Moved to a Bungalow early!

[WinterVibes]

We are a couple late 40's early 50s. We've taken the plunge and moved to a lovely bungalow in a quaint village with beautiful views. We are still close to a lovely vibrant market town and have 2 lovely country pubs within a 2 minute walk.
Bungalows seem so sought after and hard to come by (and mostly overpriced due to this fact, especially in good area's). We decided to take the plunge now, rather than wait until we are a lot older. I've witnessed so many older family members struggling to afford one but now have health/mobility issues etc. and would be much better off on one level. My elderly Mum is terrible on her feet and I really wish her and my Dad had moved to a bungalow years ago, but she feels too old to uproot now which I understand, plus the area's she would prefer are out of her reach price wise now.

This will be our forever home and we've done quite a lot of renovating to put our own stamp on it, its all open plan living and kitchen with a lovely log burner so even heating will be cost effective as only one main room - I feel like we are ahead of the game now rather than having to face the transition when we are old and it's much harder for us. It's great for us now, but equally I could happily see us here when we are old and frail - if we are lucky enough to reach old age 🙏

Do you think we are bonkers?
Over-Planning?
Has anyone else done this to be ahead of things and future proof?
Bungalow chat a-hoy 👵🧓😂

It’s not an age thing. I’m obsessed with bungalows as I grew up in one (abroad). If they weren’t so hard to come by, I’d get one.

Last child is now in secondary and we don’t need to worry about catchment so I’m actively perusing Rightmove looking for my dream bungalow 🤞

It was an absolute god send when I broke my ankle last year! Also handy for bedroom to kitchen ratio when you haven't got any energy to go up and downstairs for a drink/toast!

So how's that setting yourself up for the future? You need to be somewhere you can get out and about for a little walk.

This was exactly 100% my thought. Loads of people live without stairs obviously but it will impact on your daily leg exercise unless you compensate.

Enjoy your new home.

Thank you @WinterVibes
I am ridiculously paranoid about things like this🙄

Sounds idyllic to me 😊 It's my dream to have a little bungalow by the sea when I retire.

Sounds good to me. We live in a ground floor flat and I appreciate it every time we go to my son's four storey house. I love that the bathroom is on the same level, so no need to climb up stairs every time we want the loo. Enjoy your new home.

It's flat once you reach the village 😊 but I doubt I'd be walking up it at 90. If I can still drive we have a nice town close by, if not, I'll just have to wander around the village like a mad old bat 🤣

We’d like a dormer bungalow, with a bedroom and en-suite upstairs and a bathroom downstairs if we started to struggle with stairs.

I can’t see me wanting to keep maintaining and cleaning all the rooms in our house for too much longer.

It's a flat village once you reach it. I think I'd be hard pressed to find a bungalow with absolutely no hills around it, unless I moved to the Norfolk broads 🤷‍♀️

Just watch out for Bungalow Knees - they’re definitely a Thing.

We stayed with friends just outside London recently, they have a 3 storey house with a toddler and she's 🤰. Seemed a lot of running up and down stairs going on. Great for health, but was grateful to get back to my little bungalow!

We are the same age as you and have a five year old and the idea of preparing for old age feels like a lifetime away.

let hope We get some respite after teenage years to make these plans.

I love a bungalow!!!! We live in our house like a bungalow as it also has downstairs bedrooms. Our daughter prefers sleeping downstairs so she can hear people as she goes to bed.

I wish I had sea views! That would be my dream too! We have rolling fields so I do feel lucky in that respect and I never take it for granted, ever. I imagine myself on the patio in my rocking chair when I'm 90 😂

I never used to lie in bed and read/watch TV in our old home, but I find it quite comforting doing it now as I can hear my DH pottering about in the next room. It doesn't quite feel like I've 'gone to bed', so I can understand why your daughter would like this!

YABU to think you need to be old to live in a bungalow.

I love a bungalow! Stair lifts are all very well but they don’t fit in every house.

And from what’s I’ve seen it’s a case of “oh I’ll get round to it when I’m geriatric” and then, oops, broken hip/broken shoulder/knee replacement and the stair lift isn’t there when you need it.

My Nan was stuck in a third floor flat with no lift for a decade, and finally made a transfer into a little house … but with no downstairs bathroom. She was completely housebound and stuck with a commode for an interminably long time, no help from social services. No stair lift as there wasn’t space to fit it. My poor mum cared for her, it was a terrible drain on my mum.

So I say: enjoy your bungalow, you made a wise, sensible, wonderful choice.

Sorry, I didn't mean that. I just think a lot of people think of elderly people when they think of bungalows. I've always loved them, but obviously the plus side is it will be great when we are older too 😊

But how will you get to the village if you need to walk up a steep hill to get there! Anyway, your bungalow sounds lovely, I used to love visiting my grandparents various bungalows over the years.

Definitely a good idea. My parents moved to a bungalow in 2012 when they were both in their 50s and my in laws (73 & 69) are now building their own storey and a half. They will have 3 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, 1 bedroom with en-suite downstairs and a separate toilet downstairs for guests.

My family lived in a bungalow when I was little-the previous owners had a bar in the living room and were party animals. They’re not just for older people. 🤣

Ah thankyou ☺️
My 30s to my 40s have gone in a disturbing flash! I just think it makes you realise how time creeps up. I'm not wishing my life away at all, I'm enjoying every second I'm blessed with, but DH and I have both witnessed similar to you, so we are trying to be ahead of the game. Living through the renovation was hideous now, I definitely wouldn't have wanted to do that in later years! 😩

Dormer bungalow here. Bloody love it! Beds and en-suite upstairs but space for beds and an existing bathroom down stairs. Sea views. Thriving little village. Sun rise at the back of the house and sunset at the front.

The location is perfect and even though I hope to live for many decades to come I never want to move again. Hopefully this home is future proof.

The downside is that it gets unbearably hot during heatwaves. We have insulated to the max but it doesn’t help. If I could solve that problem it would be perfect.

Dc1 is 18 and talks about buying themselves a bungalow!

It needs a garage for all of their sports kit!

Sounds lovely OP. My mum (very fit 80) refused to move to one because she didn't want "bungalow legs" like a lot of her friends. I had never heard that expression before - but it appears to be a thing (according to Google). You might have to invest in a stairmaster 🤣