The time to reap the rewards of your years of labour is upon you and it is finally time to hang up your hat and enjoy the freedoms of a well-earned retirement. Suddenly, with all the extra free time on your hands, you may have begun to ask yourself what will you do with it all. Well, if you have a garden, look no further because we have some exciting projects for you to get stuck into that will help you to enjoy your time at home.
Start a vegetable/fruit patch
For the green-fingered horticulturalists out there, if you have always dreamt of growing your own food but did not have the time to dedicate to a serious garden, retirement is the perfect time to start. Once you have done some research about what crops you would like to grow, pick out a nice sunny spot in the garden and get going on what we promise will be a fruitful (or vegetableful?) venture.
Gardening is not only a fun way to spend time in the great outdoors; it also offers valuable health benefits including regular physical exercise. That’s on top of taking in sun for that essential vitamin D, reducing stress and – of course – the ability to produce your own food as a tangible reward for it all.
Get a garden bar
If you’d rather use your garden for entertaining, then building a garden bar could be the perfect use for your little slice of heaven. This could be anything from a full-scale shack with all the works – pool table and darts board included – to a simple wooden bar with some stools or armchairs and a few fairy lights.
This is a great choice for those keen to spend time with friends without the hassle of going out but, if you want to go all out, it could be a costlier project. If the garden transformation of your dreams looks prohibitively expensive, you could consider financial options like equity release to make it a reality.
Build an outdoor playground for your grandkids
Another fantastic addition out back could be a playground so that you can enjoy that special time with your grandchildren even more. A swing, a sandpit, a slide or two… anything to entice the little ones into coming around more often so that you can be there for every step of their journey through life. Of course, there’s always the option of having a cheeky go on a trampoline when nobody else is around!
Add a chic patio
To turn your garden into a luxury resort, why not go all out and build a patio with comfortable seating and lighting, then add some fluffy blankets? This could transform that patch of weeds into the perfect space to enjoy the outdoors while reading a book or drinking an afternoon gin, just because you can. You can even add some heaters for those colder autumns to help you to get the most out of the space almost all year round.
Install a pool
For this option, you will need quite a lot of space in your garden but, if you have plenty, then why wouldn’t you install a pool? It’s a perfect way to relax and enjoy some water aerobics without leaving home. Be sure to have a solid plan as this could turn into an ambitious and costly project – not to mention that it will need frequent cleaning. If you are in a colder part of the world, you might want to consider a jacuzzi instead. Either way, get your swimsuit on and enjoy!
Your retirement provides a world of opportunity to try something new as you take the time to enjoy the life you’ve built, so make the most of your garden. Give any of these projects a go and your garden will quickly become the talk of the town.
