Modern bungalow layouts.

deb64

Looking at bungalows but almost all "modernised" bungalows seem to be where you have just the bedrooms and the single large "family/kitchen/dining room.

This puts us straight off what would have been (for us anyway) a lovely bungalow with a traditional layout.

I notice looking on RM this trend is starting to creep into houses as well on the ground floors.

Would this put you off a property as is this what buyers want, OR what developers think we want ?

sammyjammy

It wouldn't necessarily put me off it was fairly easy to put up a wall to section it off again.  I'm not a massive plan of totally open plan, I don't want to sit on the sofa watching TV and smell the garlic chicken cooking!  Also doesn't work well unless you have washing machine/dishwasher in a utility room.

staffie1

I think they look awful. I can see why people do it - to create the illusion of space - bungalows always seem poky and small (in my price bracket anyway)! I get that walls can be put back - but obviously adds cost to what is already an expensive bungalow, given the ‘improvement’ of knocking the walls out in the first place!

Mgman1965

sammyjammy said:

It wouldn't necessarily put me off it was fairly easy to put up a wall to section it off again.  I'm not a massive plan of totally open plan, I don't want to sit on the sofa watching TV and smell the garlic chicken cooking!  Also doesn't work well unless you have washing machine/dishwasher in a utility room.

This ^^^^

Saw a lovely looking from the outside on RM just now, BUT,

Large Kitchen/Family room across the entire front of bungalow. 

Three beds, conservatory and bathroom at back.

Only way to access garden and conservatory was through a bedroom. 

400ixl

More common with open planned living spaces in the UK is where the kitchen and dining room are opened out to a single space. There are some where it is all three spaces as you describe but that doesn't appear to be the most common layout from what I have seen. That is certainly what I was seeing in our area when I was considering moving recently.

I wouldn't particularly pick one with total open plan, but one with dining / kitchen would be fine and if it had double doors between that and the living space allowing it to be open plan or closed off, then that would also be fine.

The other option would be open plan between living and dining. I wouldn't really want something that was all separate rooms in the old style.

Mgman1965

This one I found and discounted as an awful layout.

Seems being marketed as 3 bed to increase value but is really only a 2 bed as if used as a 3, only access to garden and conservatory is via a bedroom. 

ProDave

Mgman1965 said:

This one I found and discounted as an awful layout.

Seems being marketed as 3 bed to increase value but is really only a 2 bed as if used as a 3, only access to garden and conservatory is via a bedroom. 

The more fundamental problem with that, is the conservatory suggests the back faces south, so that means the living room is at the front and does not get much sun.

Mgman1965

ProDave said:

Mgman1965 said:

This one I found and discounted as an awful layout.

Seems being marketed as 3 bed to increase value but is really only a 2 bed as if used as a 3, only access to garden and conservatory is via a bedroom. 

The more fundamental problem with that, is the conservatory suggests the back faces south, so that means the living room is at the front and does not get much sun.

I assume original layout would likely have been,

 Kitchen where it is, bay window bit would have been bedroom 1.

What is now bedroom 1 would have been the dining room.

Bedroom 2 what it is.

And 

Bedroom 3 /Dining room originally the lounge onto the garden.

Much better !!!!!

Tiglet2

Yes, I've noticed this trend towards kitchen/dining/living in one room with modernised and new build bungalows.  

I'd like a fairly maintenance free modern bungalow but with a kitchen/diner separate to the lounge but also want the kitchen and lounge to look out at the garden/view.  I'd also want a garage and plenty of parking.  It seems impossible to find one!

Greymug

Mgman1965 said:

This one I found and discounted as an awful layout.

Seems being marketed as 3 bed to increase value but is really only a 2 bed as if used as a 3, only access to garden and conservatory is via a bedroom. 

With a lot of work this could be made into a decent 1 bedroom.

Kitchen dining room is good as is.

Bedroom 3 also good as is.

Bedroom 1 and bedroom 2 would need to be made into 1 living room.

Conservatory would need taken down as conservatories are pure tacky garbage.

So yeah, a lot of work for not the greatest return.

BikingBud

The problem is poor rework of older properties, houses and bungalows, with limited budget or vision, the limitations of the existing build cannot be rectified by just opening out a few walls.
 
That said many houses are so poorly designed and laid out when initially built that this immediately restricts options for any* improvement.


*at reasonable cost