Can I get your opinion on this house?

[Junioh]

I love the big bedrooms and garden, but I've read a lot about chalet bungalows being too hot/cold upstairs and now I'm worried about that. I don't know how I can even judge it before buying.

The lack of garage/outside storage is also an issue but I guess that is solvable.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/162018380#/?channel=RES_BUY

Have no idea about the area or if that offers vfm compared to other houses there. But I will say both my parents and partner’s parents both have chalet style houses and I’ve never noticed or heard of this problem when I’ve stayed. The two downstairs bedrooms are slightly unconventional I guess.

Looks like both a shed and summer house at the back and some sort of storage on the front driveway too so not so bad in that respect.

I like it a lot. No idea on the area so can't comment if price is good etc but the setting looks lovely. Negative regarding no permanent outside storage/garage but there looks to be some wooden outside storage in front and back. If you don't need all bedrooms i'd be very tempted to make bedroom 5 into the living room and have the current living room and kitchen all open plan.

We live in one, and it is totally fine. As long as you have decent insulation, you are good. Like the one you liked to, we also have to bedrooms downstairs and three up- we are a family of 3, and need two offices, so no issue there.

One of the great things about them tends to be their large gardens (ours is about 175ft long x 100ft wide... most aren't that size, but plots are usually sizable) especially ig you like gardening. You can also add things like outdoor storage without fuss as (a) you have space and (b) it needs to be to dominate the garden.

How many people will live there?

I love it! No idea about the area but it’s a gorgeous place. Do you enjoy gardening, can you get a gardener if need be- the gardens look big! I’d turn one bedroom into another room though, a sitting room or what have you. I wouldn’t knock a kitchen and living room into one unless I never cooked. DH is a messy sod, I like to shut the kitchen door at times!

There’s a lot of orange/false wood woodwork and flooring - I would want to replace which could be expensive. They is also a patch of gravel outside the back - I would be asking why - damp/poor drainage?

I love it a lot! Can’t comment on the hot/cold though, hope it’s alright as it’s a lovely house and garden. Good luck!

The house looks fantastic and looks newly dine so insulation will probably be really good. If you are worried you can always get a full building survey done or just check the building regs. Can I suggest you check for noise and trades at the neighbours houses. One side has two sheds and two huge workshops. The other side has sheds all along your boundary.

My friend lives in a chalet house. I've stayed over in summer and winter and can't recall being too hot or too cold. The angled ceilings are a bit of an issue in a couple of her bedrooms, but these are really big so don't look like they'd be an issue. Although one of the bathrooms looks like it could be an issue if you're tall!

Do remember that you won't have a loft for storage!

Oh good point I will check planning etc to see what those buildings are.

The extension is 20 years old so I'm not quite sure that the windows and insulation will be perfect but hopefully good enough. The kitchen is 10 years old, but the bathrooms look newer.

Thanks I hadn't noticed the gravel. We did ask about drainage as the flood map suggests increased risk of surface flooding, but they said there is no issue. I haven't heard of issues along that road and have lived in the village a while.

With the woodwork I think we can just paint it white. The flooring is mostly original floorboards.

We live in a dormer house which looks pretty similar although we are three bedroom and the two end rooms have dual.aspect windows open to the sea, and sea breeze, which maybe help?

It's a warm house generally and that includes upstairs. It's definitely not particularly cold in winter. First I've heard about it being potentially different from a "normal" house.

It’s a great area. I know it well. We lived in a chalet and found it warm upstairs.

The epc rating is available on the listing and says it’s a c with potential for a b. Might be worth googling the full epc report as that will tell you more about energy bills. If it’s cold the bills will be higher than average.

I grew up in a chalet bungalow and thinking about it, the upstairs was very hot in the summer come the evening going to bed. However I can’t say that it was much different to how the upstairs of a standard house would have felt under the same weather conditions.
Certainly never found it cold.