What type of house would you never buy?

[PinterandPirandello]

Just looking at a thread where properties are being recommended for £750k. One of the houses was completely open plan downstairs which we would hate as a family. Dh likes to sit at the kitchen table and have the radio on (loudly), dc like to game and I like to watch telly in peace. Plus the dishwasher and washing machine on. So we prefer at least a couple of separate rooms. However, I can see open plan could work with small kids but I’d still want private space.

so what is it? Because its not any kind of clinically recognised anything!
Full disclosure I am a retired NHS therapist who used to work in community rehabilitation.

One of the houses I have always thought really charming in our rather lovely village appeared on rightmove for the first time in 40 years. Five bedrooms, for £325k. Yes it needs work; it has old windows, a ramshackle kitchen, no central heating, and no off street parking, and the roof probably needs fixing but I still sent it off to my DS.

Bungalow legs is the technical term I think.

son? sister? whoever they are, hoping they are minted!

nope deffinitely not technical or clinical.

Son. Could buy outright. But the geography is wrong. It is still a steal.

I don't mind open plan kitchen/diners but I do like a seperate living room to escape to. I had a flat that was totally open plan it was a nightmare if someone wanted to watch tv and you had the noise of someone in the kitchen making a racket crashing and banging behind you.

It really is. Bungalow legs IS a thing....

Most people who live in bungalows don't care though, as they have the good fortune of living in a bungalow. No issue with 'sleeping downstairs' as the bedrooms are usually at the back/looking into the back garden, and the back garden is behind a locked gate and a fence...

And some people move into bungalows because they have mobility issues, so not going having to go upstairs - ever - in their home helps them and their health, and many of them struggled to get up steps and stairs before they went into a bungalow anyway.

And many people who live in bungalows are older (55-60+) and are far more likely to spend time outdoors/go for walks/do lots of gardening and other physical activities like cycling, swimming, bowls, badminton, and other sports.

If you are a retired NHS therapist, then you should know that bungalow legs IS a thing.

Then again, you are retired, so have probably lost touch with/lost sight of modern terminology/recently discovered ailments/recently named things etc.

From Google

"Bungalow legs" is not necessarily a brand-new concept, but it has recently gained traction as an informal,, descriptive term used by health experts and in media to describe the physical decline—specifically in leg strength and stability— that can occur when older adults move from a two-story home to a single-story bungalow.

Here is the breakdown of what it means and why it is being discussed now:
What are "Bungalow Legs"?

The Cause: The term refers to the loss of muscle strength (often leading to pre-frailty or sarcopenia) due to the lack of daily, functional exercise, specifically climbing stairs.

The Effect: Without the daily, involuntary workout of going up and down stairs, leg muscles (especially glutes, hamstrings, and calves) and joints can become stiffer and weaker.

The Risk: While moving to a bungalow makes life easier for people with existing mobility issues, it can "hasten the decline associated with aging" for those who move too early and stop staying active.

Many people avoid such a decline by becoming more active, and doing more physical pursuits/exercise/sports/hobbies.

There is much more online about 'bungalow legs' but you can look for yourself.

.

Jesus I live in rural Ireland the majority of houses built in the country are bungalows. even new builds are bungalows. hard to get planning for two storeys now in most counties. I live in a 2 storey and this is one of the very few houses I have lived in that has stairs 🤣 I loved my old house we sold h shaped kitchen in the middle living dining room to the left and bedrooms to the right. loved it
in my teenage years my parents place was a massive 6 bedroom bungalow
they now live in a 3 bedroom bungalow across the road from my younger brothers 4 bedroom bungalow
my husband grew up in a 5 bedroom bungalow - his mother still lives there and the only stairs is the 3 steps up the new extension living room
sister also lives in a bungalow with her 3 teens
to note never ever heard of the term bungalow legs. nothing wrong with my legs growing up 🤣

No designated study room (really I'd prefer a garden office). Me or husband work from home every day of the week and our quality of life jumped when we had room for an office.
The "wrong sized garden" - don't want one too big, too small, too thin and long.
Only one bathroom with one loo - guests trudging upstairs to go to the loo etc...
No parking.
No separate reception room from the kitchen.

I could go on but these jump out at me. Also makes me realise how much fussier I have become since buying our first flat!!

Not within walking distance of shops/cafes or something - hate having to get in my car to go places
One bathroom
Only space for washing machine is in kitchen
No parking or shared drive

Town House over 3 floors

House with a flight of stairs up to the front door

A flat

Open plan like you described

House with no parking

Sorry, that's a list!

I did....its all "might be" "could contribute to" and my personal favourite "informal descriptive term" There is zero research or evidence. For your information, I do actually keep up with new discoveries and diagnoses in my field. Speaking professionally, that kind of comment is lazy clinical behaviour.

Open plan
No toilet downstairs
No driveway
No window in the bathroom and/or toilet
Steep steps up or down to the front door
'Modern' grey kitchens or bathrooms

All deal breakers for me.

I agree my husband is a builder and refused to put them in when building our house ( I was a bit peeved with him at 1st ) we have triple sliding doors instead. even on miserable day like today can leave a little gap open to allow air in no flapping etc. he has fixed or replaced a good few bifold doors the past few years.
plus live in Ireland where it rains 90 percent of the year 🤣
they are fab bring in unreal light don't feel cold at all
just a little.bit of a pain to clean especially with three dogs 🙈 but I have found a good and reasonable window cleaner

Judging by the comments, i should be worried that i would struggle to sell my house if i put it on the market. It is early 1900's, semi- detached with shared driveway and a very overlooked garden (although is S facing). I was reluctant to buy this house because of these negative features but am now very happy to live here. The location is great, 5 minutes to lovely shops and cafes and buses, 10 minutes walk to open spaces, woods, river, canal, rail station and 15 mins walk to countryside. The street is so friendly, kids can play out in the road (long cul-de-sac) and people are always willing to help each other.

@GreenCa you think you have problems? What about the rest of - in suburban estate semis with on street parking an no ensuites. We're doomed...

Likewise, nobody is going to buy my house. Because it's in an AONB, it has four large bedrooms but no scope to make them ensuite. The sitting room is 35 feet long and 17 ft wide. So is the kitchen. I have 30+ feet of working counter space.

I’ve got a thatched with only 1 downstairs bathroom, nothing in walking distance, dusty beams, low ceilings, no utility and stairs off the dining room. Doomed I am.

It is for sale but I don’t want to move (divorce) so everything crossed no-one will want it. Alas the agent is convinced otherwise and it’s double the price of a 4 bed, ensuite, utility, double garage in town.

Open plan is fine IF there's another space and IF there's a hallway.

Our house had smaller living spaces than all the others we viewed, but they had no hallways - so furniture had to be arranged around your route through the room.

Really interesting so many people hating townhouses. We live in one, it’s about 2000sqft and not narrow at all, it’s Victorian. Huge rooms, not in the least bit narrow with beautiful features. 100ft garden. Never had noise from neighbours.

We live in London so detached just isn’t an option.

Things I wouldn’t choose:
Anything without character. I don’t like ugly houses or post-Victorian houses with low ceilings
no garden
2 floors only unless big, in London this can feel
poky and cramped

Tiny kitchen would annoy me - I'd have to be able to see a way of knocking a wall down so I could fit in a table. But if I was skint and needed to buy a smaller property I could see past this - bad area is the only thing that would truly stop me - everything else is liveable with.

Anything surrounded by trampolines at the sides and rear. The house next door had young children and the constant boing, boing and necking into our garden with every bounce felt incredibly intrusive. Thankfully, they're teenagers now and the offending article has been removed!

I haven't commented on townhouses but if it's only 2000 square feet with more than two floors, how can the rooms be huge unless there a very small number of them? Surely it must be much bigger than the size you've stated.