One in five Australians live in multi-generational households
Recent studies indicate that one in five Australians currently live in a multi-generational household.
Research also show that the trend is on the rise. While this was once the norm in many households, where the young help care for the older generation, the custom of multi-generational homes experienced a downturn in past decades.
There’s a strong trend towards multi-generational living, particularly in Sydney and its surrounds, where property prices continue to rise. And it’s happening in a couple of different ways with young people staying home longer, older generations sharing, and people looking for affordable investment opportunities.
Dr Edgar Liu from UNSW’s City Futures Research Centre and author of 'Living Together: The rise of multigenerational households in Australian cities', says research has found that more than half of people living in this arrangement do so due to financial reasons, while others do it for companionship.
Social contact is known to have positive benefits for both physical and mental health. Social interaction with others builds valuable relationships and gives us a deeper sense of belonging.
Leading home builder ANSA Homes has noted this trend and now offers a number of designs that can be configured to be two homes under one roof, and even three homes under one roof.
ANSA Homes Founder and Managing Director, Mark Maloney says “there can be negatives if the actual dwelling isn’t suitable for multi-generational living like lack of privacy, noise transference, clashing of schedules in kitchens and bathrooms, lack of space and lack of independence.
“And while it would be great to able to build a separate granny flat in the backyard there often isn’t space for this option. We’re seeing a growing demand for new home designs that can accommodate several generations in their own private areas.
“We work closely with all our clients to understand the needs of the family and design a solution that suits the individual family. We believe it’s really important to understand that you don’t have to live in each other's pockets and the home can be independent.
“This trend also goes hand-in-hand with the trend towards knocking down an existing home and rebuilding. It means you get to stay in the same neighbourhood but build a brand new home to suit the needs of all family members,” added Maloney.
Established suburbs often have larger blocks of land than the new outer suburbs making them ideal to build a large home that will accommodation several generations under one roof. And by pooling the family’s housing costs it becomes a very affordable option.
ANSA Homes has 14 multi-generational living designs that can be adapted to your needs with a house and granny flat in one.
An example of a multi-generational home is Lellah 39 where there is a total of six-bedrooms including a self-contained studio.