The Retreat

You want somewhere that removes rather than adds. Fewer rooms, less to maintain, a landscape doing the work that decoration does elsewhere, and a distance from ordinary life that is measured in phone signal rather than kilometres.

What works about it

The retreat is the only kind of house that reliably changes how people feel, and it does it by reducing the number of decisions available. It is also the cheapest good house to build, because most of the money goes into a small number of things done properly.

What to watch

The distance decides everything. Beyond about two hours from the front door, a second home gets used four times a year and becomes a maintenance obligation with a view. Also plan for being there in bad weather, since a retreat that only works in sunshine is a summer house with ambitions.

The rooms it needs

• One room with a fire that works in February
• A kitchen you can cook in with your coat on
• A bath or a shower with a window
• One place to sit outside that is sheltered from the prevailing wind