Multi-generational living is bringing families closer together, especially as parents move in with their adult children.
Sometimes the decision is focused on finances, reducing the number of mortgages and sharing the cost of living in a home.
Other times, grandparents are taking care of grandchildren, or adult children are caring for aging parents.
Builders are adapting and updating homes to add space, privacy and aging-in-place features.
Anthony F. Pourhassen, owner of Highlight Homes, said he's been asked numerous times in the past couple of years to design and build additions to accommodate parents.
Interior designer Randi Destefano has been asked to look at potential properties with clients.
"They'll call me in to view a house with them and their real estate agent, just to see how much work might need to be done to make that house livable and to maybe get two masters," said Destefano, owner of Atlanta-based Authentic Living Interiors and a member of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association's 50+ Housing Council.
"Sometimes it means they don't get that house because it's going to be cost-prohibitive."
Here are a few of the options, when baby boomers or elderly parents move in with their kids:
TRANSFORMING THE GUEST HOUSE
A guest house, carriage house or pool house can take on a new role.
Dave Radlmann, owner of Heirloom Design Build, is building houses in Atlanta with carriage houses up to 700 square feet.
"On all the houses, we're definitely thinking about accommodations for people's in-laws or parents," Radlmann said. "If the lot can accommodate it, we already try to get a carriage house with living quarters in it. This will help create a little more separation between both families."
The floor plans separate the bedroom from the living/dining area and kitchen, or it can be open to the living area, with a partial wall or no wall. But he said some people are concerned that a separate space will be an eyesore."They can fit very well in the landscape and be an accent for your yard," he said.
For these and other structures, homeowners need to check with your municipality to make sure they are allowed on your property, Destefano said.
"You, the new caregiver, can rest easily knowing you are going to step out the door and know your mom is OK," said Margaret Barnett, an interior designer and owner of Barnett+Co.
EXPANDING THE HOME
Some families desire to expand the size of the home, adding a second master bedroom or other spaces.
"I have had people add a master suite and then turn over the original master suite to that aging parent," said Mark Buelow of Distinctive Remodeling Solutions, based in Roswell, Georgia. "You're truly creating value because you're adding a bedroom with a bath."
The National Association of Home Builders says "shadow units," which are built alongside the home or separate units that access the main floor, are a trend in multi-generational living.
BUILDING OUT THE BASEMENT
When Edith Wichser's father-in-law, Bill, moved in into her Roswell home, the obvious choice was to finish their basement. Working with Mark Buelow of Distinctive Remodeling Solutions, Edith and her husband, Karl, outfitted the basement with a bedroom, bathroom, living area, office and kitchen.
The entrance to his bedroom has three-foot-wide doorways. In the kitchen, an area was recessed underneath the sink, in case a wheelchair was needed. The bathroom has a curbless shower with a built-in bench and slip-resistant tile.
