Bungalows

[Pip in a Poke]

I've been house hunting to no avail for a while now and have decided to widen my options.

Somebody suggested looking at bungalows because often they are roomier and airier - I mean big windows that let in more light and bigger rooms.

Anyone on here ever moved to the single storey lifestyle and decided they could never go back to a house with a staircase?

[shaunbhoy]

Anyone on here ever moved to the single storey lifestyle and decided they could never go back to a house with a staircase?

You could always PM sasguru. He toyed with the idea for a while, but plumped for a secondhand Stannah lift in the end.

HTH

[Willapp]

I've also been looking at houses these past few months. In my experience bungalows carry a fairly significant premium for two reasons: generally they are on bigger plots as the properties have larger footprints in order to offer decent square footage since there is only one floor, and they are very popular with the retirement crowd due to the lack of stairs and these people are often downsizing from larger family homes and therefore have bigger budgets to spend.

Point being I don't see a bungalow as offering good value for money, unless you really *want* one. Also I'd say it's a misconception that they are roomier - I've seen bungalows with rooms just as small as houses. Older ones might be slightly larger but I think that's true of houses in general as the (sad) trend now seems to be fitting in as many rooms as possible regardless of size.

[SueEllen]

I've also been looking at houses these past few months. In my experience bungalows carry a fairly significant premium for two reasons: generally they are on bigger plots as the properties have larger footprints in order to offer decent square footage since there is only one floor, and they are very popular with the retirement crowd due to the lack of stairs and these people are often downsizing from larger family homes and therefore have bigger budgets to spend.

Point being I don't see a bungalow as offering good value for money, unless you really *want* one. Also I'd say it's a misconception that they are roomier - I've seen bungalows with rooms just as small as houses. Older ones might be slightly larger but I think that's true of houses in general as the (sad) trend now seems to be fitting in as many rooms as possible regardless of size.

^^^This.

[Pip in a Poke]

Bigger plots = more distance from your neighbour.

I like that.

[SueEllen]

Bigger plots = more distance from your neighbour.

I like that.

Nope not necessarily.

There are bungalows down the end of my road that are build on the same size plots as some of the 2 storey houses, and they are definitely not further away from their neighbours.

Plus not all bungalows are detached. Two newer bungalows on a different road are semi-detached.

[Pip in a Poke]

Nope not necessarily.

There are bungalows down the end of my road that are build on the same size plots as some of the 2 storey houses, and they are definitely not further away from their neighbours.

Plus not all bungalows are detached. Two newer bungalows on a different road are semi-detached.

I'm looking in more rural areas & the pattern I mentioned seems to hold true particularly for anything over 50 years old.

[WTFH]

A 3 bedroom, 2,000sqft bungalow will have the same number of bedrooms and floor space as a 3 bedroom, 2,000sqft house. The difference is the amount of land it takes up.

Rather than getting hung up on the number of stories, list out your requirements...
Near a school?
Near a pub?
Near shops?
Public transport links?
Quiet area?
New build or old?
Willing to do work on it?
Number of bedrooms?
Number of bathrooms?
Number of receptions?
Office space?
Size of kitchen?
Size of garden?
Orientation of garden?
Garage/sheds?
Off road parking?
Budget?
Short term investment, or long term living?

[malvolio]

We've got a 2000 sq ft bungalow with four beds and three bathrooms, mainly because the Management's arthritis is making stairs increasingly difficult so the ability to live on one floor was critical. That said the other requirements were all about access to shops, medical, public transport and the countryside (all but the last were non-existent in the last house). Downsized from a conventional four bed detached but wound up with pretty much the same space.

There is an upstairs but that's another storey.....

[Pip in a Poke]

A 3 bedroom, 2,000sqft bungalow will have the same number of bedrooms and floor space as a 3 bedroom, 2,000sqft house. The difference is the amount of land it takes up.

Rather than getting hung up on the number of stories, list out your requirements...
Near a school?
Near a pub?
Near shops?
Public transport links?
Quiet area?
New build or old?
Willing to do work on it?
Number of bedrooms?
Number of bathrooms?
Number of receptions?
Office space?
Size of kitchen?
Size of garden?
Orientation of garden?
Garage/sheds?
Off road parking?
Budget?
Short term investment, or long term living?

Detached,
Larger than average garden,
Off street parking /garage,
Fireplace or ability to have woodburner installed,
Rural/semi-rural,
Not an investment per se - a house is a home!