond turn the family home into their dream forever home.
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