What’s behind the bungalow boom?

‘Bungalows are almost perfect,’ as the old gag goes. ‘They only have one floor.’ But these once unfashionable properties are rapidly becoming anything but a joke. While the mortgage crisis is cooling most sectors of the housing market, demand for bungalows is growing.

Estate agents report the properties receiving dozens of offers, selling for tens of thousands over the asking price or being snapped up before officially going on the market. The usual breed of downsizers and retirees looking to replace large family homes with something all on one level are facing stiff competition from budget-conscious purchasers seeking to renovate single-storey homes – and often turn them into family homes with stairs. The capacious pitched roofs often give enough space for two extra bedrooms, where planning allows.

A survey by estate agent Strutt & Parker found that 29 per cent of those looking to move in the next five years consider a bungalow to be their ideal next home – up 7 percentage points from last year.