When retirees Bruce and Rosemary Kidd moved to Ridgeway, Ont., on the north shore of Lake Erie, one of their first desires was to add a double car garage to the property. The cost almost gagged them.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jason Remillard, 49, and his wife Jennifer Remillard, 55, who left the Chicago suburbs to retire on a Maine homestead. They built their dream home ...