Think we will see more multi-generation living?

[kyton]

We have a sort of generational living set up. My in-laws built a house right next door to us so we see them every single day as we drive into our home which is set behind them. My parents then bought a house two doors away from my older sister‘s house - which is 1/2 mile away from us. My Dad passed away 2yrs ago and my FIL passed away in July so it is comforting that both Mum’s are within 2-3mins reach should something occur.

 

[barkley]

i could see it happening more in the larger city near us b/c they recently changed zoning laws to allow for more ADU's to be added in some of the older neighborhoods that have larger backyards to accommodate them. seems like building trends (houses vs. apartments) around us have fallen into 2 distinct categories in recent (predating pandemic) years-over sized behemoths that could accommodate multiple generations or the more common flip side of very small truly single family homes that would be hard pressed to accommodate anything more than a couple of adults and a couple of kids (in many cases with 2 kids sharing a room). these smaller homes don't have any lot/yard space to add on for an extra bedroom let alone a 'suite' or apartment so that severely limits them.

 

[JLTraveling]

I can't fathom why it's not the norm here. At various points since I turned 16, I:
Lived with roommates
Lived with my parents
Lived with my then-husband, just us
Lived with my then-husband and my parents

Now it's just me and my dad since my mom passed. And it makes so much sense. He's on a fixed income. I make decent money, but everything costs so much. We could each live alone in a shoebox. Or we could each live with roommates. But why? What would possibly be better about either of those options? We rent a nice house with plenty of room to each have our own space. And if one or both of us got married again, there's plenty of room for spouses. We get along fantastically, and we help each other out. I don't understand why on earth people have such a need for independence or whatever that they can't possibly share with family.

 

[tvguy]

. I don't understand why on earth people have such a need for independence or whatever that they can't possibly share with family.

I think it boils down to the desire for privacy.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

I can't fathom why it's not the norm here. At various points since I turned 16, I:
Lived with roommates
Lived with my parents
Lived with my then-husband, just us
Lived with my then-husband and my parents

Now it's just me and my dad since my mom passed. And it makes so much sense. He's on a fixed income. I make decent money, but everything costs so much. We could each live alone in a shoebox. Or we could each live with roommates. But why? What would possibly be better about either of those options? We rent a nice house with plenty of room to each have our own space. And if one or both of us got married again, there's plenty of room for spouses. We get along fantastically, and we help each other out. I don't understand why on earth people have such a need for independence or whatever that they can't possibly share with family.

It's nice you get a long well with your family - this is not the case for all of us.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I don't understand why on earth people have such a need for independence or whatever that they can't possibly share with family.

I see you’ve never met my family.

 

[mylilnikita]

I’m currently in a multigenerational household with my dd and her dgd. I grew up at different times in one so it is normal for me.
“American “ society has kind of looked down on multi generational families for some time, but now with things going up maybe the stigma can deminish.

 

[barkley]

“American “ society has kind of looked down on multi generational families for some time, but now with things going up maybe the stigma can deminish.

true-i was looked at as an oddball or somehow stunted as an adult in the late 70's and 80's b/c i lived at home with my mother until i was 28. thing was-my dad passed when i was 19 and it made much better financial sense for the two of us to be roommates vs. me living on my own. she saved on it, i saved on and neither of us had to worry about the other. i like that it's become less stigmatized.

 

[disneychrista]

My own experience tells me yes. My oldest lived here until she was almost 30. My youngest is still home at 29 with the lack of affordable options, I am not sure when/if she will ever move out on her own. My bosses two daughters, in their mid-20's, moved back in within the last couple years, the oldest with her two children. I have a good friend who lives with his two sisters.

 

[kymom99]

I think it’s perfectly healthy as long as everyone is comfortable with the arrangement.

My step daughter is 36 and she lived with her mom till a couple years ago. She sure didn’t have her mom support her, it was more like the other way around. It’s good for her to be out on her own now, but at the time it served its purpose as her mom could help with her son.

My son went away for college and did fine on his own. He also lived away for 2 internships. He’s perfectly capable. But he’s not earning enough to get his own place yet. We like having him here for the most part so I don’t see pushing him out just for the sake of him living on his own. His line of work is parks and natural resources. The jobs he’s been able to get at this point are all seasonal and not well paid. If he does get something away from home that’s more permanent then he will move, but we will keep a room for him in case he is furloughed.

 

[amcnj]

When I was young, my one surviving grandparent lived with her three surviving children. No separate entrances or anything. Just a member of the household. We all got along very well, and each of the three households really wanted and looked forward to the months long visits. I can understand that this would not work or be the case for everyone.

My children both took their first full-time jobs in places not so close by. Fortunately they were also able to afford rent.

But I would not have any problems with a multigenerational setting. At least until there are problems I guess!

 

[mousefan73]

With housing costs crazy and prices rising, do you think we will start to see a trend towards more mult-generation living to share costs? I know in Europe, it is not unusual for kids to live home until they are closer to 30 and many families have grandparents living with them. Do you think that will start to become more of a norm here in the US and Canada? Thoughts?

I think you’re comparing apples and oranges when it comes to generational homes US vs Europe . As I have posted previously in the US people move back home to save money on rent and utilities. Yes this is multi generational living but in Europe the 30 year old you’re referring to most likely has their own self sustaining apartment that just happens to be attached to their parents home. Yes there is cost savings here since land is very expensive so if you have let’s say one parental home and the zoning allows an add-on, many children will build their own home attached their parents house or build a basement out with separate entrance/ kitchen/ utilities . This is what my SIL did with her son. He basically just had to pay for building costs and got the plat for free. He also has his own utilities that he’s responsible for. Most Europeans that I know of that are in their 30s and still living at “home“ actually have their own apartment so it’s not like they’re walking down in their underwear having breakfast with their parents, lol.

Americans have The luxury of space and so when it comes to their building culture for many decades they would have a lot of unused space within their homes Because they simply could build humongous homes. It’s more luxury, status statement how big one’s home is even if they’re not using all the rooms. In Europe you rarely see a home owner that has a house that has rooms at aren’t used on a daily basis. I mean Who honestly uses their front “sitting room“ on a daily basis versus the family room attached to the kitchen Europeans don’t waste space like this and in most cases we use that additional lot space used to build a second generational home

 

[Minnesota!]

I'd love it! After younger son is out of high school, we plan on moving and the house we will be looking for, we want room to be able to have our kids/their maybe someday family/my mom, etc stay with us if they need. Bedrooms, bathrooms, separate living or cooking quarters, or the space for it, etc.

 

[Suger Mag]

If it works for you, great, if not, then dont do it. (Thank you Captain Obvious)

Multi generational has worked for us for over 50 years.... my folks (and now me) have a large house, close to Umass Amherst. Between my brothers and myself... and now my kids, there has always been multigenerational folks living together.

It has been interesting seeing how needs have changed over the years... from my folks helping me out when my kids were small and I was in college.. then later me helping my folks out as they aged in home. It has worked for us and been very rewarding.

 

[DisneyOma]

I think it boils down to the desire for privacy.

Um, do your bedrooms not have locking doors?

I think you’re comparing apples and oranges when it comes to generational homes US vs Europe . As I have posted previously in the US people move back home to save money on rent and utilities. Yes this is multi generational living but in Europe the 30 year old you’re referring to most likely has their own self sustaining apartment that just happens to be attached to their parents home. Yes there is cost savings here since land is very expensive so if you have let’s say one parental home and the zoning allows an add-on, many children will build their own home attached their parents house or build a basement out with separate entrance/ kitchen/ utilities . This is what my SIL did with her son. He basically just had to pay for building costs and got the plat for free. He also has his own utilities that he’s responsible for. Most Europeans that I know of that are in their 30s and still living at “home“ actually have their own apartment so it’s not like they’re walking down in their underwear having breakfast with their parents, lol.

Americans have The luxury of space and so when it comes to their building culture for many decades they would have a lot of unused space within their homes Because they simply could build humongous homes. It’s more luxury, status statement how big one’s home is even if they’re not using all the rooms. In Europe you rarely see a home owner that has a house that has rooms at aren’t used on a daily basis. I mean Who honestly uses their front “sitting room“ on a daily basis versus the family room attached to the kitchen Europeans don’t waste space like this and in most cases we use that additional lot space used to build a second generational home

Interesting perspective, but not necessarily true? Lots of stereotypes in your portrayal of US homes. We've got a housing crisis here in the US, lots of people cannot afford to buy land (which isn't as available as you think, unless you are talking about farms turning into housing developments) to build the McMansions you are talking about. Don't let the silly tv shows sway you to think that the majority of Americans live that way anymore. Sure, that was the glamourous image some rich developers wanted to make trendy, but that would require the middle class and lower class to actually have an income to support it. And there's plenty of land to build on in Europe, one would just have to move out of the more urban areas, just like in the US. Our family and friends in Norway, Ireland, England, and Lithuania have bought homes where there was lots of space.

 

[RamblingMad]

I grew up in one. But our home had two kitchens: one upstairs and one downstairs. But the square footage for each the downstairs and upstairs were each about 700 sqft. It was a small home, and now, it's over a hundred years old. I don't see homes being built with two kitchen.

 

[gmi3804]

I grew up in one. But our home had two kitchens: one upstairs and one downstairs. But the square footage for each the downstairs and upstairs were each about 700 sqft. It was a small home, and now, it's over a hundred years old. I don't see homes being built with two kitchen.

REALTOR here. I don't see many homes with downstairs kitchens here on the north shore of Chicago. Those that do are upper bracket homes that use that kitchen as a catering space for large parties. Those aren't the kinds of homes for your average multi-generational family. Homes in the city that have a second kitchen are rather small and don't offer much room for many people.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't understand why on earth people have such a need for independence or whatever that they can't possibly share with family.

I lived with my mom for 9 months after I graduated college. At that time she also had a tenant as well. All 3 bedrooms were right by each other and my room was a hallway space distance away. The tenant and I shared a wall, the tenant shared a wall with my mom. The downstairs bathroom was for the tenant's usage while the main bathroom was for guest usage as well as mine and my mom's usage. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

Several reasons have already been mentioned privacy, relationship with family, etc. My room was also quite tiny, my bed was a full sized bed and could only be placed one direction.

By code my mom cannot make the unfinished portion of the basement a living space because there is no access to get out (it has only window wells).

Even if the house was set up with separate spaces with kitchens and bathrooms available for all I do value my privacy quite a lot, I do value the ability to come and go as I please without concern for waking someone up, etc. It's also a reason why when my husband and I were getting married and looking at places to rent we didn't want an apartment having already done that separately for several years and a duplex ended up being not our cup of tea so it was nice we could rent a house. It is harder to do that these days with the rent prices but my wants extend out beyond just my family.

 

[RoseGold]

I don't understand why on earth people have such a need for independence or whatever that they can't possibly share with family.

Guess you haven't met my mom yet, LOL. Did you know that she knows how to do everything "right"?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think you’re comparing apples and oranges when it comes to generational homes US vs Europe . As I have posted previously in the US people move back home to save money on rent and utilities. Yes this is multi generational living but in Europe the 30 year old you’re referring to most likely has their own self sustaining apartment that just happens to be attached to their parents home. Yes there is cost savings here since land is very expensive so if you have let’s say one parental home and the zoning allows an add-on, many children will build their own home attached their parents house or build a basement out with separate entrance/ kitchen/ utilities . This is what my SIL did with her son. He basically just had to pay for building costs and got the plat for free. He also has his own utilities that he’s responsible for. Most Europeans that I know of that are in their 30s and still living at “home“ actually have their own apartment so it’s not like they’re walking down in their underwear having breakfast with their parents, lol.

Americans have The luxury of space and so when it comes to their building culture for many decades they would have a lot of unused space within their homes Because they simply could build humongous homes. It’s more luxury, status statement how big one’s home is even if they’re not using all the rooms. In Europe you rarely see a home owner that has a house that has rooms at aren’t used on a daily basis. I mean Who honestly uses their front “sitting room“ on a daily basis versus the family room attached to the kitchen Europeans don’t waste space like this and in most cases we use that additional lot space used to build a second generational home

What are the code requirements for germany in comparison to the U.S.?

Are they stricter or looser?

What's the inspection process for homes?

Are there permits required for converting spaces to actual living space like converting your dining room to a bedroom?

What about firewall codes to help reduce spreading from room to room?

What about smoke detectors?

And so on and so on. I'm just wondering because I know these all play a role here in space usage. Like I know when our house was built the inspection flagged the firewall between the kitchen and the dining room making the builders beef that up. The code requires an outlet every so many feet of wall space so in our dining room we have like 5 outlets lol, then we have a combo smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and they are more plentiful upstairs where 4 of the bedrooms are, each bedroom has one in it plus there are 2 in the upstairs hallway. Etc.