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Catherine and Alistair Colston replaced plans to retrofit a house with a purpose-built home designed for their phased retirement. Its features include a ground-floor main bedroom, a walk-in shower, solar panels and an air-source heat pump; the owners say the design is intended to support changing needs as they age.
Catherine and Alistair Colston have built a new home designed for their retirement, replacing an initial plan to renovate an existing property with a purpose-built layout intended to accommodate changing mobility needs. The home combines ground-floor sleeping and accessible bathroom features with energy-saving systems and a distinctive interior, offering a practical example of how a retirement-focused home can also reflect its owners’ tastes.
The couple 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, found a house across the road from their former home. They initially considered retrofitting it, but Catherine told Ideal Home that the work would have been expensive and would have required compromises on room sizes. They instead sought permission to demolish and rebuild, extending the new house to the side over the site of a small garage.
Working with BPB Architects and interior designer Grace King of Studio Rey, the couple planned the layout around longer-term use. The main bedroom suite is on the ground floor, and its en-suite includes a generous walk-in shower and a double vanity. Catherine described the aim as making the house “Zimmer-proof,” referring to planning for possible mobility limitations. The living room and main bedroom both open onto a full-length floating balcony, which the owners say was a challenging part of the build.
The home also includes 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 and help keep running costs low; the report does not provide energy bills or measured performance. Inside, terrazzo, ribbed cabinetry and walnut finishes give the kitchen a designed look, while the garden has terraces, raised beds and a pergola. The couple plan to add an outdoor kitchen and plant fruit trees and wildflowers on land they bought behind the property.
Planning a Home for Later Life
The project shows how accessibility can be built into a new home’s original layout rather than treated as a later modification. Ground-floor sleeping, a walk-in shower and attention to storage and ergonomics may reduce the need for some changes if the owners’ mobility or daily routines change. The features do not establish that the house will meet every future care need, but they reflect choices made in response to the couple’s experience of their elderly parents’ mobility issues.
The design also links those practical decisions to comfort and personal style. The balcony, views and tailored interiors are part of the owners’ stated vision, while energy systems and a lower-maintenance garden address other priorities. For readers considering a move later in life, the account offers a concrete set of design decisions to discuss with architects and professionals—not evidence that a new build is necessarily cheaper or more suitable than adapting an existing home.
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From Listed Home to New Build
The Colstons’ decision followed a long period in their previous home, a Grade II-listed property. According to Catherine’s account to Ideal Home, the potential plot across the road offered valley views, but renovating the house already on it appeared costly and restrictive. The couple therefore pursued permission to demolish and rebuild, with an extension to the side. The source does not give the planning decision date, construction timeline or overall project cost.
Their brief combined several priorities: preparing for possible mobility changes, allowing friends or family to stay while the couple travelled, and reducing garden maintenance. Interior designer Grace King helped shape rooms with distinct designs connected by shared colours and timber finishes. Catherine credited King with developing the couple’s ideas and proposing details such as framed fabric above the bed. The report presents the home through the owners’ experience and photographs, rather than an independent assessment of its accessibility or energy performance.
“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 Long-Term Performance
The report does not state the home’s total construction cost, the cost of its energy systems or how those expenses compared with retrofitting the original house. It also provides no measured data on energy use, running costs, accessibility standards or how well the home may suit changing care needs. The owners’ descriptions of lower running costs and future readiness are their expectations, not independently verified results.
Details of the planning approval and build schedule are not supplied. The garden’s outdoor kitchen, fruit trees and wildflower planting are described as plans, so it is unclear when—or whether—they will be completed. The source also does not specify the property’s location beyond its valley views.
Planned Garden Work Ahead
The next steps described by the couple are in the garden: they plan to install an outdoor kitchen, plant fruit trees and wildflowers, and use a pond to support rainwater irrigation. The report does not give a timetable for those projects. For the home itself, no further construction or follow-up assessment is announced; its longer-term accessibility and energy performance remain to be seen.
Key Questions
Who owns the new-build retirement home?
It is the home of Catherine and Alistair Colston. Catherine is a property investor and owner of Black Door Stays, and Alistair is a chartered surveyor.
What makes the layout suitable for later life?
The main bedroom suite is on the ground floor, and its en-suite has a walk-in shower. The owners say these choices were intended to account for possible future mobility needs.
What energy features does the house have?
The report lists south-facing roof solar panels, an air-source heat pump, triple glazing and underfloor heating. It does not include energy-use figures or independently verified savings.
Why did the couple build instead of renovating?
Catherine told Ideal Home that retrofitting the existing house looked very expensive and would have required compromises on room sizes. The couple sought permission to demolish and rebuild, then extend to the side.
What garden projects are still planned?
The couple plan to add an outdoor kitchen and plant fruit trees and wildflowers on a field behind the home. The report does not specify when those projects will happen.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
