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Catherine and Alistair Colston built a new home designed around their move into phased retirement, with a ground-floor main bedroom and features intended to support mobility over time. The house also includes energy-efficiency measures, accessible garden elements and individually designed interiors. Costs, energy savings and planning details were not reported.
Property investor Catherine Colston and her husband, chartered surveyor Alistair Colston, have created a custom new-build home for their move into phased retirement, replacing the idea of a costly retrofit with a layout and features they say are intended to support them as their needs change. The project combines a ground-floor main bedroom and other practical choices with a designed interior and gardens overlooking a valley.
The couple had lived for 26 years in a Grade II-listed home before deciding to downsize. They initially considered renovating a house across the road from their former home, but Catherine said retrofitting it would have been very expensive and would have required compromises on room sizes. They applied for 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 for accessibility and everyday comfort. The main bedroom suite is on the ground floor, and Catherine described the aim as making the home “Zimmer-proof,” referring to the prospect of needing a walking frame. The suite has a generous walk-in shower and double vanity; in the kitchen, the dishwasher is positioned at waist height to reduce bending.
The house also has triple glazing, underfloor heating, solar panels on its south-facing roof and an air-source heat pump. Catherine said the couple wanted it to be thermally efficient, but the report provides no figures for construction costs, energy use or savings. The garden was designed to require less upkeep than their previous one, with terraces, raised beds, a pond and an outdoor bath. An outdoor kitchen is planned, and the couple intends to plant fruit trees and wildflowers on a field behind the home.
Designing for Retirement at Home
The project shows how a new build can be shaped around future mobility and daily routines, rather than asking its owners to adapt to an existing layout. A ground-floor bedroom, an accessible shower and kitchen storage choices address practical tasks that can become harder with age. The couple said their experience of their elderly parents’ mobility issues influenced their decision to plan ahead.
That approach comes with an important qualification: the source describes one household’s project, not a standard or a measured assessment of how well the home will meet changing needs. The Colstons’ example may help readers identify questions to raise with designers, such as which rooms should be on the ground floor, how much storage is needed and how outdoor areas can remain usable. The project also illustrates the balance they sought between practical planning and a home that feels personal, through features such as terrazzo worktops, walnut cabinetry and a balcony connected to both the living room and main bedroom.
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From Listed Home to New Build
The Colstons’ decision followed more than two decades in a Grade II-listed property. Rather than move into a ready-made home, they chose a nearby site they already knew, drawn in part by its views across the valley. Their first proposal was to retrofit the house on the plot; they said the likely cost and limits on room sizes prompted them to seek permission for a replacement home.
The design process brought together architectural planning and interior design. Catherine said King helped develop the couple’s ideas and suggested details that gave rooms distinct character while linking them through colour and timber finishes. The kitchen’s terrazzo surfaces informed its palette, while sliding doors and a long floating balcony connect indoor spaces with the view. These details sit alongside the more practical brief: a home the couple hopes to remain in rather than move from as they age.
“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 total build cost, the cost of the energy systems or how the new home’s running costs compare with the couple’s former property. Catherine said the house “costs little to run,” but no bills, energy-use data or comparison period were provided, so that remains her account rather than a quantified result.
It is also unclear when the outdoor kitchen will be completed or when the planned planting on the field will take place. The source does not give details of the planning approval, the home’s dimensions or accessibility specifications, and it does not say whether the couple has tested the design against particular accessibility standards. The couple’s stated goal is to stay in the home; how well the layout serves them as their needs change will only become clear over time.
Planned Garden Work Remains
The couple plans to add an outdoor kitchen and plant fruit trees and wildflowers in the field behind the house. They have also included a pond intended to support rainwater irrigation. The report does not give a schedule for these garden projects or identify any further building work.
For the Colstons, the next stage is living in the house and seeing how its design works in practice as they move through phased retirement. No energy-performance results or later assessment of the accessibility features have been reported.
Key Questions
Who built the retirement-focused home?
Catherine and Alistair Colston commissioned the home. Catherine is a property investor and owner of Black Door Stays; Alistair is a chartered surveyor. They worked with BPB Architects and interior designer Grace King of Studio Rey.
What features are intended to support ageing in place?
The main bedroom suite is on the ground floor, with a generous walk-in shower and double vanity. The kitchen dishwasher is at waist height, and the couple also included underfloor heating and a layout designed around their future needs.
Why did the couple choose to build instead of renovate?
They initially considered retrofitting a house on the site. Catherine said renovation would have been very expensive and would have meant compromising on room sizes, so they applied for permission to demolish and rebuild, with an extension to the side.
Does the home have renewable-energy features?
Yes. The reported features include south-facing solar panels and an air-source heat pump, alongside triple glazing and underfloor heating. The report does not provide energy bills or measured savings.
What remains planned for the garden?
The couple plans to add an outdoor kitchen and plant fruit trees and wildflowers on a field behind the home. They have also created raised beds and a pond intended to help with rainwater irrigation.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
