A larger number of homeowners are planning to age in place, requiring adjustments to make their homes more accessible for them as they grow older. Likewise, many households are becoming multi-generational, with families desiring to take care of aging parents and grandparents or adult children still living at home to study and save for their own home. With this in mind, Domain presented several tips for designing and remodeling homes with multiple generations in minds.
Privacy and Separation
The main objective when designing a multi-generational home is to create a well-organized space that ensures good relations among family members.
The key is providing adequate space for the whole family to come together, as well as places where members can retreat and enjoy some solitude. Whether an upstairs loft with a door, or a backyard granny flat with its own entrance, private areas are important for space separation.
Future Planning
Mobility and accessibility within the home are important as parents age. A focus on universal design helps create a home that can be used by people of all ages, abilities, and mobility levels, without the need for adaptation or specialized interventions.
Bathrooms and toilets must be cleverly thought through to ensure comfort and safety, while still managing to be aesthetically pleasing. Finishes and furniture in communal spaces should aim to suit all family members, with generation-specific pieces left to bedrooms and private quarters.
One Home, Many Uses
The most critical component of a multi-generation home is its ability to offer spaces that have multiple functions or allow multiple preferences within any one space.
The trick is not to design or customize an area to the point where it can't be modified. Forward planning of utilities such as plumbing and electrical wiring, even internal framing, is therefore crucial, and can potentially prevent further renovations in the future.
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