A record 20% of Americans now live in multi-generational housing arrangements
The Pew Research Center recently announced that 20% of the U.S. population now lives in multi-generational homes – a new record.
This trend toward multiple generations of family living under the same roof started increasing in 2008 after bottoming out at 12% of the population in 1980. Now it’s common to hear about grandparents living with their children, Millenials staying at home into their 30’s, and similar multi-gen arrangements.
Some of the numbers behind this trend are amazing. As just one example, for the 18 to 34 year-old demographic, living with their parents at home surpassed all other living arrangements for the first time in more than 130 years. So back in 1890 it was less common for a 25-year old to live at home than today. Wow!
In short, housing arrangements in the U.S. are changing – and fast!
How is the multi-gen trend playing out in Denver’s real estate market?
Here at Focus Real Estate we’ve seen the multi-gen trend with our clients in Stapleton and other communities around Denver. I have many anecdotes:
There’s the client building a new Parkwood home in Stapleton that four generations (!) will live together in.
Or, in what I’ll call a slightly modified multi-gen living arrangement, there’s the client who built a new Wonderland home – and in order to stay as close as possible, grandma is moving in down the street!
And then there are the many clients who’ve added a bedroom and bathroom to their first floors or basements, knowing that even if they don’t need the extra space today, future buyers might place a premium on multi-gen floorplans.
How is the trend impacting Stapleton’s new home builders?
Stapleton’s builders are also taking note of the trend. Here are two examples from Stapleton’s new neighborhood, North End:
Lennar’s Next Gen Series
Lennar will be offering its popular Next Gen home series in North End. What is a Next Gen home exactly? Simply, it’s a home within a home. Each Next Gen floorplan includes both a single family home as well as a separate, luxury apartment … all under the same roof!
Check out this video tour I did of Lennar’s multi-gen SuperHome model a couple weeks ago.
The SuperHome is very similar to the Next Gen homes Lennar will be offering in North End.
As you can see from the video tour, each apartment includes a bedroom, walk-in closet, bathroom, living room, and kitchen. Also, there’s a separate private entrance for the apartment, so whoever lives in the apartment can enter either through the main home, or for example if you rent out the apartment, the tenant can enter the apartment through the private entrance.
The Next Gen floorplan is perfect for multi-gen families as well as for renting. Lennar will be offering four different floor plans in North End that were designed specifically for Stapleton and our alley-loaded lots. The four floor plans each come in one of three elevations – the Prairie, Shingle, or Craftsman. The homes are 3-4 bedrooms and range in size from 2,678 s/f to 3,171 s/f and will be offered in the low-$700s. Learn more in this post.
Lennar’s multi-gen models are popular both in Colorado and nationally. We expect the best Next Gen lots and models to be reserved quickly once they’re released in North End. If you’re interested, you can sign up with the Scoop for lot release and other info. on North End here.
Parkwood Homes
Semi-custom builders like Parkwood also offer multi-gen options. I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to consult our clients on modifying their floorplans to add two master suites to their second floors, create 1,500 square foot luxury apartments in their basements, and even add garden suites with separate entrances.
Here’s a great example of what you can do from a multi-gen perspective. Our wonderful clients Nathan and Amanda recently sold their Stapleton home and built a beautiful Parkwood in Littleton’s Sterling Ranch. Instead of opting for a formal dining room, Nathan and Amanda added a separate bedroom and bathroom on the first floor. Check out this 3D tour of their home.
When you enter their home via the 3D tour, turn left and you’ll walk into the bedroom and bathroom. It’s a simple floorplan change, but now Nathan and Amanda have a perfect guest suite, or they can use the space for a dedicated office, or they can use the suite as a multi-gen suite. So many options!
There may be other interesting aspects to the multi-gen trend that play out over time, which might be smaller – such as a rise in dual thermostat controls in homes – to potentially larger, like increasing demand for big ranch homes with no stairs. Regardless, expect the rise of multi-gen living to continue in Stapleton and beyond.
If you’re interested in learning more about multi-gen home options in Stapleton, I’d love to chat! Shoot me an e-mail at mariel@focus-realtors.com. Here at Focus Real Estate we’ve helped clients build, buy, and sell hundreds of homes with all of Stapleton’s builders. If you’re thinking about building a new home, I help with everything from providing clarity on upgrade pricing to design center consultations to providing 3D tours at no cost to you (like Nathan and Amanda’s 3D tour). I’d love to help you, too!
