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Catherine Colston and her husband Alistair replaced plans to renovate an existing property with a new-build home designed around their phased retirement. The house includes a ground-floor main bedroom suite, accessible features and energy-efficiency measures; running-cost claims have not been independently verified.
Catherine Colston and her husband, Alistair, have built a home designed for their phased retirement, replacing a plan to renovate an existing house with a new-build project tailored to their future needs. In an Ideal Home profile, Colston describes features including a ground-floor main bedroom suite, a walk-in shower and energy-efficiency systems, showing how the couple combined accessibility planning with a distinctive interior and views across a valley.
The couple had lived for 26 years in a Grade II-listed home before deciding to downsize. Rather than buy a ready-made property, they pursued a site across the road and initially considered retrofitting its existing house. Colston told Ideal Home that renovation would have been expensive and would have required compromises on room sizes, so they sought permission to demolish, rebuild and extend to the side, including an old garage.
They worked with BPB Architects and interior designer Grace King of Studio Rey to plan the layout. The main bedroom suite is on the ground floor, and the couple chose a generous walk-in shower and double vanity for the adjoining bathroom. Colston said the kitchen’s dishwasher was installed at waist height to reduce bending; other features include ergonomic drawers and sliding doors that connect rooms to the outdoor space.
The home also has solar panels on its south-facing roof, an air-source heat pump, triple glazing and underfloor heating. Colston said the systems were selected to improve thermal efficiency and described the house as costing little to run, but the profile did not provide energy bills, performance data or an independent assessment of that claim. Outside, the couple have created terraces, raised planting beds and an outdoor bath beneath a pergola. They plan to add an outdoor kitchen and plant fruit trees and wildflowers on a field they bought behind the property.
Designing for Later-Life Living
The project illustrates one approach to planning a home around needs that may change with age, rather than relying on later adaptations. A ground-floor bedroom and bathroom could reduce dependence on stairs if mobility becomes more limited, while the couple’s choice of accessible storage and a waist-height dishwasher addresses everyday tasks as well as major layout decisions.
The house also shows that planning for retirement does not have to mean choosing a purely functional design. Its floating balcony, large picture window, terrazzo kitchen surfaces and coordinated room schemes reflect the owners’ aesthetic priorities alongside their practical ones. That balance may be relevant to people considering a custom build, although this profile is a single household’s experience—not evidence that a new build is affordable or suitable for every older homeowner.
The energy measures are another part of the plan, particularly as the owners expect to live in the property over the longer term. Their stated expectation of low running costs remains a personal assessment, not a confirmed saving. Actual costs depend on factors such as energy prices, household use, system performance and the cost of building and maintaining the home.
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From Renovation to New Build
The Colstons’ decision began with a familiar housing problem: the property they considered had attractive views but did not appear practical to renovate without expense and compromises. Colston told Ideal Home that the couple initially hoped to retrofit the existing house, then applied to demolish and rebuild with a side extension after weighing that option against their requirements.
The couple said they were moving into phased retirement and wanted a home that could serve them through later life, informed in part by seeing mobility difficulties experienced by their elderly parents. Their brief included a ground-floor sleeping space, flexible storage for periods of travel, a lower-maintenance garden and a layout designed with professional architectural and interior-design input.
In the finished design, practical choices sit alongside decorative ones. The kitchen combines terrazzo, ribbed painted doors and walnut cabinetry; the living room’s voile curtains soften a large window without, the owners said, blocking the view. The profile documents the couple’s stated decisions and design preferences, rather than reporting a formal accessibility inspection or a measured energy-performance result.
“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 Accessibility Results
The profile does not state what the project cost, how long construction took, when the couple moved in, or whether the home came in on budget. It also gives no figures for energy use or bills, so Colston’s view that the systems make the house inexpensive to run cannot be independently assessed from the report.
Although the layout was planned with future mobility in mind, the article does not describe an accessibility audit, specific building-standard compliance, or how the house would accommodate every possible health or mobility need. The couple’s plans for an outdoor kitchen and planting the field behind the property are prospective; the report does not say when those works will happen.
Plans for the Garden
The next changes described by the couple are outdoors: they plan to install an outdoor kitchen and plant fruit trees and wildflowers on the land behind the house. The garden already includes terraces and raised beds, and a pond intended to support rainwater irrigation.
Ideal Home’s profile does not provide a construction timetable for those additions or report further planned work inside the home. Any assessment of how the house performs over time—including its running costs and how well its design meets changing needs—would depend on results and experience not included in the published account.
Key Questions
Who owns the retirement-focused new-build home?
The home belongs to Catherine Colston, a property investor and owner of Black Door Stays, and her husband Alistair, a chartered surveyor. They previously lived in a Grade II-listed house for 26 years.
What features were planned for future mobility?
The couple placed the main bedroom suite on the ground floor and chose a generous walk-in shower. Colston also cited a waist-height dishwasher and ergonomic kitchen drawers as ways to reduce bending during everyday tasks.
What energy systems does the home have?
According to the Ideal Home profile, the house has south-facing roof solar panels, an air-source heat pump, triple glazing and underfloor heating. The article provides no energy-use figures or verified running-cost savings.
Why did the couple build instead of renovate?
They initially considered retrofitting the existing house on the site. Colston told Ideal Home that renovation would have been expensive and would have forced compromises on room sizes, so they sought permission to demolish, rebuild and extend.
What garden work is still planned?
The couple said they plan to add an outdoor kitchen and plant fruit trees and wildflowers on a field they bought behind the house. The report does not give a timetable for those projects.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
