Home and Garden Edition, 2013

Rexanne Stafford isn’t planning on retirement just yet, but she did plan, and build, her own home for when that time comes. The 62-year-old mother and grandmother recently moved into her new two-story, cottage-inspired home at the top of Gjoa Street.

Stafford wanted a home that would not only suit her needs now, but would also not need to be modified as she gets older. “What I did not want was a large house. And I really did not want to build a house, when I first decided to downsize ... but all the small houses were 50 years old. I did not want an old house,” she said.

She purchased the prope...