To want a bungalow all on one floor and not two floors?

[littlemissmoomoo]

DH has MS. He is wheelchair bound and sleeps downstairs in our dining room. I sleep upstairs purely so I'm close to the children. We have 6 kids ages 15, 13, 9, 7, 2 and newborn (5 days!)

We are looking for a bungalow. It needs to have (at least) 4 bedrooms.
Almost every 4 bedroom bungalow is a dorma and 1 or 2 bedrooms are upstairs. DH thinks this is fine, the older kids can be upstairs and the younger ones down with us.

However I want us to be all on one floor so DH can get into every room, even the older kids bedrooms.

DH thinks I'm being ridiculous, he says he doesn't need to be able to go in every room as long as he can get to what he needs.

My argument to that is what's the point in us moving house then and just stay as we are to which DH replies but he can't get upstairs to the younger kids rooms.

Who do you think is right? If we are going to go through the nightmare of moving, surely it should be to a bungalow all on one floor?

I think you’ll really struggle to find a four bedroom (or bigger) bungalow without it being a dormer. Bungalows are usually two or three beds and the ones with four are ones that have been extended into the loft space.

I think if it’s a suitable bungalow otherwise, I’d go for it. I don’t see why your DH would need to access your older DC’s bedrooms or why that would be a dealbreaker potentially for you. I suppose it’s just important that you explain to your DC that while it’s ok for them to have their own time in their rooms, they should also spend time downstairs with their dad due to the situation and hopefully they’d take that on board!

If you are moving to accommodate your DHs needs then it's probably wise to listen to him when he tells you what his needs are🤷‍♀️

Have you considered a through floor lift? It may be cheaper to install one of those than find a 4 bed bungalow all on the same level.

I think you'll struggle without a dormer. Your dh is right that he doesn't need to get upstairs. Listen to him.

Have you thought of the possibility of installing a lift? Might expand your search for a suitable house for you all.

Think what that floorplan would need to look like though. 4 bedrooms all with windows, livingroom and kitchen, bathrooms; more windows.

I just think physically it will be hard to find (without self building) the exact configuration you need.

Your DH compromise is reasonable. Is there any way he can be lifted upstairs from time to time, assuming you're not getting a chairlift?

If these properties don't exist (4 beds on one floor) then you need to work with what is available.

Bungalows usually come on large plots so you could buy a 2/3 bed and extend into the gardens, or just go for a 4 bed with loft and put the teenagers upstairs. If your DH is fine with it then it would be the easiest course of action.

You might struggle with that many rooms on one level. Most bungalows with 3+ bedrooms are that way because they've been converted. I honestly wouldn't worry about being on more than 1 floor if DH is ok with it. We live in a 3 bed bungalow with me and DH upstairs in the conversation and baby DD underneath in the nursery. We have a house alarm and video monitor. I thought I would hate it and feel too far away from her but we leave our bedroom door open so I can see the landing and hear everything downstairs. It works fine. The upstairs would work great for older kids to have their own space to.

Op, my DD lives in a 4 bed bungalow. It is a dorma. But only 1 bedroom is upstairs. It's huge and has an ensuite.

I understand what you're saying entirely. Potentially your partner will be living in a home he's never seen half of. Stuff like that matters.......in your situation I'd go for a dorma but have the upstairs room as yours with either a through floor lift or a stair lift and a.second chair upstairs. It will be far cheaper than an entire ground floor bungalow.

We have 4 bedrooms on one floor, no upstairs, was once 2 cottages and knocked into one. So they do exist but possibly rare. Good luck with looking but you may have to compromise.

Why does he need to get into the older dcs bedrooms?

I think he is right.

Sorry but unless you self build then I suspect you are looking for something that doesn't exist in the UK.

If only the older DC bedroom are upstairs that would be fine surely? They can come down stairs to see their dad and it's not like he will be doing bed and bath like the younger ones?

There are four bedroom bungalows out there without dormers (I used to live in one), but I suspect they are few and far between. Depends on the area of the country, some areas have a lot more bungalows than others so there will be more choice.

My ILs had the same issue. In the end they got an extended bungalow with 2 bedrooms downstairs, two up, just because that was all that they could find in an area they liked, and they were looking across five counties!

Fitting a platform stairlift or through lift might be an easier option.

On my parents street it is all bungalows and only a couple have had dorma extensions. They all started as 3 beds but most people have converted one garage (they had doubles) over the years so they are now 4/5 bed depending if you want a study or not. So they do exist, but given how fast they sell when they come up for sale, they are rare.

I just went on rightmove for my area and unless I'm reading the plans wrong I was surprised to find 5/6 that fitted your needs OP... perhaps you've just hit the market at the wrong time?

Are you in need of a move quickly? If you've not done so I'd talk to estate agents to get a sense of how frequently these properties come to market and ask them to alert you as soon as one is available - before they place on website etc?

I suspect it depends on where you want to buy in. Clearly you need to stay near where your eldest is at school as they are in their GCSE's year.

I searched within a 20 mile radius of where I am, 228 hits.

Where are you OP?

You can get 4 bed bungalows but they might not be huge, which could then cause an issue with turning circles. You probably need to look at as many options as possible, but you have a large family and a wheelchair user, I am not sure a bungalow will necessarily give the space you need.

I can really understand the desire to be able to get into the bedrooms of the younger ones, putting to bed and bedtime stories are really important, I can also understand why he isn't bothered if he can't get into the dark, smelly pits that teenagers occupy.

Good luck with your search, if you are in the UK have you explored the option of a DFG?

Just had a look on rightmove near me and although quite a few are dormer, I've found a one 5 bed on one floor (L shaped) and a 4 bed with one massive room as well. Obviously depends where you are though and there might be other things to make them unsuitable.

If DH is ok with it, follow what he suggests. Easy enough for him to video call the older kids and see their bedrooms.