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 👵🧓😂

My DF lived in one storey buildings life his whole life and was still going for walks at 89. You are talking rubbish. Surely elderly people's mobility depends more on whether or not they have something like arthritis than whether or not they have stairs. I'm sure it must be great for the health of the elderly when they fall on the stairs.

Rubbish. Its got a lot more to do with your own health rather than having a flight of stairs to go up

My Mum has lived in a bungalow 40 years. She's 78, goes walking twice a week & to a keep fit class & does 10000 steps most days

My friends parents also bought a bungalow 40 years ago. Her 85 year old Dad still plays golf & her Mum does keep fit & walks regularly.

I on the other hand am in my 50s & need a stick to walk due to arthritis so stairs have done me no good

None of our walking & fitness capabilities have been in any way a result of where we've chosen to live

I have worked as a hospital/community physio and having stairs do NOT make your legs stronger. It actually reduces mobility because people become scared of them and therefore go out less or avoid going to the toilet etc. The amount of people who have had extended hospital stays/home by ambulance because they had to be able to do the stairs to get them home safely is a huge problem in the health system.

Single level living at 60s+ is a great way forward to prevent falls and maintain independence. Regular walking and low impact exercise like Tai Chi/Seated classes are the best.

Congratulations! I grew up in a bungalow and wish I could afford one now.

Village
Top of a hill

These are not future proofed at all.

In Australia it is called single level living (not sure if most Aussies would know what a bungalow is) which is very common and desirable. When we moved here I found it a bit strange, especially when the front garden of our first house was not fenced, now I absolutely love it. So convenient at all ages/stages of life. I would never want to live in a house with stairs again.

I’m Australian. I watch the UK home buying type shows and Ibe always been perplexed as to what a ‘bungalow’ is, and why it’s seen as a negative. Here it’s simply a house. Houses can be multilevel or one level -they’re still houses. Easy, convenient - although we’re building more units/apartments as land in bigger cities is squeezed. I don’t think we deteriorate faster than other countries because we’ve lived on one level. Very enlightening discussion!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE our bungalow! It’s very modern with bifolds, Velux and sunpipes. Storage & floorplan works well & the plot is wonderful.

Downsized due to a debilitating degenerative condition and needed better quality of life.

Pro-actively walk a lot to stay as
mobile as I can 😊

Hopefully we’ll do a selfbuild in our later years and that will also be single storey - life is so much easier.

Having a bungalow is on my "future-proof" list. I live in a flat, currently, but I'm used to living on one level. Thankfully it's on the first floor so DD learned to use stairs quickly as a tot.

My oldest friend grew up in a bungalow, and I remember asking her mum as a child where her upstairs was!

But going forward, yes, I'd like to move "back home" and get a bungalow. In the town I'm interested moving to, a two bed tends to have larger bedrooms and a bigger garden so better value than a terrace or ordinary semi. I don't drive, but do cycle, so the knees will still be kept in tip-top condition into old age!

I grew up in a bungalow and loved it. Would love to live in one now...I dream of a cottage style one. Will definitely be downsizing to one as soon as kids have all moved in the future.

I wish my elderly relatives would have moved to bungalows while they were still able to. Now they're in unsuitable houses for their needs and are not able to move.

Your house sounds perfect, enjoy!

I wouldn't choose to grow old at the 'top of a steep hill' in a quaint village. A bungalow elsewhere, yes.

My parents moved into a bungalow a couple of years ago in their late 50s, it’s good to know we won’t have to worry about moving them when they’re elderly (unless they need a care home of course)

My granny moved into a supported living flat when she was 70 and still very active- a lot of the other residents are 80+ so I think she liked being the “young” one and running around doing errands for people!

DH and I are same age as you and our next move will either be to a bungalow or at least a house with one bedroom plus bathroom downstairs. We live in a seaside area so there are loads, but they have a premium so this would be after the kids left home.

We currently live in a 3 storey townhouse so I know we’d have to move at some point in the next 30 years and I’d rather do it while I am younger. Although pp is right the stairs keep you fit, I don’t do enough exercise but I was flying up and down the stairs while the young plumber (boiler on top floor) was struggling.

We have neighbours in their late 70s who moved here about 5 years ago, new to the area. Given the number of bungalows nearby I’m mystified as to why they chose a 2 storey house (without a downstairs bedroom). Since they moved here the lady has broken her leg, had a hip replacement, had a stroke, it would have been so much easier for them in a bungalow!

Bungalow knees are not a thing. Otherwise half of Australia would be fecked.

Although I agree stairs aren’t good for fitness, an older person will often not be running up and down the stairs all day like me, they’ll bring everything down in the morning then go up at night!

I think my mum does far more steps pottering round her bungalow than in her house. In her house she’d go between the living room and kitchen, now she’s bumbling around the whole bigger space. She often does 10,000 steps a day simply from pottering at home and walking to the little shop round the corner (I don’t share my Fitbit data with her anymore!).

We bought a bungalow when we first married over forty years ago, rather than a house.
We still live in the same bungalow and I wouldn't move for anything.
We don't suffer from ' bungalow knees ' as it's known, mainly because we've always been fit and active anyway.
It really came into its own when I had an accident a few years ago, leaving me permanently in a knee brace and using crutches, as I can move round the rooms freely without worrying about how I'm going to get up and down stairs to use the bedroom etc.

@givemeasunnyday , I only found out that it was a widely known ‘thing’ after my parents, in their mid 60s, moved from a house to a bungalow - not because they particularly wanted one, but because it was all they could find in their chosen area.
After about 3 years, though, they decided they didn’t like the area after all and moved again - to a 2 storey house. And found that 3 years with no stairs had certainly affected their general fitness.

I might add that when my DM finally moved to a care home at 89, because of dementia,,she was still well able to manage stairs. Yes, I know she was lucky, but still…

I've lived in a ground floor flat for the last 16 years so there's no hope for me!

Why not dig your graves in the garden now as you seem to be embracing an elderly lifestyle in your 40s. Not for me.

I must admit I wouldn't look for a house with no stairs in my 50s to safeproof my future mobility problems.

I have worked alongside physios and I am keeping as fit and strong as possible. Running up and down my stairs nunerous times a day is an easy win.

We have to be fitter and stronger as we get older.

Well I'm in my mid 60s, have always lived in what you call a bungalow, and my general fitness is fine. As several posters have already pointed out, parts of the world are used to living in single storey dwellings, and are just as fit as anyone else.

Surely there are more ways of keeping fit in the UK than walking up and down the stairs!

If you ever run a marathon you will be pleased you don't have stairs

This thread is hilarious. The idea that you need a set of stairs in your house to keep fit! As if there are no other options in life for exercise, and people who are exceptionally fit are doing it all through multiple trips up to the bedrooms every day

Lived in a bungalow for the last 20 years (home fitted our choice of location, space and garden) and 'bungalow knees' sounds to me like a advertising tag to sell stair lifts. Believe me, with a very large garden, no bungalow knees here or bungalow anything else! You have to move your backside wherever you live, at whatever age, and being in a home on one level does not make you inactive, that's the person, not the dwelling. 61 and still working, mobile, regular weekly gym sessions and weight training and I feel we all need to focus on full body strength, not just knees and stairs only work is you use them regularly.

Of course there are other ways, but for a lot of people who aren’t in the habit of going to a gym or doing any other strenuous exercise, stairs are evidently a help.

You sound like my in laws who have been “old” ever since I met them despite them being in their 50s then. They just accept they’re old without doing anything to try prevent that aging. But they’re not exactly old yet and I find it so odd!

My parents on the other hand have just bought a four bed detached property with lovely garden and are living life to the full. Their take on old age is you can prevent it to an extent they exercise everyday, they’re each learning a language, they’ve revamped their diets and don’t let their age prevent them doing things.

It’s such a contrast to my in laws who the other day met us in the town we live in in a coffee shop but rather than walk the 8 minutes into town with us they paid for parking in the centre…

His mum was also shocked once because she found out I walked 30 minutes to work everyday…

To clarify they aren’t exactly old yet, particularly MIL but she seems to have decided she is and I find it so bizarre as she really isn’t and one of the most important things to do at her age is keep moving! It’s once you stop moving things get worse.

Id say living in a bungalow at your age is fine but don’t just accept old age and kinda quit life already. This is what my MIL is doing and I find it so odd and a bit sad when actually she can still do things and enjoy herself but she chooses not to because she is so convinced she is old.