Successfully merging households and multiple generations requires a well-thought-out plan, whether it is to remodel your home or buy a new house with an eye toward adding on. “The tricky part is, you’ve got the immediate family and then you’re adding this new ingredient to the soup,” said Jerry Levine, president of the Levine Group Architects & Builders and president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s Metro D.C. Chapter. “People moving in need their own space.”
Although a tough economy produced more “boomerang households” with adult children moving back in with their parents, Levine said the majority of the requests he receives for multigenerational renovations are from adult children who are moving their parents in.
“Generally you don’t remodel when the kids bounce back because you’re waiting for the them to get the hell out again,” said John McIlwain, senior resident fellow for housing at Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit research and educational organization that advocates responsible use of land and creating and sustaining thriving communities. “When you bring your elderly parents home that’s frequently something you do for the remainder of their lives.”
A study by Pew Research Center in 2010 found one reason for the increase in multigenerational households is “kin availability,” which means there are more middle-age baby boomers — so parents have more adult children with whom they can live.
With aging parents, “the best thing is one-level living,” Levine said. “If it’s an older mom or dad, then stairs, up or down, generally is a problem that has to be solved.”
If purchasing to remodel, a large home with a wing off the main living area works best. This provides the family with access to a large kitchen and communal areas, such as family rooms and living rooms. Ramblers on large lots offer buyers the most possibilities for renovating to accommodate multiple generations.
“The most efficient and least expensive remodels are the ones in which you stay within the envelope of the existing house,” Levine said. “The next would be, either going out at the first level or going up a level.”
