To Ask Why People Buy Bungalows ....

[Speakuptomakeyourselfheard]

only to build up into the roof, making it nigh on impossible to buy a single storey building for those of us that are disabled and struggle with stairs. You see it so often, a nice little bungalow goes on the market and within a few months the builders are in lifting the roof off, or building into it. If you want a house, then buy a bloody house, and leave the bungalows for those that need them, and no, stair lifts are NOT the answer!

Friends of mine wanted to knock their house down and build a bungalow but couldn't get planning permission. But due to a loophole then available, they removed the top floor of the house without needing planning permission.

Around here families buy bungalows because they've been lived in for years by the same person/people who are very old by the time they vacate so the property is relatively cheap as in desperate need of modernisation. I guess if you've got to rip out bathroom, kitchen, rewire and new heating then you may as well redesign the interior at the same time by putting an extension on/going into the roof.

My parents bought a bungalow in 1964 - the year I was born. I had 2 older siblings. The bungalow was built with a steep staircase and 1 bedroom in the loft. All the bungalows in our row were lived in by young families and as the children grew, each household added an extra bedroom upstairs . I believe it was called a chalet bungalow. You could live entirely downstairs (bathroom was downstairs ). My DM who was not in good health lived there until she died aged 87 although I don't think she'd been upstairs for around 15 years!

We live in a house and had a disabled daughter (sadly no longer with us). As she grew we looked at moving to a bungalow. They were building some in our village at the time - but they were on quite a steep hill, so not ideal for pushing a heavy wheelchair up and down. In the end we extended our house and put a through floor wheelchair lift in so we could remain in our house. It was cheaper than moving to a bungalow. A housing association built 20 houses across the road from us. They billed them as 'lifetime' homes and although they have stairs, they in built the structure to enable the fitting of a through floor lift should anyone need it in the future (joists have to be configured in a certain way to allow a hole to be cut through for a lift to travel through). As far as I know no-one has had one installed yet - although I think someone has had a stair lift. Through floor lift design has improved massively over the years and can look quite a feature rather than something cumbersome and clonky. So maybe the answer is to design more houses to take a lift rather than restrict bungalows to only disabled/elderly people.

[quote SheikhLaBootie]@RedToothBrush absolutely. Even if OP is expressing it like a churlish teenager I did appreciate the difficulty of not being able to find what she needs on the property market. BUT once I read it’s because stair lifts don’t look nice my sympathy vanished in a puff of smoke. There are countless ways you could make it less intrusive.

Bunalows are great but in a time of enormous housing shortage they are an absolute luxury. If we’re not allowed to convert bungalows to house more people then we’re going to end up eating into the green belt or more and more blocks of flats. And all because stairlifts don’t look nice - doesn’t seem like other posters are the only entitled ones here… [/quote]
have you lived with a stairlift? what are these countless ways?

So maybe the answer is to design more houses to take a lift rather than restrict bungalows to only disabled/elderly people.

When I was at school, the step dad of my best friend had a stroke.

She lived in a very small 2 bed cottage built in the early 1800s. It was completely unsuitable for a stairlift as they had open plan bending stairs in the middle of the lounge.

They could however manage to put in a lift.

I suspect its possible to put a lift into rather more properties than people think, but there isn't much thought given to it because its not commonly done and most don't have the knowledge of how it can be done. I suspect that its not really a case of designing houses thats the main issue for that reason. I think more houses will already accommodate them than is given credit for.

I’m able bodied and live in a bungalow. I can understand the OP’s frustration, but the unreasonable, nasty nature of their posts has left me with no sympathy.

A change of the rules? Don’t be daft. It’s a free market and people can buy what they want/can afford.

I wouldn’t extend my bungalow or add another floor, but I fully intend to buy another bungalow when I move.

@BadgeronaMoped

Around here, they have a good footprint + decent sized gardens, oh, and they're cheaper, so I can sort of see why people do it. Do new housing developments include bungalows? I never seem to see any new ones, perhaps they hide them in the centre.

They are cheaper where you are? That's annoying, here they are a lot more expensive than a house of the same size.

Don't forget that some people buy a bungalow for the long-term - they might be fully mobile at the time of purchase but they're thinking ahead and buying a house they can stay in when they might be less mobile in old age.

@Tarne
"No elderly or disabled person would want our bungalow because it has 5 acres of land with it! It is perfect for a growing family as we can build a second floor so have enough room for a bedroom for each of the children, a guest room and granny annexe too.

My GP thinks it’s a bad idea for elderly to move into bungalows as it stops them getting the exercise they need to keep strong and healthy. There is such thing as bungalow knees which hastens their decline."

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER
"Your GP has a point.
My folks moved to a bungalow when they were only in their mid 60s - not because they particularly wanted a bungalow (they were still perfectly mobile) but because it was all they could find in their chosen area.

Roll on 3 years, though, and they decided they didn’t like the area after all, and moved again - to a house. And then found how the lack of stairs for 3 years had seriously affected their fitness.
It eventually improved, of course, and my DM was still well able to manage stairs when she moved to a care home at 89, because of dementia."

As a retired Community Rehab Occupational Therapist, I can say that that GP is talking through his sphincter. I can't comment in individual cases but its my experience that it takes more than removing the use of indoor stairs from a person's lifestyle to affect their fitness, both muscles strength, cardiac fitness and joint ROM.

My mum and her partner bought a converted bungalow, as he has reduced mobility and struggles with stairs. Obviously somebody else had done the remodelling already so they didn't have to, but bungalows with an additional storey are still suitable for people with disabilities so why shouldn't they be converted? With the bathroom and their bedroom on the ground floor, they mainly live downstairs but my mum has the option of keeping her hobby things up in the spare bedroom while still accommodating visitors. What's wrong with that?

Their bungalow has a smaller garden which is currently fine for them to manage. A lot of older bungalows have much larger plots which aren't suitable for those who either struggle with gardening maintenance or the funds to employ somebody to do it. It's better to have a young family in who can both enjoy the space and manage the upkeep than have a garden overrun through neglect and not get used the same. Why should it be kept especially for elderly/disabled people?

In our area there are roads with rows of bungalows specifically aimed at the less able and elderly, they have smaller manageable plots and are on handy bus routes "into town" for the doctors, library, leisure centre, etc. If I couldn't manage to stay in our two storey house any more I would consider something like that. I don't foresee having helpful family close by to assist me all the time, so would need to be located somewhere convenient for amenities instead.

I agree that building new houses that can be adapted easily is the direction we need to be going, really.

As a retired Community Rehab Occupational Therapist, I can say that that GP is talking through his sphincter. I can't comment in individual cases but its my experience that it takes more than removing the use of indoor stairs from a person's lifestyle to affect their fitness, both muscles strength, cardiac fitness and joint ROM.“

My husband was taken into A&E with suspected heart attack a couple of years ago and one of the things the consultant asked me was did we live in a bungalow. Don’t imagine he was talking out of his sphincter. 🤷‍♀️

Sorry, @godmum56 - I can only go by my folks’ experience.

The fact that their former ease with stairs did eventually return after a few months back in a house, would seem to bear them out.

I’m not sure how common it is that anyone of that sort of age moves from stairless, back to stairs - I’d guess that downsizing from two storey to single storey isn’t very often reversed.

@Speakuptomakeyourselfheard

Arblemarch, yes, it is possible to live downstairs, but would you want to pay more for half a house that you can't use? A lot of younger people complain that there isn't enough housing stock, but if there were more bungalows for the elderly and disabled to live in, it would free up larger homes for families. Plus, I don't want to sleep in my living room, I want a living room, a dining room, and two bedrooms on the ground floor, how many houses can provide that, unless they're mega expensive?

How does not converting bungalows free up space? People would just be squashed into them as it doesn’t create new two storey houses for the families. That’s not at all the solution. This definition of a house as more than one storey is new to me!

It’s because the property market is messed up.

Round here, a bungalow costs about £300k, a loft conversion £30-70k, and a 3/4 bed semi-detached family house £600-900k. So bungalow + loft conversion is a way to own a family house for people who otherwise can’t afford one. No one actually wants to have the hassle of a loft conversion, I’m sure they’d much rather buy a family house, but prices are insane and salaries haven’t risen to match. People aren’t doing it in purpose to annoy you, they’re trying to own a family home!

Also round here developers are buying up all the bungalows, demolishing them and replacing them with two tall ‘townhouses’ with virtually no garden. They make massive profit on this.

We are an able bodied family. Self-built our bungalow in our early 30s. We were tied by planning ridge height as we are on a hill, and i plan to live here all my life so wanted it future proofed. We probably will convert the loft at some point but not into bedrooms, just a games area for DC.

I had to carry my 20 year old cat up and down the stairs for the last few years of her life. She would sit there and yell until zi fetched her up or down. I seriously considered getting her a cat lift

@MrsSkylerWhite

As a retired Community Rehab Occupational Therapist, I can say that that GP is talking through his sphincter. I can't comment in individual cases but its my experience that it takes more than removing the use of indoor stairs from a person's lifestyle to affect their fitness, both muscles strength, cardiac fitness and joint ROM.“

My husband was taken into A&E with suspected heart attack a couple of years ago and one of the things the consultant asked me was did we live in a bungalow. Don’t imagine he was talking out of his sphincter. 🤷‍♀️

oh consultants can....and do!

BUT once I read it’s because stair lifts don’t look nice my sympathy vanished in a puff of smoke.
Yep. I’ve got fond memories of my grandparents’ stairlift. But there are countless things that don’t look nice that lots of us have had to have in our homes at some point: stairlifts, hoists, hospital beds, shower supports, loo frames. All more sensible solutions than “ringfence certain styles of property for the OP”.

The property market is absolutely fucked and I don’t see it ever improving, houses are getting more and more out of reach for lots of people. Certainly family-sized aesthetically delightful houses in good nick for a reasonable price are non-existent. Families compromise by buying a bungalow and converting the loft. The OP can compromise by suffering the aesthetics of a stairlift, , or moving to an area where bungalows are cheap, or buying a ground-floor flat, or not using the upstairs. There are more options available to her than to lots of people.

I'm trying to sell my bungalow to get a house lol no one wants to buy it

@Warsawa31 well ffs dont sell it to anyone without a mobility disability or you are part of the problem!

@Titsywoo

We bought a bungalow and added a loft conversion. It was the only house we could find in the area in our budget with room to extend. We do still have the main bedroom (mine and DHs) downstairs in it's own mini annex (has it's own hallway and bathroom - not ensuite) and we have hugely extended the kitchen and lounge and main hallway so it is actually far more accessible now (it was all narrow corridors and small rooms before). The teens are upstairs - 2 bedrooms and a shower room. Personally I think the house is far better than it was even if a disabled person buys it after us.

Your house sounds bloody amazing. That must work perfectly for everyone!

Speakuptomakeyourselfheard

Bored now!

Whoa, wait, wait, everybody! We can all stop thinking about this. The OP is bored. Thank you, but no point going on with it. The OP isn't hearing what was required and is bored. I mean, now.

Please remember to take all your personal belongings as you leave the thread.

@godmum56 - no I haven't, thankfully my family haven't needed one, as yet. If they did, I don't suppose they'd be ranting about the lack of bungalows on the market/selfishness of people buying and converting them rather than take the aesthetic hit of a stair lift.

I would imagine, closing off the stairs instead of having open staircase or bannisters you can see between. If possible having some sort of screening around the bottom of the stairs (although I appreciate in many houses this wouldn't be possible. In several houses I can think of you could actually close off the bottom of the stairs with a doorway - (I've seen this in several terraced houses) - it could be carefully designed with a wheelchair user in mind. Those are just off the top of my head, with time and experience I'm sure there are other solutions people cleverer that me could come up with.

I totally agree with you OP - if people want a house they should buy a house.

It's one thing if you buy a wreck of a bungalow on a plot in the countryside; but there is no need to buy a bungalow in a town with a plethora of houses to choose from and then build a new storey on top of it. I would like to see it outlawed by planning laws. Bungalows are difficult to come by and expensive, they are not built anymore, so it should not be permitted to convert them to houses. Dormer windows and the like are not so bad, it's when people take the roof off and build a new floor that it annoys me.

@Warsawa31

I'm trying to sell my bungalow to get a house lol no one wants to buy it

Bungalows usually sell really quickly so what's wrong with it? Main road? No parking? Pain in the neck neighbours?

OP you are angry with the wrong people.

Put your energy into campaigning with the housing minister to make reforms to planning laws rather than criticising individuals who are, very reasonably and lawfully, purchasing and improving homes for themselves.