Bungalows are back in fashion

When you think of a bungalow, what do you imagine? An immaculately kept property with a retired couple tending the garden? Probably.

The image of bungalows has been in somewhat of a time warp for decades but that has started to change. An article in the Daily Mail reported how the audience for single storey dwellings now includes first-time buyers and second-steppers. To illustrate, Instagram and even TikTok are flooded with young buyers documenting their bungalow purchases and makeover projects – use the #bungalowrenovation hashtag and see for yourself.

Additionally, research by Confused.com Mortgages found searches for bungalows have soared by 53% over the last two decades, with more people broadening their property hunt to include this style of residence.

Who is buying bungalows?

Bungalows remain popular with downsizers and retirees for access reasons, with no stairs to navigate and the simplicity of single-floor living. Bungalows tend to be concentrated in peaceful cul-de-sacs, suburbs and coastal locations, appealing to those who crave the quiet life.

These areas now also appeal to young buyers who have settled into a work from home pattern, leaving the need for city centre locations behind. Families are also attracted to bungalows for their large plots sizes and price tag – usually they are cheaper to buy than large detached homes but they are sold with potential to enlarge. There are almost always generous gardens and frequently the ability to extend to the side, out the back or into the roof.

Do bungalows hold their value?

When Zoopla analysed sold data from 2023, it found bungalows increased in value more than any other property type, except for traditional detached houses. The portal said the average profit gain on a bungalow sold last year was £102,000.

One of the chief reasons bungalows hold their value so well is supply and demand – more people want to live in bungalows than there are single storey properties available. In 2019/20, just 1,833 bungalows were built in the UK, representing 1% of the total number of homes constructed.

Highlighting the worsening scale of the problem is analysis by the NHBC. It says bungalows are ‘on the critically endangered list’, with the new bungalows under construction at an 80-year low. For context, just 228 new bungalows are registered to be built between July and September 2024.

Are some bungalows worth more than others?

The value of bungalows along the Southern coast can surpass £1 million, especially if the property has sea views or easy beach access. Bungalows that are in the catchment of good schools can also sell for more than the average.

A quick bungalow history lesson

The name bungalow is reported to derive from the late 19^th century in the days of the British Empire. English officers requested small houses to be built in the ‘Bangla’ style – a Bengali single story home, often with a tile or thatch roof and a wide veranda.

The style was widely adopted by American architects at the turn of the 20^th century, closely linked with the Arts & Crafts design movement. Bungalows entered into Britain’s mainstream house building programme in the 1920s, although the first modern bungalows can be traced back to a little-known architect called John Taylor. He built England’s first bungalow in the Kent coastal town of Westgate-on-Sea between 1869 and 1870.

Taylor then moved along the Kent shoreline Birchington-on-Sea, where he built a small number of bungalows in conjunction with architect and designer, J.P Seddon. Together they created the ‘bungalow estate’ concept, with the properties primarily intended for Victorian ‘gentlemen of position of leisure’.

The bungalow fed into the idea of having a second home by the sea, where the air was purer and fresher for better health. Fair Outlook is the only one of Taylor’s bungalows to survive. It has a Grade II listing and is often described as the ‘oldest modern bungalow in the world’.

We have a bungalow to suit your needs

As White & Brooks covers multiple coastal and countryside locations across Sussex and Hampshire, we usually have a selection of bungalows for sale. You can use the ‘bungalow’ property type filter on our online search function to narrow down your results. Alternatively, contact one of our offices for a list of available bungalows.

Have you got a bungalow to sell? We always hold waiting lists of buyers interested in single storey living. Please book a valuation appointment to discover what your bungalow could sell for.