Bungalow: prefabricated house or self-planned new building? Build, buy or rent your modern property

Bungalow – Are you planning to have children or would you like to finally move into your first home with your family and buy a house? You want to buy, rent or maybe even build yourself and design everything according to your wishes? Then a bungalow would be perfect for you and your family. Besides the special construction, a bungalow offers you many other advantages, which are especially perfect for small children but also for seniors. Choose your own design or a prefabricated house. Plan the floor plans and calculate your price. Here you can find out everything you need to know and useful tips about your future bungalow. Click here to return to the overview, from villa to terraced house to solid house: house types at a glance.

Bungalow: What is it anyway – more than a holiday home?

Many people know the word bungalow from the context of holidays. But bungalows are not only popular holiday homes, but also a possible choice for your own home. A bungalow is one thing above all: practical – and modern. This type of house is especially popular with young families, as it combines all living spaces on one floor and, especially due to the absence of stairs, does not pose a danger to children or senior citizens. Choosing the right house is certainly not easy, because it is an important decision that may affect your whole life. Here you can find out everything you need to know about bungalows.

Tip! You want to buy, build or rent a house, but you still lack the necessary know-how? Then check out our article Real Estate Tips! Here we have collected videos from professionals and experts for you, who talk about taxes, financing & Co.

Special features of a bungalow: bright, open and friendly

The most important features of a bungalow are that it is detached and the entire living space is distributed on one floor. Most of the time, the house still has a developed basement or attic, but these are not normally used as living space, but rather as storage space or for heating. Traditionally, the bungalow has a flat roof. However, this is no longer the norm, as many bungalows now have a different roof shape. Other features include an open living space, floor-to-ceiling windows and large doors. The aim is to make the living area in particular appear as open and bright as possible.

Room layout: rooms and all on one floor

Since potential rooms in a bungalow are only distributed on one floor, there are not many possibilities to arrange them in a special way. However, most bungalows are divided into two sections. On the one hand the private area with the bedrooms or children’s rooms and the bathroom and on the other hand a living area, which includes the living room, kitchen and guest toilet. Of course you have the possibility to design your bungalow according to your wishes and requirements, but this division is the normal case. Most of the time you can see the classical distribution of the rooms directly when entering a bungalow. On one side is the open living space, on the other side is usually a hallway, which leads to the private rooms.

Advantages & disadvantages of a bungalow

As with any type of house, there are many advantages & disadvantages that you have to weigh up personally. Above all, the financial question plays a large and decisive role. Here it is first of all unimportant whether you would like to build yourself, buy a house or perhaps think about renting first. We have done some research for you and have compiled and written down the most important plus and minus points. Think about it and decide for yourself whether you can live with the disadvantages.

Advantages: no annoying steps and lots of light

One of the biggest advantages is above all the absence of the step and the accessibility. For children but also for seniors, this is not only very practical, but also reduces dangers. You also have mostly very large window fronts and access to the garden could be possible from every room. Your children would have the possibility to get fresh air at any time and you could also add a second terrace to some rooms. Especially for older children this would be ideal. If you decide to build a house, you would also have the possibility to take a prefabricated house. Since you don’t have to consider any load-bearing walls in a bungalow, you can design your individual room distribution.

• Barrier-free, no steps
• Large window fronts
• Access to the garden possible from every room
• Individual room distribution

Disadvantages: large property for a lot of money

Especially the cost factor of the land is a big disadvantage. Since you are not building in height, but in width, you are dependent on a larger plot of land, whereby you must not disregard the garden, garage or parking spaces. But you can learn more about that in the course of the article. Another minus point is that you have to rely on a larger hallway and it takes up square meters. In addition, due to the large roof and the many walls, more insulation is required, and especially in older bungalows, the thermal insulation is usually insufficient. You also have to take into account that due to the many window fronts, the entry possibilities for burglars are greater.

• Property very expensive due to large area
• More square meters through corridor
• More about insulation
• Older bungalows usually worse thermal insulation
• More entry points for burglars

Source: Bungalow (Lukinski.de)

Bungalow: Who can live here best?

A bungalow is certainly not for everyone. Especially for singles or single people, this type of house would be very large and you would have an unnecessary amount of space. We now present two groups that we think would fit perfectly into a bungalow.

Families: Paradise for children

Especially for families with children a bungalow would be ideal. As a parent, you have everything in view and under control, as all life in the house takes place on one floor. Also, the absence of stairs reduces common sources of danger for children and you do not always have to keep an eye on the fact that the stair gate is closed. Having access to the garden from all rooms can also be very handy.

Seniors: practical and barrier-free

A bungalow is also ideal for pensioners and seniors. In addition to the risk of falling on the stairs, the structure of the house also offers certain free spaces. It is also beneficial that you no longer have to lug heavy groceries up or down the stairs and get hurt. Since you also usually have a separate living area, you can convert old children’s rooms in the private area, for example. You could build a hobby room or a small library.

Bungalow as a prefabricated house: Is that possible?

You can also buy a bungalow as a prefabricated house. There are some providers who have this type of houses in their repertoire and some who specialize exclusively in the construction of single-storey houses. A prefabricated house offers several advantages. On the one hand, you have the opportunity to see your own home before it is built because of the show houses. On the other hand, this does not mean that you do not have the possibility of an individual design. You can also redesign finished houses according to your wishes and have them built differently. There are no limits to your creativity.

Proper planning is the most important thing

It all starts with initial ideas and planning. Think about your future house and look for suitable inspiration. You should write down important questions and look for answers to them. Here are a few examples. How big do I want my house to be? How many rooms do I need and how will they be used? What kind of construction do I prefer. More open or more private? Will I like the room layout in 10,20,30 years? These are basic aspects that you should clarify for yourself and keep in mind.

Perfect provider for your dreams

Once you have answered all your questions, you can start looking for a suitable provider. Not everyone will have your dream house with your requirements in their repertoire and some things will have to be modified. With the house type bungalow there will most likely be less choice. Nevertheless, you have a decisive advantage. Your house will not need load-bearing walls, which means you can move them as you wish and create your own personal room layout. Take a look at show houses and get advice. If your wishes are not covered, you will have to find another supplier.

Perfection down to the smallest detail: floor plan & co.

Once you’ve planned the layout of your home and it’s all right for you, you should worry about the little things. What kind of floor would you like, how should the walls be plastered or how should the bathroom look like? The show houses of the providers offer you inspiration, but in most cases they are interchangeable. Find what you like and plan down to the smallest detail according to your wishes.

Energy rules for homeowners, builders & Co.

The CO2 balance and the climate are increasingly important issues in today’s world. Every person is obliged to make his personal contribution to protect our environment. Also with houses there are some energy rules, which one must consider with the building in addition, with a reorganization of an old building. We have compiled the most important rules around your future bungalow to inform you perfectly.

Tip. Take a look at our article on energy efficient houses: Low-energy house, zero-energy house, passive house

Climate-friendly building and renovation

Bungalows in particular must be particularly well insulated due to their large surface area and detached nature. In order to do this in a climate-friendly way, there is the Energy Saving Ordinance from 2014, which states, among other things, that the thermal insulation of the building must be 15% more efficient than before. In addition, night storage units that are more than 30 years old must be replaced with more efficient units, as they are expensive and create a poor indoor climate in addition to a poor CO2 balance. The entire energy demand calculation is recorded in the energy certificate of your building.

Land: selection and characteristics of the right plot

To find the right plot, especially for a bungalow, you need to consider some factors and do not forget about them. One should not disregard the length and width of the building for this type of construction. It is true that living area is not the same as plot area. The condition of the plot and the historical background is also important for you. We recommend that you consult an expert, especially when it comes to building ground investigations or contaminated sites. How stupid would it be if you start building and find something unexpected? We have summarised the most important points for you here so that you don’t forget anything.

What size property do you need?

If you are planning to build a bungalow, you should first consider the right size of plot. Since you cannot build in height with this type of house, but only in width, your plot must be correspondingly large. What most people forget are green spaces, storage areas, a garage or, if desired, a driveway. These things take up the most space. So there is much more to a plot of land than just the house and that is why the price of land for a bungalow is comparatively high. So consider this in your planning and think about whether it fits into a budget.

Checklist: What do you need to look out for?

Before you buy your chosen property, there are a few things you should consider and have checked. First of all, start with the development plan. Here you should make sure that the property is already developed. That is, whether it is connected to the public road network, as well as to the supply (water, sewage, electricity, possibly gas). If this is not the case, high sums can be added.

Next, check rights of way or mortgages in the land register. Can a third party enter your property without your consent to get to something specific? And what about the mortgage? All this is recorded in the land register and you should definitely check and know about it.

Next, do a ground survey, if you haven’t already, and check out what it looks like under your property. Since your bungalow will only have one floor, a basement is very popular. However, if the groundwater level under your property is too high, this could increase your costs.

Contaminated sites are also an important issue before you plan to buy a property. Who knows what you will find when you start building your house? There could be scrap metal, oil or chemicals under the surface. It’s best to talk to the previous owners of the property or find out about the history of the property. Old maps could help with this. If there are signs of possible contamination, we recommend that you have soil samples analysed, but this could be expensive if you have to pay for it yourself.

• Development plan
• Land Register
• Soil investigation
• Legacy

Your environment: how do you feel?

Last but not least, don’t forget about your surroundings. Talk to your potential neighbors, check the infrastructure and scout out your surroundings. Where is the nearest school? How far is it to work? Are the neighbours nice and is the area suitable for your needs? These are all soft location factors that you should consider. Especially if you are young and want to build something new with your family, you should feel comfortable in your new home.

Interior: What should your bungalow look like from the inside?

If you have decided on your dream house or if your bungalow is ready, you now have the opportunity to furnish it according to your wishes. Here we show you a few useful tips and tricks to design your dream home and give you the perfect inspiration.

Tip. You can discover all trendy interior styles in our comprehensive guide and gather inspiration: Interior Styles XXL

Use your free space: space, light & no stairs

Especially the living space in the bungalows is mostly open and freely designed. Use this fact and make it to your advantage. Since you will have a lot of daylight through the large window fronts, you can design your room a little more gaudy. Let yourself be inspired by fancy furniture or paint a wall in a modern, bright colour, for example. There’s no limit to your creativity. Get interior input from Roberto Cavalli Home or Armani Casa, for example: Furnishings – Designers & Brands.