134 homebuilding.co.uk
desigNTips
Security in bungalows
One of the issues at the
forefront of the minds of
many bungalow renovators
is how to ensure proper
security measures are taken.
With no high level windows
and all rooms accessible
from the ground floor, it is
more important than ever
to have good security on all
windows and doors, along
with a good alarm system.
In terms of alarms, those
featuring some form of
CCTV have been shown
to be particularly good at
deterring burglars.
In addition to these
measures, aim to conceal
the property from the road
as much as possible when
designing your landscaping,
install a good exterior
lighting scheme and ensure
gates giving access to the
front and/or rear of the
property are secure.images:richardchivers(above);hyvearchitects (right)iNgeNiousdesigN
yardarchitects
designed the ‘two
box’ extension to this
bungalow. The wider
of the boxes houses
a kitchen, dining and
living space while the
smaller box contains a
new master bedroom,
with dressing room
and en suite. (www.
yardarchitects.co.uk)spaces in a bungalow, without the natural
separation offered by having them on
different storeys.
“When remodelling a bungalow we try
and ensure bedrooms are all kept together
and separated from the living areas with a
hallway or some form of joinery, a built-in
bookcase for example,” continues Simon
Graham. “This creates a better separation
between living areas and bedrooms. It is
also preferable to keep the front door near
the living rooms, so you don’t have to walk
past bedrooms when you come in and aim
to get rid of long corridors.”Updating the exterior
There is plenty that can be done to
transform the exterior of a bungalow
without extending. Updating windows,
doors and external joinery will make a
huge difference, as will recladding the
façade of the bungalow.
Unattractive brickwork can be concealed
using render, timber cladding or even one
of the more modern cladding materials,
such as fibre cement or Shou Sugi Ban
timber. Recladding the entire building will
likely need planning permission, but could
prove a good opportunity to add external
wall insulation, thus improving the energy
efficiency of the house.Extending a bungalow
There are a couple of issues exclusive to
bungalows when it comes to designing
an extension. In the main, they concern
naturallightandlowrooflines.Thereis
alsothematterofproportiontothink
about—although many bungalows come
with large gardens, one enormous single-
storey dwelling can look out of scale if not
well designed.
In terms of handling the low rooflines
of single-storey properties, a flat roof
extension is a good solution. Often
the extension is built as a stand-alone
structure, simply connected to the existing
bungalow beneath the existing eaves.
It is, however, possible for the extension
to be attached to the existing house at the
same height as the existing eaves. This
option tends to be trickier to achieve from
a structural and design point of view when
it comes to ensuring the join between old
and new looks spot on.
Extensions with a monopitch roof
can also work well. Designs that fall
towards the existing eaves are particularly
successful.
A final yet equally popular way to
designa bungalowextensionis tousea
dual-pitchedroofthatrunsat theopposite
angletothatoftheexistingroof—these
often make sense for extensions that will
turn a long, straight building into an L or
U-shaped building.
It may also be possible to create a loft
conversion within a bungalow. You will
need to assess whether the loft is viable
for conversion. Check whether the roof
is a traditional cut roof (usual in houses
built before 1965) or features a trussed
roof (post 1965). You will need to assess
whether there is enough height within the
loft. The minimum height for a traditional
roof is 2.2 to 2.4m, while the minimum
height for a trussed roof is 2.4 to 2.6m.BeFore