For Jo and Ron Buss, the decision to swap their three-bed house in Petersfield, Hampshire, for a bungalow on the Isle of Wight just 18 months ago has been life-changing. “Ron had a massive heart attack and actually died, but luckily the ambulance men brought him back. Three stents and a defibrillator later, and he was struggling with the stairs in our three-bedroom house in Hampshire,” says Jo, 73 of her 79-year-old husband.
The couple started looking for a home that would allow them to enjoy their retirement but found themselves priced out of the market near their old home. “Moving to the island was a no-brainer,” Jo says. “Bungalows on the island are at least £100,000 cheaper than on the mainland, and I’ve got six brothers here.”
Their new two-bedroom detached bungalow in Sandown has a secluded garden where Jo enjoys growing vegetables – following careers in the military civil service and as a police call handler – and offers the privacy and independence that the couple cherish. “It’s lovely,” she beams. “I was paying £70 a week to heat our house with gas, now I pay just £20 for the bungalow’s multifuel burner.”
The other way to do single-level living is to buy a flat. “But then you have neighbours below or footsteps above, especially if they have wooden floors. And a shared garden is not very private. As you get older you still want your privacy.” High-rise living also brings the risk of broken lifts. “Here, we just step outside the back door,” she says.
The couple were also able to move in with their beloved pets – a dog and two cats. “A lot of flats don’t allow animals, but pets are part of the family, especially as you get older.”
Jo believes more bungalows should be built across Britain and not just for affordability but to give older people real independence. “If there were more bungalows, prices would come down and people wouldn’t need stairlifts or all that rubbish.” For Jo and Ron, bungalow living represents freedom.
