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Catherine and Alistair Colston replaced plans to adapt an older property with a new build designed around their future needs. The home includes a ground-floor main bedroom, accessible design choices, energy-saving systems and outdoor spaces planned for easier upkeep.
Catherine and Alistair Colston have built a home designed to accommodate their phased retirement, choosing a new build over adapting an older house. Featured by Ideal Home, the property brings together a ground-floor main bedroom, step-out access to a balcony, and energy features the couple say should make the home comfortable and practical as their needs change.
The Colstons had lived for 26 years in a Grade II-listed home before deciding to downsize. They initially considered retrofitting a house they knew was for sale across the road, but Catherine said the work would have been expensive and would have required compromises on room sizes. They instead applied for permission to demolish and rebuild, extending the project onto a small garage site.
Working with BPB Architects and interior designer Grace King of Studio Rey, the couple planned the layout around future mobility. The main bedroom suite is on the ground floor, and a full-length floating balcony is accessible from both the living room and bedroom. Catherine described the aim as making the home “Zimmer-proof,” referring to a walking frame.
The house also has solar panels on its south-facing roof, an air-source heat pump, triple glazing and underfloor heating. The Colstons say these measures were chosen to improve thermal efficiency and keep running costs low; the source does not provide energy bills or performance figures. Inside, the kitchen has ergonomic drawers and a dishwasher set at waist height, while the main en-suite includes a large walk-in shower and double vanity.
Designing for Later-Life Living
The project shows how a retirement home can be planned around accessibility and personal style at the same time. Rather than waiting for mobility to become a barrier, the Colstons put a bedroom and outdoor access on the ground floor and selected features intended to reduce bending and make daily routines easier. Those choices may help them remain in the home longer, although the source does not establish how the house will perform as their needs change.
It also highlights the trade-offs involved in building for the future. A tailored new build gave the couple room to shape the layout and outdoor areas, but they said adapting the existing property would have meant high costs and smaller rooms. Their account offers a specific example, not evidence that rebuilding is the right or affordable option for other households.
Outside, the garden is intended to require less tending than their previous one. Terraces provide places to sit and dine, raised beds make growing vegetables and flowers easier to reach, and a pond is planned to assist with rainwater irrigation. An outdoor bath sits beneath a pergola, while fruit trees and wildflowers are planned for a field the couple bought behind the house.
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From Listed Home to New Build
The project began after the Colstons decided that their long-term home should work for their later years. Their previous property was Grade II-listed, and they had lived there for more than two decades. According to Catherine, the prospect of retrofitting the house across the road prompted them to consider a rebuild because of the expense and the compromises it would require.
The finished home pairs practical planning with a coordinated interior. In the kitchen, terrazzo surfaces, ribbed painted doors and walnut cabinetry set the palette. In the living room, voile curtains soften the large picture window without obscuring the valley view. Catherine said the interior designer helped connect rooms through colour and timber finishes while giving each space its own character.
“We’re both moving into a phased retirement, and we wanted a home that was going to see us through our latter years.”
— Catherine Colston, speaking to Ideal Home
Costs and Performance Not Detailed
The source does not state the build cost, plot price, project timeline or the planning authority’s conditions. It also provides no measured energy use, bills or evidence that the systems have reduced running costs; the claim that the home costs little to run is the couple’s own assessment. There is no information about accessibility standards, future adaptations or whether the home has been independently evaluated for later-life living.
The article describes the property and the owners’ intentions, rather than reporting on a wider study of retirement housing. The garden’s outdoor kitchen is still to come, and the planned planting of fruit trees and wildflowers has not been described as complete.
Further Garden Work Is Planned
The Colstons plan to add an outdoor kitchen and plant fruit trees and wildflowers in the field behind the house. They also intend to use the pond to support rainwater irrigation. Ideal Home’s report does not give dates for those projects or identify further building work at the property.
The home is presented as a completed response to the couple’s current plans for phased retirement. Whether its design will meet their needs over time, and what it costs to operate, remains to be seen from the information available.
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.
What makes the house suitable for later-life living?
Its main bedroom suite is on the ground floor, with balcony access from the bedroom and living room. The kitchen has ergonomic drawers and a waist-height dishwasher, and the main en-suite has a walk-in shower.
What energy features does the home have?
The source lists solar panels, an air-source heat pump, triple glazing and underfloor heating. It does not provide measured energy savings or running costs.
Why did the couple choose to rebuild instead of renovate?
Catherine said retrofitting the house they considered would have been very expensive and required compromises on room sizes. The couple applied for permission to demolish and rebuild, with an extension onto a small garage site.
What is still planned for the garden?
The couple plan to add an outdoor kitchen and plant fruit trees and wildflowers in a field they bought behind the home. The report also describes a pond intended to help with rainwater irrigation.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
