Mateusz Watt 
Three-generation households offer many benefits to families. They help reduce housing costs, family bonds become closer and elderly family members can age in place more easily.
Thoughtful builders of great homes orchestrate spaces where different generations can take care of each other and still have moments of quiet or focus, be they a young parent or a retired parent turned shut-in. It’s easy to peruse a home floor plan and check off the steps of universal design: step-less entries, hallways wide enough for a wheelchair, lever-handled door knobs.
Flexible Living Areas
Due to the economic hardship as well as familial and parental care responsibility, many families have started choosing to share the house with other generations. The family members have to adapt the living style, each generation retains privacy, space and independence in the house.
To make it work out, regarding space, the generations has to share common area. Many houses will reserve the fourth side for common area therefore every generation has their own area like rooms, bathrooms and even cooking area. The kitchen area might be shared as long as they are willing to do so.
In greater detail, having personal space and bathroom help every family member retain their privacy. For example, I usually had my dinner alone to relieve work stress and to talk through the issues with my friends instead of hearing my family members yelling at each other. When it comes to elderly parents, they definitely need some space to keep themselves busy which is impossible if they have to share a room with my child, because my child tends to be very active at night.
In conclusion, multigenerational living requires each generation to keep their own space and most importantly, to remain independent in the house.
Multigenerational living and its practicalities are huge factors to consider. Having a space that makes you feel like you’ve gone away is crucial. Acoustic wall panels or portable room partitions that can be opened and shut make discrete areas that allow for personal space within a family setup.
Open plans that include several entryways, split kitchens and expansive centrally located main living area mean a custom home is better suited for multigenerational families, while also offering more private spaces. Even a set of doors can provide an office or en suite bedroom with the private sanctuary to work or unwind or study.
Private Suites and In-Law Accommodations
As private suites offer a space that can be shared beyond generations, they enable families to take in the next generation, whether it be a child or an elderly parent. Secondary suites, also known as in-law apartments, or granny annexes, are built to ease the process of living harmoniously with more than one generation, while still allowing family members their independence.
By building an apartment inside an existing house or in an attached dwelling, available living space can be converted into extra lodgings with bathroom and kitchenette equipped with a separate entrance in the main home.
As families in the sandwich generation have grown to support both parents and children at the same time, this kind of accommodation is increasingly popular with owners staying in their homes as they age. Such homes are typically designed with flexible space options that can be redeployed to meet the new needs (for example, turning a home office into a guest bedroom) or with features that will increase value on the open market (ensuite bathrooms, which reduce the stress of sharing a single bathroom between multiple adults).
Shared Spaces and Private Spaces
Multigenerational home design must incorporate loads of community spaces where members of the family unit can interact and engage in activities, fostering bonds as a group with all members of the larger household. But there should also be a place for private spaces, whether it’s a home office or a bedroom for adult children, where one can readily retreat from the family vibes.
Level changes, see-through – yet soundproofing – room dividers and more can allow people to use an open concept home without traffic jams or upheaval. Meanwhile, building out multigenerational courtyards into the outdoors allows for easy access to nature for residents.
From building from the ground up or revamping an existing house, Garman Builders makes it easy to integrate multigenerational living – and our plan in Nottingham offers multiple options for multigenerational living; let’s walk you through design, personalisation, building and more. Call us today to learn more about what Garman can for you!
Technology
All of this had happened earlier than the current pandemic. Young adults were returning to live with their parents or other family members primarily because rising living costs made it unaffordable to live on their own, but also partly because they enjoyed the emotional comforts of being socially nurtured by familiar domestic networks.
Indeed, in multigenerational homes, ingenious adaptations are possible, including smart home technology that can offer safety and other convenience features, such as talking cloths, automated lighting systems and temperature controls that prevent scalding. Such technologies can give older family members a sense of security in their daily activities.
Another way to make a custom design more elder-friendly for older and younger generations is to make it more energy efficient. Taking a passive solar design, building orientation and appliances into consideration can give your home much lower utility bills, year in year out, while simultaneously teaching your younger family members how to be better stewards of our planet.
