House vs bunglow

movilogo

What are pros and cons for buying a bungalow/chalet over a house?

getmore4less

No/little loft is one obvious difference for the chalet..

potentially rooms with sloping walls.

potentially smaller upstairs than downstairs.

If both meet the criteria rooms/space/potential its down to personal choice.

A downstairs bedroom/bathroom can have a lot of advantages for someone with mobility issues.

Some people don't like sleeping downstairs.

TBagpuss

havr you read this thread - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4870098 ? Quite a lot of commenst about what people like and dislike about them.

ed110220

getmore4less wrote: »

Some people don't like sleeping downstairs.

Never heard of that one! What do they think will happen, someone will climb in through the window?

I grew up in South Africa where most houses are single storey, so I don't see the problem with a bungalow ;-)

phoebe1989seb

I much prefer houses with (plenty of) stairs as it keeps me fit

Whilst having never lived in a bungalow, our last house was kind of like a chalet - although Tudor in origin - in that two of the bedrooms were in the eaves with sloping ceilings. There was no lack of storage though as there were large walk-in cupboards in the eaves, one of which was so large we actually converted it to a full bathroom. In addition we were fortunate to have attic space over a semi-vaulted ceilinged living room.....

The house did have three downstairs rooms that had the option to be used as bedrooms, but personally I'm of the school of thought that prefers sleeping upstairs - I think it's to do with leaving windows open and ease of access for burglars etc - but our buyers fully intended to use them for that purpose

Of course the obvious advantage that springs to mind is no stairs to vacuum in a bungalow

paddedjohn

ed110220 wrote: »

Never heard of that one! What do they think will happen, someone will climb in through the window?

I grew up in South Africa where most houses are single storey, so I don't see the problem with a bungalow ;-)

But we are in the UK not South Africa and I certainly don't like sleeping on the ground floor.

paddedjohn

House wins every time for me, would get knackered not being able to go up to bed if we lived in a bungalow.

puppypants

You would have to keep your bedrooms tidier in a bungalow!! :-)

jonewer

paddedjohn wrote: »

But we are in the UK not South Africa and I certainly don't like sleeping on the ground floor.

Why not?

You would have to keep your bedrooms tidier in a bungalow!! :-)

Why?

Seriously, bungalows are just houses without stairs. If I won the euromillions I'd build myself a bungalow. Stairs are a menace.

Cyclamen

Hi I moved to a bungalow a few years ago.

It wasn't really a choice for me but a necessity as my 'walking' isn't great. I had all sorts of concerns and fears. I was pushed towards buying a bungalow by family and friends and even when moving in still wanted a 'proper house' .. i've got over that now.

I confess I didn't like the idea of sleeping downstairs. I didn't think I'd feel as safe, certainly didn't want to have windows open whilst I slept. Was worried about noise from being at street level etc.

Anyway.. you soon forget about the habit of going up to bed. I picked a bungalow with a front garden so no one walks past my bedroom window. You can buy security grates so window can still be left open at night time, I haven't done this yet and may never do.

The amount of floor space you get with a bungalow is less than that in an equivalent priced house.

In some areas bungalows seem to be grouped in one area and you can have a lot of elderly neighbours. But this isn't always the way, my road has a mix of big family homes on one side and bungalows on the other. I don't know if this would matter to you.

It's far easier I think to keep clean.. I used to hate hoovering the stairs, you don't need ladders to clean windows, simple to put shopping in bedrooms etc.

My heating bill in my first year was higher than i expected, was told this was to do with amount of roof space, so have now had insulation put in.

Cooking smells travel, but I have a small bungalow and bedroom is near kitchen.. consider an extractor fan.

Advantages.. some great neighbours, brilliant if you have health conditions, future proof if you are planning a forever home. You soon get used to differences.

However if I had my health I would buy a house, I just think you get more for your money.

ed110220

jonewer wrote: »

Why not?



Why?

Seriously, bungalows are just houses without stairs. If I won the euromillions I'd build myself a bungalow. Stairs are a menace.

Indeed. Many people even seem to think a 'house' has to have more than one storey (i.e a bungalow is not a house) but the Oxford English Dictionary definition of a bungalow is... "a single storey house"!