Tiny bungalow…..

[MinnieGirl]

We currently live in a 3-bed terrace in a not very nice part of a not very nice town. We are in the south east, and the area is the one everyone wants to avoid..
Both getting older, have mobility issues so stairs becoming a problem. Looked at flats but would miss outside space and don’t want leasehold and service charges. A bungalow would be ideal, but…there are very few for sale and they are either beautiful chalet bungalows that are way too pricey, or complete wrecks that need gutting.

So one has come on the market that is in our price range. Nice area, parking nice garden and two good size bedrooms. Kitchen is tiny but I think we could make it work. The stumbling block is the living room…. It’s very nice, double doors leading out to the garden… but it’s our only living space. No dining room, and not even a table. Current owners eat their meals on an occasional table.
The house itself is lovely. Modern, up to date, neutral decor. We could move in and do nothing. We could meet the asking price and it’s a much nicer area than the one we currently live in. But is that living room too small? We would not be able to move again as we would be using a lot of savings.

Any option to extend the kitchen or knock through?

I can't tell from your diagram which way the bungalow is orientated - where's the front garden/road? Do you have a driveway? Bedrooms are often designed to be at the back and your 'reception' room has french windows to the outdoors so may feel weird in a bedroom if you were to change round the rooms' usage. Or you may like that idea....

If this place has so much going for it don't let it slip through your fingers for the sake of a few lifestyle adjustments. You can get used to different furniture and I think after a while you wouldn't notice having a dining set in the corner. Nice chairs make all the difference. Check Dunelm, Wayfair, John Lewis, Cotswolds Company etc but keep an eye out on freecycle and local facebook sales too.

A lot of bungalows have living space at the back, bedrooms at the front. That's how OPs is laid out, bedroom with a front bay window, living room at the back with doors onto the garden.

Mine, and all the others on this street, are the same.

Sounds like an upgrade to your current place, I'd go for it OP. You'll get used to the layout before long.

We really don’t want to do any additional work.

The bedrooms are at the front. Reception room leads to back garden. There is a front drive

I would just think ahead in terms of mobility, make sure your sofa is not too low and squishy, although you could always swap it for armchairs that are easier to get in and out of.

A space efficient way to have a table is a small square table next to a wall with a chair either side. You can supplement with a couple of folding or bedroom chairs if you have guests.

Whilst this sounds like a brilliant opportunity, do think through all of the other things you use a table for. What about board games? A jigsaw? Craft projects? I lived without a table for 4 years in my 20s and it was fine as I worked crazy hours so was rarely at home. When I did eat at home, I had a tray on my knee. I struggled more with something like a jigsaw but just did it on the floor and hoovered around it until I got a puzzle mat and then it would slide under the sofa. Also, if you get a folding table, think about how simple it is to take down/put up and how manageable that would be if you got older or weaker?
Which way does the garden face? My garden faced south and I had a nice table & chair set outside and used that much more often than I have done since when I have had a table inside. I would just put on a couple of extra layers and have my breakfast or cup of tea outside.
The other thing I would say with downsizing is think about how much time you want to actually spend together! Can you set up the bedrooms so that, as well as having a bed in, they have a comfortable chair and perhaps a TV. That way, if one of you wants to watch TV or listen to music, you can do so without disturbing the other. I know lots of folk have just the one living room but, if you are used to more space than that, it can be a shock. An aunt & uncle really struggled as, before they downsized, they had more or less ended up with separate living rooms, had a separate kitchen and a shed and were suddenly on top of each other all of the time. They adjusted but it took a while. It helped that, part of their downsizing, they moved from living semi-rurally to being in a town so, rather than my aunt have friends over for coffee, she would meet friends in a coffee shop. Despite the fact that they have sorted it out, their experience is really putting my parents off downsizing.

My PILs are actually moving house within the same town in England. They realised after moving back from Spain that they needed different areas within their house to be in given how crap the British weather can be. They can’t add a conservatory to their current house, their new bungalow has one.

Just sometimes to consider.

I completely agree with everyone who has suggested making great use of the patio/garden and there’s a lot you can do short of a conservatory including perhaps an awning or a simpler shade sail or big umbrella and something like a chiminea or similar for spring and autumn. I wondered how you plan to use the second bedroom at the front? Of course, you may want a bedroom each (there’s millions of MN threads about this topic!) in which case I agree with all the ideas about other uses of the space. However, if not, then an alternative is to have a nice table that can fold in there, together with a sofa bed or even a fold-down bed for guests.

Agree with this about side tables over coffee tables.

And on your previous reply to me OP no offence taken at all!

Please read the thread!

So glad you weren’t offended!
I also agree about side tables.

Oh OP , do go for it . So many positives .

My friend lives on a narrowboat OP, and she has the same table and chairs that a previous poster suggested. Bearing in mind the word 'NARROW' in the description of the boat, should tell you that there is MUCH less room on her boat than in your living room. I feel sure you'd be fine, and of course you could always buy one, and then return it, if you don't feel it works well for you.

Add a conservatory with a slate roof. Put in under floor heating. If you can get some solar panels through Octopus Energy.

Good luck xxx

Having moved from a terraced house in a busy area to a bungalow in a quieter (‘nicer’) area a year ago I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same again. It sounds like you have plenty of options for a small dining table but, to be honest, even if it didn’t I’d grab it with both hands. It will be life changing!

Why can you not put a dining table in the living room?

Yes @MinnieGirl boarding the loft might be an option. You can always look at conservatory if it you find the space doesn’t work. But lots of good ideas here so it might?

I would take a better area and smaller house at your stage of life all day long. You need peace and stress free life as you can make it and it sounds like you don’t have that now so I’d definitely be looking at the bungalow.

How much of an outdoorsy person are you? It has a lovely big patio, I’d be tempted to get a foldaway table inside, and then a big table outside and one of the waterproof awnings/sails. I love eating outdoors, my old house had a covered terrace, and it was lovely in the rain.

How exciting! I live in a 2 bed bungalow and despite it needing so much work I love it!

Your lounge sounds as big as mine and I've got a table, chairs and sofa in it at the moment. I think the key to bungalow living is smaller and less furniture and things. I'm extending so I'll have a kitchen diner but I'm still very focussed on less and smaller.

A small bistro table and chairs would perhaps work? A larger sofa but only one armchair or none?

Do it - it will be worth it.

I downsized from the large family home where the DC were brought up (complete with large dining table and chairs) to a bungalow - and yes, the folding table.

Every single positive outweighs that small negative.

If you've previously been big entertainers, with dinner parties, then I can see why you might feel a dining room is essential - but honestly, as we age it makes sense to be practical.

I'm in a much better area now, and in a house which does not require constant maintenance in the way my lovely old 1930's house did. I am future proofed for a good few years.

Sounds like a lovely home OP. I think it's very livable as it is right now as long as you choose appropriate furniture. Over time I would consider knocking through the wall between the living room and kitchen and then blocking up either the kitchen or living room door to give you more space overall. Or adding a garden room as others have suggested. Exciting times!

Hi @MinnieGirl i am not sure if you are heart set on staying in the southeast. But I just wanted to show you a few options around the same budget.

this is a lovely part of the world - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/154646327

And this is a beautiful village (Outlander) https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163038983