Common in other countries and cultures for many years, multi-generational living — where several generations of a family reside under one roof — is becoming increasingly popular in Australia. Here, the trend is being driven by housing affordability and changing family values as Aussie families embrace love, togetherness and the support that living under one roof brings.
In this article, we will explore the myriad benefits of this living arrangement and discuss how a knock down rebuild can provide the perfect home for you and your extended family. We’ll also touch upon the potential challenges associated with the choice of keeping your family under one roof.
Why embrace multi-generational living?
It’s now more common than ever for adults to stay in the family home for an extended period. Housing affordability means they may even choose to stay on once they have their own children. But it’s not just financial concerns that keep young adults at home for longer. Loneliness is a huge social problem in Australia, with more than two-thirds of young people admitting they often feel lonely.
The sense of disconnection from the greater world also affects older Australians. This isn’t surprising considering that a quarter of older Australians live alone. However, more families are now realising the benefits of providing support for elderly family members within the family unit instead of opting to use a care facility.
As well as adding more value to your home with a knockdown rebuild, upsizing your home will help you add more value and happy memories to your life. By making the most of the space on your block of land and building a home that’s future-proof, you’ll be able to share your home with aging loved ones when the time comes or allow your children to stay at home until they are ready to afford their own property.
1. Financial benefits
One advantage of living with each other is financial security for the whole family by sharing the burden of housing costs and household utility bills. The cost of groceries and other household expenses and services can also be shared, as can the expense of maintaining a home. Savings can also be made through childcare and eldercare arrangements.
2. Care arrangements
As well as providing love and the wisdom of life experience to younger generations, older relatives may be able to care for grandchildren and lessen the financial burden on the household. Similarly, having older relatives in your home provides them with care and support and can also reduce the cost of assisted living or other care arrangements.
3. Family dynamics
Multi-generational living can strengthen family ties by providing more time to spend with one another. Sharing laughter and making happy memories, passing down advice and knowledge, preserving traditions and providing understanding and support benefit all generations within the household.
Features to incorporate into a multi-generational home
Multigenerational living doesn’t have to strain relationships if floor plans are designed with potential future requirements in mind. Adding some of these features to your new home when undertaking a knock down rebuild will ensure enough space and privacy for the whole family.
- A larger dining area to accommodate everyone in the family for meal times.
- Multiple living rooms or a media room to give everyone their own space to relax or entertain.
- Extra powder rooms and bathrooms or an ensuite for each bedroom.
- Two master suites. In two-storey homes, you might have a master bedroom upstairs for parents and one on the ground floor to accommodate grandparents with mobility issues who can’t use stairs.
- Flexible living spaces that can change as the family grows.
- A larger kitchen with a walk-in pantry and multiple cooking zones.
- A multi-car garage.
- Easy to care for landscaping or larger swimming pools.
- Ample storage space.
- Dual occupancy homes or a granny flat, everyone has privacy while remaining close.
Challenges and solutions in multi-generational living
The key to successful multi-generational living is more than nailing the right floor plan. Cultivating understanding, patience, tolerance, kindness and compassion within your home will help overcome potential conflicts as you balance each generation’s different needs and expectations.
1. Privacy and personal space
Different generations may have different requirements regarding privacy and personal space. However, one of the benefits of starting from scratch with a knock down rebuild is that families can consider their needs when it comes to living arrangements and factor these into their house design. Take inspiration from display homes to get an idea of the design options and amenities available before you begin building to ensure you can get everything you need into one house.
2. Communication
Different values, lifestyles and communication styles can lead to conflict in multi-generational homes. Therefore, it’s important to address any misunderstandings or differences as soon as they arise by establishing clear and open lines of communication. Approaching differences within families with kindness and tolerance ensures you’ll come to a resolution that will suit everyone while keeping the peace.
3. Sharing responsibilities
Having an agreement regarding household chores, financial responsibilities, and care ensures everyone will be happy living under one roof. You might even like to write it to guarantee everyone is on the same page.
Why knock down and rebuild a multi-generational home?
There’s nothing like a home that’s too small or provides too little privacy to cause tension among different generations of a family. Deciding to knock down your family home to build one that accommodates several generations is a big decision, but there are plenty of benefits to starting from scratch.
- A new home can be customised with floorplans that suit your specific family or future needs.
- Build a home that optimises the best attributes of your block of land—for example, building a two-storey home on a sloping block to maximise views.
- Create an energy-efficient home that costs less to run and maintain.
- Make your house safer and minimise maintenance costs.
- Include modern amenities and technology that function for all family members and will help aging family members stay at home longer.
- Invest in the future by increasing the value of your home.
Unlock the door to multi-generational bliss
Multi-generational living in Australia can be a source of happiness, support and love. It can be an avenue to create cherished memories, celebrate life and share wisdom among generations. So, why not consider a knockdown rebuild with Vision Homes?
With Vision Homes, you can build your dream house without having to leave the neighbourhood you love. If your house needs a serious redesign or major upgrades, or it’s simply too small to fit everyone you love inside, let us help you create a home that’s a testament to your family’s unity.
Nobody builds better than Vision Homes
As knock down rebuild specialists, Vision Homes has been helping homeowners on the Central Coast, in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley for more than 20 years. Our company is large enough to offer you complete solutions for your project but small enough that we offer personalised service, and we guarantee to be with you every step of the way. If you’re after high-quality home designs combined with construction expertise and an outstanding reputation, look no further than Vision Homes.
If you’re curious about how Vision Homes can help you create the perfect multi-generational living space or have questions about our knock down rebuild services, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Contact us at (02) 4934 6666, and let’s start building your dream home today. Your family’s story is waiting to be written, and we’re here to help you make it beautiful.