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Original poster

Would you buy a bungalow with young children?

107 replies

hummingbird12 · 04/09/2024 08:52

Just that really!
We're going to look at a bungalow this evening. It's in the area we're desperate to live in. 2 minute walk to our DC's current primary school.

The location is lovely. Great primary and secondary school options. Houses in the area don't come up often and usually out of budget. The bungalow has a great garden and is down a quiet little lane which we love.

We are currently in a 3 bed semi, small garden (although a good size house) with on street parking 10 minute drive from school.

The bungalow is only a two bed but the plan would be to get rid of of the conservatory and do a brick built extension for an open plan kitchen/living/dining area and then turn the current kitchen into a 3rd bedroom.
Will include a floor plan.

Just wanted to further opinions before we go to the viewing ☺️

Would you buy a bungalow with young children?
OP posts:
LindaDawn · 04/09/2024 08:57

Bungalows work really well for families I feel. Bedrooms are nearby so can double up as playrooms/storage for toys. Very excited for you.

MrsSkylerWhite · 04/09/2024 08:59

Absolutely. Husband’s aunt lived in a bungalow and we stayed for a couple of weeks during house renovations. Kids loved it.

senua · 04/09/2024 08:59

The kitchen, utility, shower room and en-suite are all top left; you want to put in a kitchen on the extreme right. What is that going to cost in terms of installing new water supply and drainage, in addition to the usual costs?

Carouselfish · 04/09/2024 09:01

Yes but the combo of down a lane and bungalow would have me checking in great detail for damp and mould.

selly90 · 04/09/2024 09:02

We live in a bungalow with young children. It's great!

TheFormidableMrsC · 04/09/2024 09:04

I lived in a massive bungalow up until I was around 8 years old. It was great! I would buy one again if they weren't so expensive!

YeahComeOnThen · 04/09/2024 09:09

id happily live in a bungalow with kids. But I used to live overseas where most houses were on one level.

I'd only buy that bungalow if I was prepared to put a decent amount of money into rejigging the whole floor plan. none of it makes any sense!

id also check out I could put plumbing where I wanted to. Learnt the lesson the very hard way! Not only would it have been expensive (which I'd already budgeted for, but it was actually impossible 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

HeySummerWhereAreYou · 04/09/2024 09:11

Bungalows are great especially if detached, but I would be very reluctant to switch a 3 bed home for a 2 bed. Even now with only me and DH at home. And definitely not if we had children still at home - even if we had just one.

Would you ever be able to extend to gain a 3rd bedroom? Is there plenty of space at the sides? The kitchen should really be where bedroom 1 is. It's an odd design. It will be hard to turn say, the dining room into a 3rd bedroom - because it's between the lounge and the hall.

I personally would not go for this bungalow, based on its layout/floor plan. Sorry @hummingbird12

GrumpySock · 04/09/2024 09:13

Oh living in a bungalow is a bliss. It is like a flat but with all the benefits of a house.
So easy and... flat!

Does a shower room have some ventilation or would you need to keep the door open to en-suite? Not clear from the plan

Wwyd2025 · 04/09/2024 09:13

Yes I would.

My parents live in a bungalow and my kids love it when we stay with them! It's really child friendly having no stairs, it's also nice they can play in the garden and you can still keep a eye on them in near enough every room.

HeySummerWhereAreYou · 04/09/2024 09:14

Carouselfish · 04/09/2024 09:01

Yes but the combo of down a lane and bungalow would have me checking in great detail for damp and mould.

Why on earth would a bungalow down a quiet lane be more likely have damp and mould? Confused

Unless it's at the bottom of a hill, and all the rainwater collects where the bungalow is, that is an odd thing to assume.

Sillybollocks · 04/09/2024 09:17

My parents did and had the loft converted. Absolutely fine as a house and quite nice having the upper floor and shower room to ourselves. All old people in the area but no bad thing really.

Original poster
hummingbird12 · 04/09/2024 09:18

Thanks so much for the replies!
My husband is a site manager for a house builder so his first thought was plumbing etc to put the kitchen on the other side but he thinks it's doable.
He has a lot of friends in trade that would help with the work at mates rates thankfully.

Our DD's currently share a bedroom (out of choice) and our 3rd bed is a playroom so 2 beds doesnt put us off at the moment. But eventually they will be teengagers and want their own space.

The garden and location are the main selling points for us at the moment.

The left side near the kitchen is the boundary fence for the neighbours but all other 3 sides have great space

OP posts:
LaPalmaLlama · 04/09/2024 09:19

You might be better off knocking into bedroom 2 to create a kitchen diner and then rejigging the internal walls on the other side of the house to create a third bedroom ( including the extension ). Avoids having to put plumbing and drainage on that side.

Original poster
hummingbird12 · 04/09/2024 09:21

LaPalmaLlama · 04/09/2024 09:19

You might be better off knocking into bedroom 2 to create a kitchen diner and then rejigging the internal walls on the other side of the house to create a third bedroom ( including the extension ). Avoids having to put plumbing and drainage on that side.

That's not a bad idea at all ☺️

OP posts:
senua · 04/09/2024 09:22

It's an odd design.
I think that it is aimed at adults, who care more reception rooms than bedrooms. It could do with a serious re-think but I supposed the great thing about bungalows is that you don't have to worry so much about supporting walls. In the current design the 'dining room' area is in danger of being just a thoroughfare instead of useful apace.

Henleylady · 04/09/2024 09:22

Yes I did. Be realistic about building costs - your plans sound like £150-200k. Also as there is no upstairs, mess (toys, shoes etc) spreads - so to tidy you need to do the whole house. I've got a much larger bungalow though - yours does sound quite small for a family.

mynameiscalypso · 04/09/2024 09:23

I have no objection to bungalows and would happily live in one but I wouldn't put a child in Bedroom 2 which seems to be right next to the front door/with windows to the front of the house. I don't think I'd feel safe. If you're planning to have Bedroom 2, I think that's better.

Garman · 04/09/2024 09:25

Why wouldn’t people live in a bungalow with young kids? What a weird question.

Diyextension · 04/09/2024 09:29

Garman · 04/09/2024 09:25

Why wouldn’t people live in a bungalow with young kids? What a weird question.

Yeah there’s some weird people about.

boredborednot · 04/09/2024 09:29

Absolutely. We brought our children up in a large bungalow and the space and no stairs made life so much easier. Highly recommend a bungalow.
We now live in a house with stairs and caring for grandchild is hard work in comparison.

Toddlerteaplease · 04/09/2024 09:30

The floor plan is bizarre. It could be made into a 3 bed without an extension. But would take a lot of work.

TemuSpecialBuy · 04/09/2024 09:30

I wish we had bought a bungalow….
def don’t write it off

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 04/09/2024 09:33

My aunt lives in a bungalow which is 2 bed and small, I think they might’ve done an extension when younger but it was a new build in the 60s. We stayed there as teenagers and me and my best friend shared bunk beds and we had a camper van which had beds which were shared by my DB and his friend.

Sparklefroggle · 04/09/2024 09:35

Definitely! We did similar and added a 3rd bedroom, bathroom and utility in place of the conservatory.