Creating the Perfect Mixed-Generation Home

With the high cost of living and a growing older population, more and more families have to live with their grown-up children or older parents. This is putting an increasing amount of strain on space, as more adults live within the property. For those who find themselves in a similar situation, there are a number of ways in which you can either increase the amount of space or use existing areas for different purposes.

This tendency for more grown-up children to live with their parents or older people to move back in with their children is starting to affect a larger percentage of the population. Data from Economic Lifestyle, a property company, found that around 900,000 people between the ages of 35 and 64 have at least one parent living with them. Last year, according to information from the Office for National Statistics, there were 3.3 million people between the ages of 20 and 34 who lived at home with their parents, which is the highest number ever recorded.

Increasing Space

For some families, the only way to successfully accommodate an expanding family is to move house. In fact, some couples are choosing to do so in advance, as they realise that children will undoubtedly move back after university or parents will come to live with them. Research for Royal Mail found that nearly 50% of those parents who had moved within the last six months have increased the size of their property.

However, it’s not always practical to move to a bigger home. The location of a current property could be crucial for work or school; there are usually significant costs associated with moving, including legal fees, stamp duty and removal serves; and there is a huge amount of inconvenience in having to sell your property and buy another one. For these reasons, some families choose to create specific areas for the different groups within the house. Building a loft conversion, creating an extension or developing an annexe are all ways that would enable people to live independently, but within the same property.

You might not want to separate off the different sections of a property and be quite happy to live together with the various generations. A property of this type will still need an increased amount of space to accommodate everyone successfully. This can be achieved by extending the space that’s available already. For example, you might want to extend the living space out into the garden to create another room or a conservatory, or you might have a Grand Design balcony in mind. There’s also the ability to utilise the space you already have, such as turning an unused dining area or garage into a bedroom or creating your Grand Design balcony as a space for eating and relaxing.

A mixed-generation home can offer many advantages, and it doesn’t have to cause pressure on space. By creating a home that works for you, everyone will be able to live together.