Picturesque areas for a detached bungalow under 450k

[DaringDreamer]

Hi there,

My husband and I are looking to buy a detached bungalow with an easy commute into City Thameslink in under one hour. Our budget is 400-450k (500k at a push).

The property must be detached, 2/3 bed, with potential to extend, safe area, good schools, walkable to a station and under 1-hour commute into central London. Ideally we'd love to live somewhere picturesque near the sea / river / park / forest and with nearby shops. We'd love to have a beautiful view from our property too, but that's less important in the grand scheme of things. We're open to moving outside London for the right spot, though not too far out as we don't have family to help with pick up / drop off from nursery.

Our future goal is to build up and split the property into flats, subject to planning consent so detached / a sizeable plot is important. We're young and very sociable so in the meantime we will have a need for frequent London commutes.

Please let me know what areas you think could be suitable?

Some that have been suggested to us are Bexley, Bexleyheath, Bromley, Orpington, Maidenhead, Twyford, Taplow, Crawley, Brighton & Hove. Are there any beautiful areas that we're potentially missing? For context we're both white British, currently living in Greenwich, previously lived in Kensington and Hampstead, though maritime Greenwich is our absolute favourite place because of the quick commute, river + park, and how family friendly it is.

Also, bungalows typically do not have sufficient foundations to support an upwards extension (second floor). It's a really unrealistic and naive plan on many levels, even if you could find a property that met your criteria.

If you are looking at Brighton & Hove, there is an area near the South Downs (Mile Oak) where there are lots of bungalows that tend to be a lot cheaper than the rest of Hove, or you could go west a few miles to Lancing or east of Brighton to Woodingdean, where I think you might get something in that price range. All of these areas have the downs to the north and the sea to the south, so the views can be great, especially in Woodingdean. For commuting, the areas to the west of Hove are all well served by trains and the journey isn't that much longer (plus you are more likely to get a seat!).

I wish you luck, but I have to admit it breaks my heart when bungalows get turned into houses. They are in short enough supply as it is.

Thanks very much, this is exactly the type of info that is super helpful. We'll be adding these areas to our list to check out for sure. Something sloped / on a hill could end up being a perfect solution in terms of not obstructing others' views and also as most of these properties end up having stairs so aren't suitable for people with significant accessibility requirements anyway.

Just a thought, if the other bungalows on the street haven’t been extended upwards, except maybe into the roof, then it’s unlikely you’ll be able to. There’ll be some sort of planning restriction. An end or corner plot, with maybe more land, may have more potential.

Neighbours will come down on you hard lobbying hard with councillors, writing letters, epistles. Ask Jeremy Clarkson 😂

Good point, different specifications on bungalows.

Commute time will def be over an hour though from anywhere near there

Of course she will. I'm in a London borough and there are bungalows for that price near me. Not ones you'd be able to build up and turn into flats though!

This bungalow - under budget - is one minute away from ancient woodland, a short walk from an outstanding primary school, ten minutes drive from the sea (Whitstable) and a brisk walk (25min) to the high speed train to London St Pancras (56 min). The village shop is a couple of minutes walk away, there are regular buses to secondary schools and shops in Canterbury: http://www2.housescape.org.uk/cgi-bin/mobilefull.pl?&goc1&&GOC1002367&&&redirected

I don't think I could face the barrage of banter involved in moving to a place called Rough Common. Imagine joining the local clubs and societies. Rough Common WI anyone?