An ideal retirement cottage

Jonno designs an usually shaped retirement cottage for FW reader Rita.

An ideal retirement cottage
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Hello Jonno
I kept your plan of a comfortable cottage in the 9 January 2009 issue as it seemed the ideal retirement cottage for me. I’m an old lady of 72, want to relocate to Cape Town and have put my Gauteng home on the market. The cottage is, however, a little small
as I need a work room which could double as a guest bedroom upstairs. I thought of a Thai-style house, with one bedroom and bathroom downstairs with a guest bathroom near the entrance.

I would like an open-plan kitchen area leading into the lounge and dining area. I would like a covered veranda on three sides so that extra windows and ventilation provides enough light to come in. I am a kitchen designer by trade and have specific ideas, so perhaps I should send you my rough plan.

Kind regards,
Rita

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Hi Rita
While you are still waiting for your home to be sold and will only require formal plans to be drawn up then, I thought the idea of a Thai-style cottage would be something different and give our readers some food for thought. People are always looking for something different and unique in terms of house design and style. So, improvising on the layout of the January 2009 issue, I’ve modified the layout to conform to your accommodation requirements.

The roof is typical of the Asian style commonly known as Bali. Additionally, the roof will be over clad with a cement or baked tile of the ‘Cordova’ type. The posts shown are decorative and not available locally, but can be pre-cast from a made-up mould. I’ll tell you how when the time comes. I can extend the bathroom out to include an en-suite downstairs if required.

When you do purchase your housing site, it will determine the final configuration of the cottage, for example, approach, views, slope of land, garage, positioning, etc.

Hope it all happens soon, Rita.

All the best, Jonno