Leader: Let's hear it (or not) for bungalows

Published on Monday 6 September 2010 14:48

IF PRICE movements are a guide, bungalows are back. They have risen by 8 per cent over the year to end June, more than any other house type. But in truth, did bungalows ever go away? Yes, they have been the butt of jokes of metro comedians, and they are despised by planners. They are space-greedy. Rows of lookalike bungalows make suburbia boring.

And then there are the people who live in them: is there not a bungalow "type", with one foot in the grave?

Yet bungalows have defied the sneers and all attempts to bulldoze them out of existence. Why? There's the privacy bungalows enjoy. They are detached, with a neat square of garden around. There's the convenience of having everything on one floor. There is no weary climb to the bedroom, or risk of tripping and tumbling down the stairs with the tea tray. The rooms offer the choice between morning and afternoon light. There's no space for the in-laws to stay long. When a slate comes lose, the roof is easily accessible. A conservatory may be added, to give a muscular feel. And then there is the veranda, with rocking chair. From this, the owner can watch the world go by, muttering as he does so those four signature words of Bungalow Man that so perfectly define his universe: "I don't believe it!"