Bungalows

thegreenone

We've been in our bungalow for almost 27 years and love it.  We weren't looking for a bungalow but with two very small boys it offered decent sized gardens, front, side and back, at the end of a private cul-de-sac so they could play out anywhere.  They learnt to ride bikes in the road.  The place has a slightly odd layout but we're used to it now and with three equal sized bedrooms there were never any arguments over who had the bigger bedroom.

A few more jobs to future-proof for retirement but hoping never to move.  We have had a new, thoroughly insulated, roof (inc. flat bit) and that should see us out.

Teapot55

boxer234 said:

Hello everyone.  I’ve been house hunting for a while.  I’ve seen a bungalow I like the look of.  Is there anything I need to consider? Are they harder to mortgage?  I understand they can be costly to heat.  

Three things I’ve noticed that bungalows seem to have that might make me think twice but other people might decide they can live with 

•  narrow, dark corridors with lots of doors 
•  beautiful but huge gardens requiring hours of regular maintenance 
•  a shower in the bathroom but no bathtub 

badger09

We moved into a bungalow in Feb last year after 20 years in a similar size 2 storey house. Its well insulated and if it hadn't been for the horrendous increase in fuel costs, would have been cheaper to heat. I love the flexibility of the accommodation, large plot due to footprint, easier maintenance, and the fact that I can vac the whole place in about 20 minutes (if I have to )

I've often wondered why younger families don't buy them, as they usually have much bigger gardens than similar sized houses. Good to hear some do!

Husband misses views from upstairs windows though so I'm thinking of having a platform built for him at the bottom of the garden so he can see over the hedge    

thegreenone

Teapot55 said:

Three things I’ve noticed that bungalows seem to have that might make me think twice but other people might decide they can live with 

•  narrow, dark corridors with lots of doors 
•  beautiful but huge gardens requiring hours of regular maintenance 
•  a shower in the bathroom but no bathtub 

No. 
No.
and No. 

Not here.

badger09

Teapot55 said:

boxer234 said:

Hello everyone.  I’ve been house hunting for a while.  I’ve seen a bungalow I like the look of.  Is there anything I need to consider? Are they harder to mortgage?  I understand they can be costly to heat.  

Three things I’ve noticed that bungalows seem to have that might make me think twice but other people might decide they can live with 

•  narrow, dark corridors with lots of doors 
•  beautiful but huge gardens requiring hours of regular maintenance 
•  a shower in the bathroom but no bathtub 

Not 1 single corridor, light or dark, here
Not a huge garden. In fact overall smaller, flatter & much more manageable than in our previous home
3 showers here, including 1 in the bathroom over the (big) bathtub

SiliconChip

I'd agree that in general there is less garden with a bungalow, if the plot size is the same then a bungalow's footprint will take up more of that space than a two storey house offering the same accommodation. However, I grew up in a bugalow and it did indeed have a dark corridor with lots of doors (6 in total), not that I understand why the number of doors would be an issue.

Two things for the OP to bear in mind.

1. There is fierce demand for bungalows, often from older people downsizing who have plenty of money, so if you're not already on the selling agent's books you may not get a look in
2. As a result of demand prices are high compared to the equivalent house

I'm selling my late mother's bungalow at the moment and accepted an asking price offer 2 days after the first viewings took place, from a buyer who was on the agent's list and (as I discovered today) had been leafleting other bungalows in the road shortly before we went to market to ask if the owners would consider selling.

NQManchester

I lived in a bungalow for a year and quite enjoyed it. We have two small kids so it was good not having to run up and down the stairs fetching things all the time.

Our only issues really were that it is harder to stop noise travelling from living room to bedrooms and harder to keep our dog out of the bedrooms.

The garden was decent sized and although north facing it was 95% sunny because you didn’t have an extra storey blocking the sun. 

eidand

I love mine, bought at the end of 2020.

We did not even consider them, we wanted a 4 bed house, with decent bedrooms and a decent size kitchen. We gave up after 30-40 ish viewings.

Then I started looking at 3 bed bungalows and found this one very quickly. All bedrooms are at least 14 sqm, 15 sqm kitchen, double garage. 

Bottom line, absolutely love it. It's much bigger than any 4 bed houses we've seen and they were more expensive as well.

boxer234

Teapot55 said:

boxer234 said:

Hello everyone.  I’ve been house hunting for a while.  I’ve seen a bungalow I like the look of.  Is there anything I need to consider? Are they harder to mortgage?  I understand they can be costly to heat.  

Three things I’ve noticed that bungalows seem to have that might make me think twice but other people might decide they can live with 

•  narrow, dark corridors with lots of doors 
•  beautiful but huge gardens requiring hours of regular maintenance 
•  a shower in the bathroom but no bathtub 

This is quite open only 1 bed with a bath.  The garden is great for my dogs. 

boxer234

badger09 said:

We moved into a bungalow in Feb last year after 20 years in a similar size 2 storey house. Its well insulated and if it hadn't been for the horrendous increase in fuel costs, would have been cheaper to heat. I love the flexibility of the accommodation, large plot due to footprint, easier maintenance, and the fact that I can vac the whole place in about 20 minutes (if I have to )

I've often wondered why younger families don't buy them, as they usually have much bigger gardens than similar sized houses. Good to hear some do!

Husband misses views from upstairs windows though so I'm thinking of having a platform built for him at the bottom of the garden so he can see over the hedge    

Or pop him on the roof.