Builders across the nation are revamping home designs to meet the requirements of an increasing number of Americans who're now living with relatives.
The amount of so-called multi-generational households - where adults are living with their elderly mother and father or grown children - has leaped since the Great Recession forced Americans to reconsider living by themselves. Demographic professionals say it's set to go up further as baby boomers grow older, so-called "boomerang kids" walloped by the poor job market stay at home for a longer time and ethnic groups like Asians and Hispanics, who are very likely to live with relatives, carry on growing.
The housing sector is attempting to keep up with the changes with the addition of self-contained suites to single-family homes from North Carolina to California to allow families to stay close while keeping a greater degree of independence.
After World War II, Americans were motivated to move out of their parents' house when they hit their adult years and achieve independence at an earlier age. Within the following few decades, young families went out to survive on their own, separately from their mothers and fathers, in standard single-family homes.
Since 1980, however, the amount of families residing in multi-generational households has gradually risen, buoyed by a wave of immigration and late marriages. Following the start of the Great Recession, the amount leaped even higher - rising 10.5 percent inside a two-year period so that nearly 17 % of Americans lived in multi-generational homes by 2009, based on a report by the Pew Research Center.
Over the last year, builders and home designers began to react to the trend by rolling out floor plans for single-family houses which include a semi-independent suite having a separate entry, bathroom and kitchenette. Some suites also include their own laundry washing areas and outdoor decks for further privacy, though they maintain a link with the main home through an interior door.
Schultz Custom Homes and Remodeling offers affordable multi-generational housing design and building services for individuals living in the greater Charlotte, NC area. Please contact us today by calling 704-281-8496 or by visiting
www.NC-Bldr.com for additional information.
