[Closed] Bungalows why ? who ? when ? stigma ? show us your bungalow ?

I tend to think they are preferred by older people who have trouble getting up and down stairs.

Around here bungalows are for rich people due to land being expensive and bungalows needing more of it for. A given living space.

Indian word isn't it?

Stoner - Member
Indian word isn't it?

POSTED 53 SECONDS AGO # REPORT-POST

I thought it was Italian?
Bunga - because of the money. Expensive.
Low - as in single story.

I thought it came from people intending to build a house but then deciding to bung a low roof on it...

ps - you could write a whole book on single-storey buildings, vernacular architecture, rural and urban development of dwellings, and so on.

ours isn't really a bungalow anymore...

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That would be called a dormer BUNGALOW or chalet BUNGALOW then 😉

I've had my bungalow for about 14 years. I do miss the stairs.

It's Anglo-Indian creole, a corruption of Bengal House, the style of house that colonial types built for themselves: single-story with verandahs and french windows.

Bungalows are stigmatised because they were popular in the 20-30s boom of ribbon development along main roads, and they take up lots of space for the accommodation delivered. Medics refer to oldies with weak legs as having bungalow knees, from their not maintaining strength by having to walk up stairs.

I rented one for a year until recently.
I didn't find there were any benefits to it at all.
Simply not enough space.

However, my girlfriend, when I was a teenager, had rich grandparents and their house was all one floor and that was lovely. I think it's called a "ranch house" though. Massive, it was.

DezB - You should have rented a bigger one then!

My parents had a bungalow, which was nice, but it did have one major flaw (floor).

Don't worry, I already have my coat.

I'm temporarily living in a bungalow surrounded by retired people, with the exception of one though. Not being surrounded by other peoples screaming brats/ghastly teenagers is fantastic. 🙂

On the downside it's badly planned but I do get to sleep with my bikes. 😉 There is an upstairs room, via a spiral staircase, so that's not easy for a biffer like me.

[i]DezB - You should have rented a bigger one then![/i]

Nah, bought a proper 'ouse instead.

Lived in one all my childhood, great for being able to jump out the windows.
Then rented one for a year before buying our house.
I liked living in one but god how expensive to buy.
The little 2ish bed bungalow we rented would have cost us as much if not more than the 4 bed house e have now and it is only 500m down the road. (partly more expensive due to road snobbery I think too)

I live in a bungalow. No stairs to hoover but that's about it really.

You Bungalow lovers would love middle America and New Zealand then. They've got the depressing 60's Bungalow thing going on.

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Chunky - we lived in a bungalow in NZ too. Very much enjoyed how spacious it was, as well as the double garage. Very much didn't enjoy the lack of insulation or CH and the enormous cracks in the walls from the earthquake.

Suspect the earthquake cracks might have been more of an issue if it had been more than one storey though.

Lived in one and it was cold, all the rooms had outside walls, was a 70's built one so maybe the fault of the builders rather than bungalows.

I once wrote a concept album about bungalows while travelling around Peru 😆 it was crap 😆 the band was called Pump Bungalow which I still think is a magnificent name for a band.

Most are still loaded with asbestos... Lethal places to live.

If you saw a cobweb on the ceiling you were always told not to touch it, as it catches the asbestos dust - as well as disturbing it.

a la pigface, we just moved out of a large detached chalet bungalow, 1930s build, 1990s extension, it was cold.

Does anyone know the word for when someone buys a bungalow, knocks it down, and builds a 2 storey house in its place with the same footprint? I'm sure there is a special word for it, but for the life of me can't remember it.

Sensible?

Just moved into one. a 1950's that's been completely renovated. It's in the middle of agricultural land which is one of the attractions as we are just sorting out renting the fields for our sheep.

I can't get used to not having a bedroom upstairs and it is a lot smaller than our old 2 reception farm cottage but a workshop outside should sort out the storage problems and get all my stuff out of the conservatory, utility room and greenhouse.

I think it's called a "ranch house" though

That's the American term for a single storey house, so that's just estate agents trying to polish turds as usual.

In theory, at least, a well insulated bungalow should be easier to heat, no? All the heat in our house goes up the stairs.

Just moved into one built in 1989; four bedroom - or rather two bedroom, one home office for Mrs hh and one playroom for me. We live in a tiny village with nowt more than a postbox and a Michelin-star restaurant we can't afford to eat at.

Look forward to getting 'bungalow knees' and delighted to have found yet another niche stigmatisation on Singlemindedworld...

delighted to have found yet another niche stigmatisation on Singlemindedworld...

I think this is a light-hearted thread, no?

I think this is a light-hearted thread, no?

Indeed, as was my reply - the word 'stigma' did appear in the OP's title after all! 😉

I live in a bungalow now (in Norfolk, where land is cheap) and also grew up on the Berg Estate near Waterlooville in Hampshire, which i believe is the largest estate of bungalows in Europe, but i may be wrong.

There does seem to be a stigma attached to them for some reason, but for us we have a wood burner in the lounge, a very well insulated loft and we can heat the place(3 decent sized bedrooms) using just the wood burner in 30 minutes in the evening.

For me a house is a house and I love it, but have been known to refer to it as a "ground floor penthouse" at times.

"Lived in one and it was cold, all the rooms had outside walls, was a 70's built one so maybe the fault of the builders rather than bungalows."

Roomthat doesnt have an outside wall - that would be known as a cupboard!

Lived in one and it was cold, all the rooms had outside walls,

There aren't many domestic buildings that don't.... 🙄

Ours is great. We bought it for the amazing view for several miles across fields. Went from a 3 storey (+ cellar) victorian house with Eiger-like stairs. While we do have a flight of stairs and a room over one half of the house, I can't say I especially miss climbing up to the land of nod.

...have been known to refer to it as a "ground floor penthouse" at times.

Mind if I borrow that expression you've coined..? 🙂

Moved it to a bungalow last year.

Big gardens and a workshop swung it for me. There is only me and the Mrs so we don't need a lot of space.

Not sure why anyone would think they were hard to heat, this is the warmest house I have ever lived in, well insulated loft, cavity wall and double glazing.

On a cold night, if we switch the heating off at 11pm, the house is still comfortable at 8 the next morning.

Most are still loaded with asbestos... Lethal places to live.

Are you serious? Why would a bungalow have more asbestos than a 2 storey house?

Why would a bungalow have more asbestos than a 2 storey house?

Perhaps indicative of the period in which it was fashionable to build bungalows in the UK..?

I grew up in one & thought we were that poor we couldn't afford to have an upstairs in our house.

Wouldn't have one myself & have always lived in "proper" houses with stairs....That was the other thing,not really being used to stairs I fell down them a few times when I got my first house....

cinnamon_girl - Member
On the downside it's badly planned but I do get to sleep with my bikes.

Surely the OH would be "warmer".....

There is an upstairs room, via a spiral staircase, so that's not easy for a biffer like me.

Could be handy after an argument as you can't chase the OH 🙂

I've lived in one for the last 9 years and love it. Its been converted in the roofspace so there are 2 bedrooms and a water closet upstairs for the kids which leaves loads of living space downstairs.

Its well insulated and double glazed so as warm as any other house I've lived in and not a bit of asbestos to be seen.

The bungalow shuffle is coming on a treat.

my Folks (retired) moved into a bungalow.

It's comfortable, spacious and has a big garden. It's just a nice place to live tbh. Never really understood the "I'm not old enough to live in a Bungalow" thing.

Another advantage of the ground floor penthouse is that there is no squeaky stairs to negotiate when well "socially lubricated" with ale.

Also, I have a 3 year old daughter, when we lived in a house, we had to have a stairgate across the stairs to stop her falling down them, now she can wander where she likes (often into our room at 5.30am)

I can't understand why people don't like something just because it doesn't have an upstairs? If the rooms are of the same size as a "normal" house and you have just as much living space, you don't have a stairwell/ upstairs for heat to rise up into to, why are they considered the equivalent of moving to Bournemouth?

We just knocked down a 1940's prefab bungalow having which we lived in for 7 years and are building this. Mostly single storey with master bedroom, study and en suite above garage to avoid "bungalow knees"

Not having much luck linking to pic in Dropbox so here https://db.tt/CgnOx4VT

We live in one of those 70's A frame bungalows, built out of old Cornflake packets and Sellotape.
I love it - enough space, nice & open.

Ours has an upstairs though.
No, I don't understand it either.

unfitgeezer - Member

Was there/is there a stigma involved in living in a bungalow ? Why was there one ?

Never heard of one, but some people just enjoy being arseholes.

One other thing about my folks place, the loft space is massive.

You could almost fit another Bungalow up there.

Never heard of one, but some people just enjoy being arseholes.

Hope you're not implying I'm one of them...I mean I do have one and at least twice a day poo comes out !