Bungalow or house

Our best friends were green architects and they lived in a victorian town house on the outskirts of manchester .

New build houses like mine are built with thermalight insulation blocks as the inside skin hence the very high epc, the loft is extremely well insulated and the windows are all double glazed. New building standards are much better wrt insulation and detached is exceedingly warm on very little heat input

There were 2 bed bungalows near to where I used to live and you could tell that it was full of old people. Unfortunately it was also a magnet for scammers and burglars. Out of interest, can any of you say what your square footage of living space is, not counting any garage? Mine is 1200 sq feet and I downsized from a completely different layout with much more storage, both were/are 4 bedroomed but in this house one is used as a study and the second biggest one is a fully fitted crafting room. That leaves on large single and one double

We built our bungalow in our early 20's and thought it was just wonderful. I do have to say though bungalows I think may be looked upon as being for the older person, we stay in Scotland and have never given that a thought but watching and listening to various house programmes on the tv bungalows are sort of frowned upon. I wouldn't swap my bungalow for anything. They are so good to maintain inside and out, no high roofs, painting of high eaves outside etc. You run around with the hoover and takes minutes unlike a house where you have downstairs AND upstairs to do. With most things though everyone has different opinions but I would NEVER swap my bungalow and more so now we are in our 60's.

Just check about flooding .
The only downside to a bungalow is nowhere to go in a flood.
I missed flooding by half an inch seven years ago and now am always checking flood alerts.

I appreciate what you are saying Scribbles and I live in a detached house myself so not in a position to preach.

You are also right about the isolation which can happen when facilities close.

I guess I was thinking about the winner of the Stirling prize for architecture this year. Goldsmith St, Norwich which is super well insulated and cheap to run.
"Green" architects are seldom invited to design for the Big Developers.

The most environmentally friendly places to live are surely terraces or flats where you share walls and therefore heat with your neighbours.

Forty-odd years of living in a terraced house and listening to my neighbours' radio/TV/arguments/bedsprings (and they to mine) have convinced me that detached is best! Not much shared heat, either; the exceedingly long downstairs hallway was always like Siberia because of the idiotic way the place was built. This more modern, well insulated little bungalow with its neat, square hall is much easier to keep warm.

I do agree that rural developments just plonked in the middle of nowhere with no facilities and services close by are barmy and you couldn't ever pay me enough to make me live in such a location. But how many other places are there where people thought they were future-proof with shops and doctors, dentists, schools, pubs and bus services only to find those facilities gradually closing down and being withdrawn? Many once-thriving villages are now rural prisons with non-drivers virtually trapped at home and yet the planning rules allow ever more of these soulless developments to mushroom around us. Madness!

Bungalows are fine when land is not at a premium, but they are greedy for space and fuel.

The most environmentally friendly places to live are surely terraces or flats where you share walls and therefore heat with your neighbours.

I don't "get" why house builders are still building detached houses, in the countryside with double garages and no public transport or any shops or schools within walking distance. The messages about the climate change emergency are not getting through, obviously.
Hello! Anyone there?

I love one floor living, especially as both my knees were dodgy and had to be replaced. It's warmer, cosier, and just altogether easier as we get older.
I was in a house before moving here and had increasing trouble with the stairs. But, yes, I agree they are good exercise.

I moved to my bungalow when I was 65
Still in excellent health thank god and able to cope with the move, the builders and all the financial changes.
I'm so pleased I did it early as I live alone. It gives me peace of mind to know that I have weatherproofed my home fully and had it remodelled to suit my needs in the future
Now I am enjoying life more

craftyone
Your gas and electricity bills sound very reasonable to me.

Tartlet, I understand building regulations let you to install window grilles as long as you have one openable accessible window as a fire escape.

my mum was in a wheelchair with RA and stayed in her cosy semi house. She had a neat stairlift and managed fine until she passed

I have described my home but let me tell you what my actual energy bills are for a nice warm house and lots of home cooking and hot water. I have gas and the total for gas and electricity is £499 pa. Maintenance is not needed apart from painting in the future. All new modern and quality materials have been used in the construction. The windows and doors are all the highest anti-burglary standard and insulated

I am not phased at all by the future in this house

Please bear in mind that bungalows of any reasonable size are expensive to heat - long hallway/corridor and no heat rising into the bedrooms.

Yes and chose the bungalow.

I had the choice - the one-level I now live in or a house where the main bedroom (huge and including a shower room) was downstairs with a lovely French window looking out onto the bush.

All the other facilities were upstairs: 2nd bedroom and kitchen, bathroom and living room with another French window out to a patio and garden. The house is built on a slope.

I forsaw that in my later years I may have a problem with the stairs and decided to choose the bungalow.

In the 10 years I've been here, of the 8 double-storey houses in our street, 4 people have had to move as a result of sudden disability.

One had a heart attack, another a stroke (recovered well but the stairs were a problem), the third fell and broke her hip and the fourth had so much trouble after a knee replacement, she went, very reluctantly to live with her fractious daughter.

These things come on lmost overnight in some cases and do you really want all the hassle and upheaval of moving yet again when you have health issues to contend with?

Bungalow Late 17th century from Hindi baṅglā ‘belonging to Bengal’, from a type of cottage built for early European settlers in Bengal.

Oh, I see spottysocks! I agree about the too cold and too big house aspect. It costs a lot to keep the downstairs warm here even with all the rooms shut upstairs. I tend to sleep in a room downstairs, so hardly use upstairs, except to store things.

My lodger is here part time and various family come to stay but I can't really justify needing so many spare rooms. The first house I had was a little, two bed cottage (now rented out) that was so cosy in the winter.

My in-laws are in their 90s and still live in a house. They have a stairlift and a downstairs loo but they do like to go upstairs to bed.

We did exactly that 2 years ago , moving from a very big 4 bedroom Ed detached house in the city to a much smaller 3 bedroomed bungalow on the edge of a rural village .

Best decision ever ! We were fit enough to make the move and now have the opportunity to future proof our new home . New walk in shower room , easily maintained exterior . Reasonable garden for pottering . No pesky stairs or long ladders needed !

I can heartily recommend it .

I would love to live in a bungalow - our stairs can be tiring, but I like to sleep with the bedroom window wide open whatever the weather. I hope we can live out our days in the old homestead - there is a room downstairs that could be a bedroom with a door to the garden, and vitally, a downstairs bathroom. If only we could see into the future.

We bought a bungalow when we moved in together 12 years ago. Earlier this year we moved into. 3-storey townhouse! I don’t find the stairs too much of a problem, though DH (70) struggles a bit. The benefits of living where we do now far outweigh any downsides (and we did check that we could fit a stairlift if necessary)

Bungalows are much easier to maintain as you age. Also, you may be able to stay in a bungalow longer if you become ill or infirm. Living in a house could mean moving into a care home earlier.

Sorry to sound pessimistic but things can take a downturn in life.

Heavens, Tartlet. That's worrying. I hope you didn't suffer too much loss or damage.
We do close and lock the windows when we go out and, I hope, if anyone tried to enter via a bedroom window at night, they'd inevitably make sufficient noise to wake the occupant.

Hetty58 - I broke my ankle earlier this year, and I think it brought it home to me just how difficult the stairs were becoming, unfortunately I also suffer with bad knees so for us a bungalow is ideal. Our three-bed house was just too big and it was absolutely freezing in the winter months. Our bungalow is so warm and cosy.

A bungalow everytime
Ive lived in houses bungalows and apartments
Earlier this year I bought a 3 bed detached bungalow on a nice plot in a nice mature area and I am so happy here I live here alone.
One floor living means all rooms are actually used whereas if I had purchased a house 2 bedrooms would be just sitting there a d rarely used at all
I have a large 3rd bedroom which is used as a spacious dining room
Its the way to go for adaptable living. No stairs and a remodelled bathroom with walk in double shower means as I age I can bathe without worry
Yes bungalows are expensive but as this is my forever home I feel I am worth the expense

Scribbles, if by ‘narrow openings’ you mean the small top opening windows in a larger window, you might be interested to know that burglars gained access to our house a few years ago using one of that kind of window. It was locked at the time too but they still managed to get through it.

You can have problems with stairs at any age but there's always a solution.

I think it depends on location, bungalows here are relatively few and far between or really small. Most have had an upstairs added and are now very expensive. I'm disabled and live in a house, I struggle with the stairs but can still manage. If necessary I'd have a stair lift rather than move to a bungalow as even an expensive stairlift would be cheaper than moving. A stairlift for my stairs that double back on themselves is £6k. If moving for other reasons such as downsizing or change of location I'd go for the property that I liked the most, whether that be a house or a bungalow.