Should you buy a bungalow as you get older?

Hopeless123

Bobinyorkshire said:

My MIL recently died and my wife and her brother are going through the process of probate. 

The bungalow is a good sized 3 bedroom home with double garage and large unconverted loft space with a small garden with backs onto fields.
We live in a large family home which is now too big as the children have left home (youngest will start last year at uni in Sept). 

Our dilemma is should we consider buying the bungalow even though we are both in good health and not 60 yet?
Been on and off the idea for months. Was hoping forum users may identified some of the issues over and above the obvious ones friends and family have highlighted
Need to put the home on the market soon, so need to make a decision as we would need to sell ours at same time.
I realise it’s a personal decision, but any helpful advice gratefully received
 

Entirely personal choice, of course. Since the 90s I've lived in house, dormer bungalow, house, bungalow, house, now bungalow! I am getting on a bit, but that's not the main reason I live here now. I like the fact I can clean my windows myself, clear out the gutters, etc. adding new wiring (in my case network cables) nice and easy when you don't have to take up bedroom floorboards, maintenance is much easier. My next door neighbours are in their 40s with a couple of kids, and, while the whole road is bungalows,  there's very much a mix of ages. If it's big enough for your needs, go for it. If you decide it's not for you after a couple of years, for some reason, with bungalows being in short supply,  you should still make a profit/sell easily.

Peter_Vince

I would definitely recommend taking the bungalow – I'm very happy to have done so myself.  While you may be fit enough to climb stairs now, I'm sure you will appreciate not having to in a few years time.  Especially as you say your current house is too big, this seems too good an opportunity to miss.  The only downside I can think of is if it is located on a flood-plane.

Keep_pedalling

We did this last year after just creeping into our 70s. We weren’t planning it at the time but a very modern bungalow came up in the small market town our son lives in and we put an offer in on the day we viewed it. 2 bedroom with large open plan area plus a nice new garden office (man cave). No stairs to manage once we become really decrepit, and a on suite walk in shower in the master bedroom as well. 

Everything is within walking distance so we do a lot more walking than we did, and the house is really cheap to heat with its underfloor heating and EPC A rating and solar panels. 

kiss_me_now9

As someone who works in older adult health to promote independence and keep people at home as long as possible, this is a very interesting question! 

On the one handed ground level living is incredibly useful if you become too frail to safely traverse the stairs or develop a cognition problem that means you are more at risk of a catastrophic and traumatic fall down stairs if left unattended. On the other if you don't use it, you lose it so going to a bungalow before (if they do) happen can cause more problems if you're otherwise active and go places with stairs irregularly (how many high street shops have lifts that work? What about entrances to older shops that are 3/4 concrete steps without disabled access? I suspect by the time most of us are old enough for that to be a consideration it may have changed a bit but for now, there's certainly places in my town centre I wouldn't be able to access if I was unable to go up/down stairs). 

Bungalows are in short supply now which causes a lot of issues in my world, but realistically actually unless you aren't able to safely use a stair lift (likely due to cognitive problems) ground floor living isn't really as important as say, an accessible wet room. 

mrs_motivated

I bought a bungalow when I was 47 and still live there 12 years later, personally I love it, however, its a good sized bungalow with 3 double bedrooms, two bathrooms, large garage and detached, its also close to shops, amenities and some great green open spaces,  however as someone who browsers rightmove, I think I must have been very lucky as most of the bungalows for sale seem a little small or need loads of work.  

I wouldn’t mind moving when I finish working to be closer to family, but I would prefer another bungalow and they seem in short supply, relatively expensive and need work.  At the end of the day it’s personal choice.

I dont think. I have bungalow legs yet, but I am fit and active….given me food for thought about the future though and how I can stop getting bungalow legs as I age.

newroadahead

We live in a bungalow purchased nearly 2 years ago after DH took early retirement and I was made redundant after 20+ years.
I have a health condition that will not improve as I get older so that was a consideration and a reason i took early retirement 
Bungalows were rare where we lived in Kent or extortionate prices so we moved to EA and love it. DH had been a bit of a city/townie but loves our life in the country. We have 2 shops a post office and a pub in walking distance and doctors are fairly close by.
With a small inheritance last year we future proofed our kitchen and we are about to look at doing  our bathroom later this year.
We in fact upside from a 2 bed end of terrace to a 3 bed detached bungalow and this is our forever home 
Good luck with whatever you decide to do
NRA 

downshifted

We live in a large bungalow close to the sea and have been here since we were 55 and 59. We love it, great bungalow, location fabulous and quiet, lovely neighbours, lots of space. Only nearby shop is a newsagent. We were healthy when we came here and loved walking.

We’re moving aged 70 and 74 to a slightly smaller 4 bed detached house, 100 miles away, to be close to family. Our health has deteriorated already so we a feel that family nearby is important. Not that we expect them to look after us physically, but just to keep an eye on what’s happening. The house is 10 mins from shops including a Sainsbury local. It will be less quiet, inland, and as it’s a house we may one day need a lift or stair lift. But we’d rather move now, together, while we’re still able, than leave it too late or when there is only one of us.

The moral is you can only decide based on the info you have at the time, what suits now may not later. Location is more important than number of floors in your home but what you need from a location may change.

Moving is stressful, best wishes

mickeymonkey

I have lived in both a bungalow and a house. Maintenance tasks easier in a bungalow. Repars, painting, gutter cleaning easier in a bungalow. Security issues may bother you. For example I like to sleep with my windows open and in a heatwave this may be essential. I do agree with others about location is king. Think about what may happen if you cant or dont want to drive. I live in a new build 3 storey. Some older folks on our estate have had stairlifts installed. The houses are super insulated so are very cheap to run and comfortable in cold weather and all have downstairs loos. I am 67 and from my observations of other folks and my experience with my mum who died last year and lived to 90 is to live where you feel happy but have a plan for what to do if your needs change in the future then execute that plan before its beyond your capabilities to do so. I suspect your situation is no where near needing to change yet. 

skyeblue

GDB2222 said:

youth_leader said:

I wish I could have afforded a house with the potential for a stairlift to be fitted, I was about £25K short of local house prices when I bought this bungalow. 

I am now 68 and have been here for four years and bungalow legs is definitely a 'thing'. I went to Madeira at Christmas and stayed in a hotel .... checking in I noticed a large marble staircase and realised it was up to the restaurant.  I was embarrassed to ask if there was a lift.  I do miss 'going up' to bed, as well as being able to survey my surroundings.  

When MIL died, we inherited her dog. That dog could not manage our stairs. It had bungalow legs. 

I am surprised no one else has mentioned the family pet. 15 years ago we moved to a house with a downstairs bedroom and the other usual rooms upstairs. We had 2 dogs, who loved using the stairs, as we had moved from a conventional house, so we used one of the upstairs bedrooms at first. However, 5 or so years later, one labrador became old and arthritic, and unable to manage the stairs, so we all moved downstairs to sleep. We still use the upstairs rooms for hobbies, and when our dogs cannot manage to accompany us, one human spends time downstairs with them.
So, it is not only humans' legs that need to be considered. Humans can use stairlifts, but their pets cannot. Think about the future life of all your family, including the furry ones.

MarriedtoFinn

To avoid bungalow legs, use Dr. Michael Mosely's advice.  Simple exercise of standing up and sitting down repeatedly.  Find a firm chair which is a good height for you. (Mine happens to be the toilet with the lid down.)  Stand with your back to it then sit down and stand repeatedly.  I do 10-12 repetitions daily, first thing.  Don't use your hands or arms to help you - you can either hold arms straight out ahead of you, or cross them so each hand touches the opposite shoulder.  You may need to start with only 2 or 3 at first - but you could repeat that two or three times a day at first.  It has a great effect on leg, bottom, and tummy muscles.  He recommended it to make sure you can always get to and on the toilet by yourself, and hence avoid a care home becoming necessary.
No bungalow legs!