Approaching retirement can bring about a mixture of feelings, from fear of the unexpected to excitement at what the future holds, but for many, with children having leſt the home and more time on their hands, the move signals the perfect opportunity to focus on themselves and consider investing in their dream home. For Geraint and Rachel Davies from Penarth, there were no feelings of trepidation as the couple knew exactly what they wanted to do, with house-hunting heading right to the top of their agenda when they retired from full-time employment back in 2013. Having raised their family in a traditional 19th Century home in Penarth, Geraint, 62 and Rachel, 58, didn’t want to go far, but they did want more modern lifestyle living, choosing to swap their £630,000 Victorian abode for a luxury five-bedroom Waterstone Homes property worth £740k just one mile down the road in the equally sought aſter postcode of Dinas Powys. “Aſter 26 years at our existing home, it was time for a change. We decided it was time to
years, aſter meeting over their shared love of singing in the Cardiff Polyphonic Choir, knew exactly what they wanted for their new home. Te criteria was simple – to find something exciting. “Our checklist for our new home was pretty minimal, but quite difficult to find – we wanted to stay in the area, we wanted quality and we did not want to be stuck in the middle of dozens of similar looking houses, that would never suit us.” For Geraint and Rachel, this turned out to be a new build at the Chapters development in Dinas Powys, by luxury South Wales property developer, Waterstone Homes. Geraint explained: “A brand new house with a customisable specification is definitely exciting. It offers a blank canvas for us to turn the home into exactly what we want. We looked at a number of new builds but nothing was comparable.” Te property, a stylish five-bed home, offers the retirees much more room than their previous property, plenty of entertaining space and a
Retirement brings about a life of luxury, but no rest for CBE Geraint Davies
move in a different direction, both literally and figuratively!” says Geraint, who retired from his role as Senior Partner at leading Welsh business advisory firm Grant Tornton aſter 25 years in 2013 – a year which also saw Geraint make the New Year’s honours list and become a CBE for his charitable voluntary work. Teir former home, a six bedroom, three- storey semi-detached property with an acre of land was once an ideal dwelling for their children, Owen and Elin, now 23 and 21, when they were growing up, but with changing requirements, the couple now found themselves desiring more internal space and a newer, more modern and luxurious feel. While searching for that perfect new home, Geraint visited one of Waterstone Homes’ show homes in Radyr in 2015 and the appeal of the luxury finish and touches, not to mention the designer en-suite and dressing room being offered as standard, quickly planted the seed for the big move. Geraint explained: “When our children were growing up, our previous home was ideal with plenty of land but as they’ve flown the nest, we no longer need this. We have different requirements now and can allow ourselves to focus more on exactly what we want.” Te couple, who have now been married for 24
new sense of style, featuring a vaulted ceiling and modern but adaptable living spaces. Indeed, the new home includes a kitchen
and master bedroom that are double the size of those in their former home, as well as a separate shower room, four double bedrooms, sizeable garden and a double garage to the lower floor. “It’s a modern home with high ceilings and lots of natural light,” says Rachel, who works part time at Griffin Books in Penarth and volunteers at Gwenfo Church in Wales Primary in Wenvoe. “It also offers us the space we need for Geraint’s ongoing work and our passion - music.” While he may be retired from Grant Tornton, Geraint still undertakes a number of non- executive directorships and charity work including a leading position on the board of Cardiff Airport, chairing the Music Teatre Wales and Arts Active Trust, and acting as the Lead Advisor to several organisations including the Aberfan Memorial and Educational charities with which he has been involved for more than 35 years. His busy lifestyle means that a home office will be a top priority and so design work for a study is already underway. “Tat’s the benefit of a new build – moving into an empty untouched space means that we can easily tailor it how we like. We’re already going to turn one bedroom into my study and another will become our music room.” Geraint added: “It’s been a long time coming but finally taking the plunge and making the move to our new home is the best decision we’ve made. For any others thinking about moving in their later lives, whether that’s due to children leaving home, retirement looming, or your first grandchild being born miles away, my advice would be to just do it and enjoy your time away from work in the home of which you’ve always dreamed.”
New Homes Wales and the South West
27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28