When designing and building a custom home it's essential to plan for the future. Incorporating universal design into your custom home allows it to grow with your family as your needs change. Part of those changes may be caring for aging and elderly family members, which has become more and more common over the years. This growing need has accounted for a rise in multi-generational home building.
But, what is a multi-generational household?
The U.S. Census Bureau defines a multi-generational home as a household consisting of "two or more adult generations, including grandparents and grandchildren younger than 25." In short, this type of household is a cross between a single-family and multi-family home.
An alternative to a multi-generational home is homestead living, also known as a multi-family estate. Rather than housing multiple generations under one roof, a homestead consists of separate homes built on the same parcel of land. This type of living has many of the advantages of a multi-generational home but allows for more privacy, as the homestead is set up like a private community.
4 Benefits of Multi-Generational & Homestead Living
Multi-generational and homestead living offers many benefits - from sharing school responsibilities to caring for aging family members. Here are the primary benefits you'll see if you decide to go all in on multi-generational living.
1. Shared Expenses
One of the biggest benefits of multi-generational and homestead living is that expenses are shared, which makes homeownership much more affordable. Plus, managing the expenses of one household is much less costly than handling two! Combining multiple generations in one household or lot of land reduces home maintenance costs, and the savings can be allocated for other expenses.
2. Family Safety
As parents and grandparents begin to age, it's only natural to want to ensure their safety. Multi-generational and homestead living allows younger generations to easily care for aging loved ones, supporting them in living at home while aging-in-place.
Having grandparents in the home can also be a huge help for busy parents, as they can lend a hand when it comes to keeping an eye on the kids. Either way, if an emergency does occur, it's more likely that someone will be there to help.
3. Shared Household Responsibilities
No one loves tackling pesky household chores like washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, or doing laundry — especially when they've built up over a few days! With more family members living on the property, those chores become less of a burden. Simply split them up among both adults and children.
4. More Time for Family Bonding
Everyone is so busy these days and it can be hard to find the time to connect with family members that don't live nearby. Families that have multiple generations living under the same roof or on the property can spend more time together. Increased family bonding time is great all around!
Aging family members benefit from more social interactions which is shown to improve mental health, and young children will benefit from having additional role models.
Multi-generational housing has been on the rise in the United States for the last several years. Many home builders now offer custom home designs and floor plans suited to housing more than one generation under one roof, and we have worked with several clients to develop multi-family floor plans to suit their needs. We realize that even the smallest details can have a big impact. Our goal is to help you build a home you'll never want to leave.
