At Lewis & Scott, we feel that the retirement bungalow options currently available on the market – whether older housing stock or brand-new builds – don’t really meet the needs of downsizers in the 21st century.

In fact, we know this from personal experience. As well as MD Rob and his wife Kerri, several of our senior team have experienced this problem when trying to find suitable homes for their elderly relatives.

On the whole, retirement bungalows are not just expensive, because supply doesn’t meet demand (plus new-build carries a premium, while older properties often need updating and adapting), but they’re not well designed. They don’t really appear to suit how people want to live during retirement, or seem to be designed in a way that promotes continued health and wellbeing. We felt we could do much better.

Working with award-winning architects Thrive – who are specialists in designing spaces which have a positive effect on the social and wellbeing aspects of people’s lives, and particularly in how that applies to retirement living – we have created a very different kind of retirement bungalow, as well as chalet bungalows and maisonette options (because not everybody wants the same type of property).

Our retirement communities are designed on a relatively small scale, with every property carefully orientated on the site, for privacy, for creating a sense of community and for the most pleasing views.

Internally, each home is specifically designed to make the most of the property’s footprint – without losing storage capacity, skimping on bathroom facilities, or compromising on room sizes – for a spacious feel, while keeping living spaces cosy and easy to look after.

As well as boasting a high-speed broadband connection, each home is wired for telecare, while others are designed with the possibility to retrofit stairlifts and lifts in future, if needed. Quality comes as standard in terms of the build specification, too, with materials and surfaces chosen for longevity and easy maintenance.

The social and community aspects of these retirement neighbourhoods are important, since they help avoid social isolation, and foster an ethos of looking out for each other, so contribute to the longer, happier lives of residents.

Not only are the individual homes designed with a community spirit in mind (for example, verandas give residents a semi-private space from which to watch the world go by, and engage with any friends who might walk past), but there is also a communal building.

This central location is designed to be a coffee shop for socialising, as well as a location for pop-up shops and services (a butcher, a baker, healthcare services), and the ideal place for regular events such as yoga classes or hobby workshops.

That said, all our retirement communities are located within a short walk of a village or town, for additional amenities within easy reach.

Each of our locations is unique, designed specifically for the local community, in consultation with the local community. We tailor both the homes and the wildlife-friendly landscaping to the feedback we get from the area’s residents during this process – it’s important to us that we create retirement communities that add value to the lives of local people, both those who will live in them, and those who will live alongside them.

If you’d like to talk to us about one of our in-progress developments, do get in touch with our friendly team by filling in our web form.