Bungalows in need of modernising

I haven't moved in 44 years so I can see it's going to be a nasty shock when I find out about the costs involved.

At the monent I am seriously considering building a low maintenance "bungalow" in the garden, subject to laws and logistics.

I love the location I have so would be loath to move further from buses and shops. But I live on 3 floors in a house meant for more people.

I can’t call my property a true bungalow as it’s split level, with rooms downstairs. From the front it looks like a bungalow.

Contrary to the small and pokey assumptions, it’s misleadingly large, with what I call “the field” (my garden) at the back. I like it now, but not newly married, when I christened it Hitler’s Bunker as it was pebble dashed😨 It is very convenient, needs updating and I could and maybe should, downsize. I’m in a prime location with a large Victorian house next door and have a five minute walk to the beach. I cannot image living in a terrace or semi with neighbours now.

Have you heard of “bungalow swallowing” where the character is changed it no longer resembles a bungalow? Mine now, painted white, green shutters, window boxes, arched trellis etc etc is now called ‘The Lodge”😁

The windows in our bedroom have two closing mechanism – you can close the windows completely or close them with a small gap to let the air in.

The gap is so small, you cannot put a finger through it but it let the air in. Much safer than the open hopper windows if you live in a bungalow.

Primrose53

There are a lot of really big, spacious bungalows around here and mostly self built in the 70s and 80s.

I have never lived in a bungalow and what would put me off is not being able to leave bedroom windows wide open in case somebody climbed in! 😱 in really hot weather I love the windows open at night in our house.

What you need, Primrose, is a chalet bungalow - another much-maligned species of home, with one or more rooms upstairs in the loft, which can accommodate the ncessary headroom because the extra footprint of the house gives a larger area of roof and thus at 45 degrees extra height too.

You could have a summer bedroom upstairs where the windows could stay wide open at night, and a winter one downstairs where open hopper windows are too small for anyone to sneak in.

Grammaretto

I agree corner! Why do people buy one thing just to turn it into something else?

Phil and Kirsty tv programmes encourage this trend by adding extensions in all directions.

Just move if you grow out of your house!

Moving does cost a lot, sometimes it's more cost-effective to spend that money on improvements.

I would have no hesitation in buying a property needing renovation. Did that a couple of times. I did live in a bungalow 26 years ago but found the transfer of noise awful, just couldn't seem to "get away" from it even though only two of us.
On last move 15 years ago landed up looking at bungalows again but just couldn't get away from the feeling of feeling ancient (63 and 64 years then). Bought an up/downstairs, glad I did as stairs provide exercise. When I can't walk, probably a bungalow again.

Joseann

Callistemon21

A bungalow is a great place to live in - I have no idea why they are treated with derision
Me neither. I'd like to move to one but there are few in this locality and they're either crammed in or on a main road.

In New Zealand the term 'bungalow' is offensive apparently. Who knew, I didn't until I admired our host's home and she retorted "it's not a bungalow, it's a house!"
There are a lot of well-planned, spacious single storey homes in New Zealand and Australia, but perhaps lack of space prevents them being built here now where land is at a premium.

That's so strange you say that. My niece in NZ has just sent me the particulars of the "home" she has bought. It's definitely a bungalow, very contemporary, with decking and a pool, but it's just called a "property" or "house" in the blurb.

I was quite astonished to have upset our lovely hostess when I admired her 'bungalow'. "It's a house!" she said.
Bungalows are, apparently, tiny, shoddily built cottages in NZ.

That self-build bungalow with the red garage has just been sold. Someone is willing to take on a full-scale renovation, all 1600 square foot of it. Not surprising though, it is a very good size bungalow, not a god waiting room.

I am going to carry on updating our house and keep an eye out on the self-build bungalows in that vicinity.

Once the Bank of England starts reducing the interest rates due to the falling inflation, the prices of bungalows and houses will start picking up again.

It is whether we can bridge the gap between the price of our house and the price of a bungalow without getting a mortgage.

loopyloo

Very interesting.
I dream of living near the sea in a bungalow and yet....
The ones on rightmove do look as if they need a lot of renovating.
It all comes down to money in the end.

That’s because people retire to the coast and then just sit back and relax. There are loads of such bungalows around here but they all sell very quickly regardless of how much updating they need.

Very interesting.
I dream of living near the sea in a bungalow and yet....
The ones on rightmove do look as if they need a lot of renovating.
It all comes down to money in the end.

Since our stairs are practically vertical, I think a bungalow might work for us.
Doubt we could manage it financially though.

I said I would never live in a bungalow and yet here I am! I love it. It’s light & airy, nice big garden, easy to heat & maintain. It needed updating but nothing structural or complicated. Some people on here need to open their minds and perhaps admit that their own experiences aren’t the be-all & end-all!

I agree corner! Why do people buy one thing just to turn it into something else?

Phil and Kirsty tv programmes encourage this trend by adding extensions in all directions.

Just move if you grow out of your house!

Goodness, I never knew single storey living could stir up such division.

We moved from a four bedroom house to a two bedroom bungalow in need of renovation. No apologies here, we love it. A river across the fence, good bus service to the coast, two shops within walking distance and superb neighbours who will help if needed. Something health issues have made us more than grateful for this last year. Brought up on farms during years of town living I craved an isolated home, describing my wish for a house in a field preferably complete with moat and drawbridge to keep the world out. Now? With deteriorating mobility and shallow pockets it simply wouldn’t work

Around here many bungalows coming to the market become two storey , five bedroomed homes with immaculately landscaped gardens and re-sell for what feels to us to be a fortune. It’s such a shame to lose affordable, practical, socially valuable one level housing stock.

We’re all individual. Best to live as suits our individual needs, if we can.

Callistemon21

^A bungalow is a great place to live in - I have no idea why they are treated with derision^
Me neither. I'd like to move to one but there are few in this locality and they're either crammed in or on a main road.

In New Zealand the term 'bungalow' is offensive apparently. Who knew, I didn't until I admired our host's home and she retorted "it's not a bungalow, it's a house!"
There are a lot of well-planned, spacious single storey homes in New Zealand and Australia, but perhaps lack of space prevents them being built here now where land is at a premium.

That's so strange you say that. My niece in NZ has just sent me the particulars of the "home" she has bought. It's definitely a bungalow, very contemporary, with decking and a pool, but it's just called a "property" or "house" in the blurb.

Aprt from the fact we would never buy a bungalow, we would - and are planning - a renovation, as I write. Our house is on the market and as soon as it sells we hope to offer on an old run down house, where the first job will be rewiring, followed by knocking two rooms together to make a kitchen and thenturn the existing kitchen into a utulity room and cloakroom - and so on.

I think GSM has said she thinks she will end up with a barn conversion Callistemon.

Germanshepherdsmum

Open my mind HPQ? You don’t seem to understand anything I have said. I want - and will find eventually - what I have here, but on one level.

Barn conversion?
Sometimes they're on one level.

Open my mind HPQ? You don’t seem to understand anything I have said. I want - and will find eventually - what I have here, but on one level.

Thankfully, where we live here in East Midlands, bungalows that were sold remain as bungalows. People do not demolish them or convert them to houses.

Is there snobbery against bungalows here in the UK?

Germanshepherdsmum

What I mean by ‘character’ is what I have here - vaulted ceilings, floor to ceiling windows for instance. Nothing to do with the latest kitchen (though we do have that). It’s still a cosy, happy and welcoming place - just not boring little square rooms.

Exactly what we have in our "boring " bungalow, vaulted ceilings, velux windows to flood with light, wood burner, wooden floors. Open your mind! . Being married to an architect does help though, no mass developer poky rooms in our house, or cramped overlooked plot.

There are a lot of really big, spacious bungalows around here and mostly self built in the 70s and 80s.

I have never lived in a bungalow and what would put me off is not being able to leave bedroom windows wide open in case somebody climbed in! 😱 in really hot weather I love the windows open at night in our house.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202404/medium-100067-img-0322.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202404/medium-946186-img-2583.jpeg

14 yrs ago we bought a 3 bed detached bungalow constructed in 1990 in our village ahead of our retirement 3 yrs later. We replaced all of the boundary fences as well as the back garden patio which we also extended. All of the facias and guttering was replaced as well as the front door. The boiler and 3 radiators were replaced and we added 2 more. All of the interior doors were replaced. We installed a new bathroom suite with a walk in shower, and fully tiled the walls and floor. In the kitchen, hallway and cloakroom we tiled the floors as well as tiling the cloakroom walls. And we’ve replaced the bedroom carpets. Fortunately the walls weren’t papered so all we had to do was paint them. I find it easy to clean and thoroughly enjoy living here. We were the youngest of all our neighbours when we bought our home and remain so. We have families living in adjoining cul de sacs on the estate so don’t feel like we’re living in a pensioner enclave.

What I mean by ‘character’ is what I have here - vaulted ceilings, floor to ceiling windows for instance. Nothing to do with the latest kitchen (though we do have that). It’s still a cosy, happy and welcoming place - just not boring little square rooms.

We live in a small 2 bed 70’s bungalow, with a large well insulated conservatory, an amazing view and big garden. I don’t understand what people mean by “no character” ??? I think to many people “character” means stuff like beams, a log burner or the latest kitchen, all of which are lovely, but if you are lucky you will live inside a building with 4 walls and a roof, then die. I like to think our home is a cosy, happy and welcoming home for our family and friends and easy to maintain. You can live in a palace and it might be considered “God’s Waiting Room” if you are a certain age 😂 personally I don’t give a flying f*ck what anyone thinks about my home, and don’t feel the need to impress anyone. Our dog loves living here too! Happy home, enjoying life ❤️❤️