Chalet bungalow or house

[vik2017]

Hi, my first post here and need urgent help to decide if I should buy chalet bungalow or not.
I live in Basingstoke and I quite liked one chalet bungalow which needs modernisation and I am also planning to have some extension done hence, will be spending quite of money. I am in late 30s so wondering if it is ok for me to buy because they generally tagged for old people.
Another concern, will I be able to sell it with no problem in few years, not that I want to but just in case.
Property link is here www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-75221734.html
I will really appreciate if you can please suggest anything that can help in my decision. Also, if anyone has any innovative modernisation ideas that would be fab

Viki

I'm a bit younger than you and love bungalows. Wouldn't hesitate to buy one. This one clearly needs modernisation but is also sold STC?

@vik2017

There is a shortage of suitable properties that are all liveable on one level, so yeah that would definitely sell imo. Like you said, there is already a market for older people looking for bungalows and chalets - and there's a shortage too.

@Dinosauraddict, offer accepted but I am bit confused so, thought to check before completion

@Dinosauraddict thanks, only concern is would I be able to get my investment back (as would be investing quite a lot). Could have been nice if had found someone to suggest the ideas (obviously happy to pay)...

Congratulations that looks lovely. It seems in reasonably liveable condition and I would not do a thing for a while.

You will then have an idea if you wish to extend or just rejig the internal layout.

Once you have some ideas of what changes need to be made then get a good architect as they will suggest plans that incorporate your requirements.

@fairislecable thanks, I have three things in my mind!

1. Extend at rear
2. Change layout a little to have open plan kitchen
3. Try to add some space upstairs to have additional bath

Just trying to plan things at the moment to avoid any redoing

Mid-thirties and bought a chalet bungalow last year. Love it! Flexible layout, detached, nice sized plot etc etc.
The one you’ve found looks great too. Bags of potential. Do it!

@Acornacorn thanks , I hope modifications I am planning will workout nicely! I do not want to rush rather do it properly...

I would extend out the back, open up the kitchen, and have a patio seating area put in the garden.

Have a look at the council planning sites for other chalet bungalows near your and see what has been approved. Also go back through Rightmove for other chalet bungalows looking at layout and floor plans to see what you do and don’t like.

Personally I think there is enough ground floor space (all it needs is some walls moving to create a better flow and moving some of the rooms around) but it would benefit from a couple of dormers creating more rooms upstairs.

@Toilenstripes great idea! One in my to do list

@sherl0ck thanks, I have already appointed one planning consultant and an architect to give me some ideas. Once I know what I can do/extend outside then will get some interior people to do their magic!

I've got one and love it. bought it with 2 bedrooms, living room and dining kitchen, plus loo, downstairs and 2 beds plus bathroom upstairs. Changed smallest downstairs room to laundry room (was really boxroom size). now kids have left home am using biggest bedroom upstairs & one downstairs as bedrooms and smaller room upstairs as study/exercise room (got the rower in it). May reconfigure it and have big bedroom downstairs as guest/study/exercise and use the smaller one upstairs as double guestroom. I like the fact that it's much easier to change the use of rooms. If I get older and have mobility issues I'll change laundry room for a shower room (has all plumbing) and keep upstairs rooms for guests, and just use the downstairs bedroom.

Downsides - if you need all the bedrooms, some people don't like being on different floor to kids, and I didn't use the downstairs one for kids until she was 16. Upstairs rooms have lots of sloping ceilings, which feel lovely but means you have to be creative with furniture. Stairs can be 'tight' which means only flatpacked furniture (or take the windows out)

@HidingFromDD thanks, I personally liked the property but was bit sceptical hence, thought to get some insight from people already own one. I am quite pleased I am not only the one who likes chalet bungalow

i am moving and looking at bungalows too (with two small children). its beautiful !

We are wanting to downsize, we are looking for a bungalow, more expensive than houses, they are in demand, so should hold value well.

I grew up in a bungalow and my parents still live there. We looked at several on our house hunt. Layout is key....and the layout in that one isn’t great. Ideally try to have the bedrooms in one half of the house together with the bathroom and the living area in another. I note on the floor plan of that house that from the front door you walk past all the bedrooms and the bathroom before getting to the living space. There is nothing worse than the smell of poo floating out of the bathroom as you bring guests down the hallway to get to the living space!

@Waitingandwaitingandwaiting very good point. I will definitely be sorting out the layout and will keep this in my head

@Rightmovenewbie, Roselilly36 good to hear that...

I lived in a chalet bungalow, 4 beds with one upstairs and we eventually extended right through across the rest of the attic. Enough space for 2 bedrooms then, but it would have meant accessing one through the other.
In our road it was indeed full of elderly people, we had young children and wanted to avoid the estate type feel. They usually have large gardens which mine certainly did.
Yes, they are in demand, but mainly to older people who wish to downsize, that is certainly what I noticed when any of the properties went on sale and over the years they will with some frequency.
For this reason I feel from a financial point of view it is best not to over extend as the majority of older residents were not looking for larger properties.
The same could be said about large gardens unless they could afford a gardener regularly.

@crimsonlake thanks, it is really confusing therefore, I am quite cautious about how much and what should be extended rather than giving it a full extension blow...

I really wouldn't have an open plan kitchen, the trend has peaked. Older people tend to not like them.

Bungalows are expensive as they usually have a large footprint, and people want them. They don't get built because the cost a lot in comparison to a regular house.

Your best bet is to live in it for a year or two until you know what you want to do with it.

My home city has a tonne of bungalows. They are very desirable.

The layout in that one is pretty odd though - I think it has too many bedrooms for the living space - but there is obviously lots of potential.

There also isn't a bathroom upstairs which would be a massive pain - can this be changed?

If my memory serves me well I would say 8 out of 10 people when I was selling were older couples looking to downsize and wanted a bungalow. They were not interested in having a bedroom upstairs, as in most cases stairs were the very thing they wanted to avoid later in life.
However as I used to point out it would be very useful as a guest bedroom for family.
There is usually a ceiling price on properties in the street, look at what past properties have sold for, you also get to have a look at their interiors. I know all the bungalows in my road all had a different layout.
Ours where 7yrs or 8 yrs old when we moved in and one of them did sleep upstairs when we moved in as the room was bigger than the bedroom on offer downstairs. I would have been happier if we were all sleeping on the same floor.
A few years later we knocked through upstairs right across the attic and put in an en suite. I always felt I was sleeping to far away from them. Good luck.

It looks like a good price.
My suggestions are based on whether you might decide that it's not for you, in which case take your time before doing anything, and, if you do decide to extend, you will know what will work for you.

@MikeUniformMike thanks, it all depends upon who would be my target buyers (only if I sell). Either can target older people and do not do any mega changes (but definitely need to put it back to life) or convert it into a house, as you would have seen on the road. Most of the big houses were bungalows and later converted into big houses.
@opinionatedfreak thanks, I am in touch with a planning consultant and architect to find out if we can easily add some space upstairs for a bathroom. May need to move the stairs though
@crimsonlake thanks, average price there is around 600k. There is another bungalow (very similar) on sale for £625k and houses around £700-£800 so, it quite varies and as you mentioned, I do not want to overkill it therefore, I am giving my thoughts some time to absorb all the information. Then it will be much easier for me to decide should I just rejig and refurb or better convert it into a house (obviously, STPP )

So far, I am quite delighted to see positive responses and are in better state of mind than I was week before. To be honest, there are tonnes of things are going through my head at this time and hopefully, will decide soon the improvements to make...