Stamford House in Northumberland incorporates a wheelchair ramp and lift. Photo: Finest Properties
Moving house can be so expensive that it’s wise to consider you and your family’s long term as well as current needs when looking for your next home.
For example, think about whether an elderly relative might come to live with you at some point, a property’s suitability for someone with mobility issues and if an adaptable layout or a ground floor bedroom — or space for one — would be practical.
All these homes for sale are future-proofed, so you won’t be forced to uproot yourself later on when you’d rather stay put.
1. Selkirk, Scottish Borders, offers over £330,000
More bedrooms could be added to this roomy bungalow without extending. Photo: Cullen Kilshaw/ESPC
Combining generously sized plots with single-storey living, bungalows are extremely popular yet account for a small percentage of housing stock.
This one’s unlikely to hang around for long as it’s in move-in condition with a mid century-inspired interior, and has a big garden and a shared pond.
It includes two double-bedrooms, a 39-foot living/dining room, a kitchen, utility, conservatory, garage and workshop.
There’s flexibility to partition off part of the living area to add one or two extra bedrooms. Through Cullen Kilshaw via ESPC.
2. Orchard Yard, Wingham, Kent, from £600,000
Two homes are on the market in this age-exclusive scheme. Photo: Cognatum
A two-bedroom apartment and a two-bedroom penthouse, both with lift access, are on the market in this small managed estate of 15 homes.
Located in the original farmyard of a 15th century manor house, it’s for the over-55s and the service charge covers maintenance of the grounds and building’s exterior and some domestic support.
Each home has a balcony and parking space and there’s a residents’ clubhouse with a stretch studio, gym, space for social gatherings and a terrace. Family and friends can stay overnight in the development’s guest lodge. From Cognatum.
This modern country house would make a fantastic forever home. Photo: Finest Properties
Stamford House is a modern, light-filled country house that’s been thoughtfully designed with accessibility in mind — a discreet wheelchair ramp leads up to the porticoed front entrance, doorways are wide and a lift is located in the porch.
The home comprises a spacious kitchen, living and dining area, a sitting room, garden room, office and cloakroom, and has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a large, south-facing garden. Contact Finest Properties.
4. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, £1.4m
The 1980s house has undergone an impressive glow up. Photo: Stowhill Estates
The current owners of this 3,000 square foot, mid-1980s house have given it a top-to-toe revamp to create a forever home. Wiring, lighting, heating, windows, doors and floors have all been updated, and it boasts a freshly-fitted kitchen, shiny new bathrooms and a purpose built cinema room.
A ground floor bedroom suite could easy be turned into a granny annexe, and upstairs are four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The double garage is divided to house a gym, and the garden is level and very secluded. Find out more from Stowhill Estates.
5. Uppingham, Rutland, £1.5m
A lift fitted during renovation work has improved access to the first floor. Photo: Fine & Country
This double-fronted period townhouse is arranged over three floors — plus a cellar — with three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first floor and three more bedrooms and a further bathroom on the second.
Over the past few years it’s been refurbished and extended to introduce modern updates while preserving its original charm. Work involved enlarging the kitchen, building a garage with an office above at the end of the walled garden and fitting a glass tube lift from the ground to the first floor, to make it accessible for anyone who struggles with stairs. Via Fine & Country.
The buyer has the option of transforming the top floor into a self-contained flat. Photo: Savills
With excellent insulation, an air source heat pump, solar panels, a Tesla (TSLA) battery power wall and a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system, this five-bedroom eco-home is rated ‘A’ for energy-efficiency so cheap to run, protecting you against rising fuel costs.
It was completed in 2022 and features a huge open plan kitchen/living/dining area and a lift connecting all three floors.
The top floor — consisting of a bedroom, bathroom, and sitting room with space to fit a kitchen — offers potential to be converted into self-contained accommodation. Via Savills.
7. Putney, London SW15, £3.9m
Several generations can easily live under one roof here. Photo: Dexters
Cleverly designed for multi-generational living, this striking four-storey house was completed in 2018 and is still under a new-build warranty covering structural defects.
It’s wheelchair accessible and incorporates state-of-the-art smart home automation, a Sonos (SONO) sound system, a basement entertainment area, a huge all-in-one kitchen, dining and reception room overlooking the mature south-facing garden, and six bedrooms.
One of the bedrooms, together with an ensuite bathroom, is off the wide ground floor entrance hall for step-free accessibility. Contact Dexters.
This secluded house comes with an adjoining one-bedroom annexe. Photo: United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
An immensely private and immaculately finished eight-bedroom house, nestling it its own private woodland within beautiful grounds.
The kitchen is hand-built, and the drawing room and second reception room enjoy views of the rear garden where hundreds of roses bloom in the summer.
A doorway in the hall opens into an adjacent cottage containing a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom, and second kitchen with a stable door leading out to a manicured courtyard. Available from United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty .
