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Catherine and Alistair Colston replaced an older home with a new-build house designed to support them through retirement. Its ground-floor main bedroom, accessible features, energy systems and carefully planned interiors show how later-life housing can combine practical planning with personal style.
Catherine and Alistair Colston have built a new home designed for their retirement, combining features intended to accommodate changing mobility with an individually designed interior. The couple chose to demolish and replace a house on a site they bought across the road from their former home, after deciding that adapting the existing building would be costly and would limit the layout.
The Colstons had lived for 26 years in a Grade II-listed home before deciding to downsize. Catherine, a property investor and owner of Black Door Stays, and Alistair, a chartered surveyor, say they are moving into phased retirement and wanted a home they could remain in as their needs change. They worked with BPB Architects and interior designer Grace King of Studio Rey on the layout and finishes.
The main bedroom suite is on the ground floor, with a large walk-in shower and double vanity in its en-suite. The kitchen includes ergonomic drawers and a dishwasher positioned at waist height, while the couple say they planned extra storage for periods when they travel and might share the home with guests. Sliding doors connect the living area and bedroom to a full-length floating balcony, which Catherine described as a challenging element of the build.
The house also has solar panels on its south-facing roof, an air-source heat pump, triple glazing and underfloor heating. Catherine said these were chosen to improve thermal efficiency. The garden has several terraces, raised beds, an outdoor bath beneath a pergola and a pond intended to support rainwater irrigation. The couple also bought part of a field behind the property, which they plan to plant with fruit trees and wildflowers; an outdoor kitchen is still to come.
Planning a Home for Changing Mobility
The project illustrates one approach to a common retirement-housing challenge: making a home adaptable before mobility or household needs change. A ground-floor bedroom and bathroom can reduce reliance on stairs, while details such as a waist-height dishwasher and raised planting beds are intended to make everyday tasks easier. These are design choices described by the owners, not evidence that the home meets a particular accessibility standard.
The Colstons’ project also links practical planning with personal design. The interiors include terrazzo, walnut cabinetry, patterned tiles and a framed fabric feature above the bed. Their example pushes back against the assumption that planning for later life means choosing a purely functional or uniform home. It also shows the scale of the decisions involved: the couple chose a new build rather than compromise on room sizes in a retrofit, and incorporated energy equipment and outdoor spaces into the plan.
The wider relevance is practical rather than prescriptive. The features will not suit every budget, plot or household, and the source report provides no construction costs or energy-use data. Still, the home offers a concrete example of how residents can discuss future access, storage, heating and maintenance needs during design, rather than treating them as separate issues.
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From Listed House to New Build
After more than two decades in their Grade II-listed home, the couple decided it was time to downsize. They knew of a house for sale across the road, on a site they valued for its views across a valley. Their initial idea was to retrofit the existing house, but Catherine said the work would be very expensive and would require compromises on room sizes. The couple applied for permission to demolish, rebuild and extend to the side, incorporating a small old garage.
Their brief was shaped in part by seeing mobility issues experienced by their elderly parents. Catherine said they wanted the property to be “Zimmer-proof”—her phrasing for a home planned with future mobility in mind—so they would not need to move again. The resulting layout pairs that aim with design features that preserve views and a connection to the garden. The couple also wanted less garden maintenance than at their previous property, leading them to choose terraces and raised beds rather than a garden requiring extensive tending.
In the interiors, King developed different identities for individual rooms while using related colours and timber finishes to connect them. The kitchen combines terrazzo, ribbed painted doors and walnut cabinetry. In the living room, voile curtains soften the large picture window without blocking the valley view. Those choices are part of the couple’s account of a specific project, rather than a general model for retirement housing.
““We wanted a home that was going to see us through our latter years.””
— Catherine Colston
Costs and Performance Are Unreported
The source report does not give the overall build cost, the length of the project, or the date the couple moved in. It also provides no measured energy consumption, bills or comparison with their previous home, so Catherine’s description of the property as costing little to run cannot be independently assessed from the information available.
It is also unclear whether the home was designed or assessed against a formal accessibility standard. The owners describe individual features intended to support future needs, but no details are supplied about step-free access, door widths, future adaptation costs or how the layout would work if either resident required more extensive care. The outdoor kitchen is planned but not yet complete, and the field planting is described as a future project.
Garden Plans Still to Come
The couple plan to add an outdoor kitchen and plant the adjoining field with fruit trees and wildflowers. The pond is intended to help with rainwater irrigation, while the raised beds provide space for vegetables and flowers with easier access. The source report does not set a timetable for these additions.
For readers considering a similar project, the Colstons’ stated advice is to plan around present needs while asking how those needs may change. They also credited their interior designer with translating their ideas into a cohesive home. No further construction milestones, performance assessments or future updates were reported.
Key Questions
Who lives in the new-build home?
Catherine and Alistair Colston live there. Catherine is a property investor and owner of Black Door Stays; Alistair is a chartered surveyor. They designed the house as a home for their phased retirement.
What features were included for future mobility?
The main bedroom suite is on the ground floor, and its en-suite has a generous walk-in shower. The kitchen has ergonomic drawers and a waist-height dishwasher. The owners say these choices were intended to make the home easier to use as their needs change.
What energy features does the house have?
The home has south-facing roof solar panels, an air-source heat pump, triple glazing and underfloor heating. The source report gives no energy-use figures or running-cost comparison.
Why did the couple choose a new build instead of a retrofit?
The couple initially considered retrofitting the existing house on the site. Catherine said the work would be very expensive and would mean compromising on room sizes, so they applied to demolish, rebuild and extend the property.
What parts of the project are unfinished?
An outdoor kitchen is still planned. The couple also intend to plant fruit trees and wildflowers on part of the field behind the house; the report does not provide a schedule for either project.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
