Most homes are built for people who move around easily. That works until someone has a knee operation, pushes a pram or starts to find steps harder with age. Then small design choices suddenly matter a great deal.

Designing a home that works as you age is mostly about a handful of features. Step free entries, wider doors and a bathroom that can take grab rails later are the main ones. Planned early, they cost little and look like any other well designed home.

Glass lets light into a home, but it also lets in heat. On a hot afternoon a bare window can turn a pleasant room into one you avoid. Good shading fixes much of that before you ever reach for the air conditioner.

Shading is also a design decision, not just a practical one. Eaves, awnings, pergolas and screens shape how a house looks from the street and how the rooms feel inside. Getting them right early saves money and adds character.