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The Multigenerational Housing Challenge
It seems that whenever I talk to anyone these days, people are facing new living challenges within their home. Karen is remodeling a bathroom to be handicap friendly for her handicap elderly mother. Donna has her daughter and son in law, and 3 grandchildren living in the basement. Plus Sue has an adult child, and elderly parent living with her. These combined living situations are not something new, but are becoming more prevalent with the "Sandwich Generation", "Baby Boomers", and coupling that with the credit crisis in housing. Immigrant families have been having multigenerations living together as a way to handle economic challenges for some time. 
Carol Abaya of www.sandwichgeneration.com gives refined definitions to "sandwich generation".
Carol's website, information products, seminars and lectures are aimed at the emotional, and role reversal challenges people face in any of the type of sandwich situations. It is well worth the visit to her website. The club sandwich situation is one that is rearing up again and again. Not only from aging parents needing to live with their children, but the adults having adult children with or without their own children returning home.
Another example is from Terri Kresin at intergenerationalhomes.com. In 2005 - 06 her siblings and her had a need for a home built for multi-generational purposes, to care for their elderly parents. They needed a place where they could live in the same house, but have privacy for both generations, but provide care and support for them. At that time they were unable to find what they needed. Now, because of what they experienced, Terri and her brother, Marvin L. Niedens (the builder in the family), have determined to help others in the same type of predicament. They have recently built a multi-generational house in Wichita, Kansas, and hope to build more.
With the current credit crisis in housing, and the changing mortgage market, more and more young adults are needing to turn to their parents for help, and many times move in with Mom and Dad to get financially stable. If suitable housing is available to give privacy to each family unit, some families may feel it is just better to combine their financial resources and have one another as support. I am not saying that adult children should not be self sufficient, but with changing times in the economy, the alternate plan of living in the same house in private units may become very prolific.
When searching the internet for plans, I was able to find some under the 3.000 sq. ft. Some had a mother - law apartment with handicap and aging features, with a larger living area for the caretaker family unit. Also, some had basements set up as separate living areas, for the younger generation and their children. With a home like this, as needs change, one of the family units may move into the other portion of the house. This would be when the smaller apartment would no longer be used, and the family unit in the larger part of the house would move into the apartment, and the younger generation, or even great grandchildren would move into the larger part.
Other plans for multigenerational living areas, had a separate house attached to the garage. In some localities, this is harder to get zoning approval. Another consideration should be given to the size of garages, and parking areas. Larger garages, or ample parking areas to allow for each to not block the othe
When I discussed this with my Twitter friends, my friend Teri Lussier said she was just talking to her mother, about how her mom grew up in a home as a child with her mother, and grandparents in the same house, and her great grandparents across the alley. Her next tweet was this: "Mom loved being a kid and having 3 other generations to learn from and love. Surrounded by love ain't a bad thang ". Teri is an agent in the Dayton area, and has a blog, The Brick Ranch.
Here's the challenge to investors, developers, builders, city councils, and zoning boards. Some of you are still building. Some of you are not, but as a whole you are a resilient group. When things open up to start building again, don't just think and do the same as before, but think multi-generational housing. This is my predication of the trend of now and the future.
Let me hear your comments. Leave them below!
If you liked this post, why don't you SUBSCRIBE!
Or, post to these social directories!
Carol Abaya of www.sandwichgeneration.com gives refined definitions to "sandwich generation".
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Traditional: those sandwiched between aging parents who need care and/or help and their own children. |
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Club Sandwich: those in their 50s or 60s, sandwiched between aging parents, adult children and grandchildren. OR those in their 30s and 40s, with young children, aging parents and grandparents. (Term coined by Carol Abaya) |
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Open Faced: anyone else involved in elder care. (Term coined by Carol Abaya) |
Carol's website, information products, seminars and lectures are aimed at the emotional, and role reversal challenges people face in any of the type of sandwich situations. It is well worth the visit to her website. The club sandwich situation is one that is rearing up again and again. Not only from aging parents needing to live with their children, but the adults having adult children with or without their own children returning home.
Another example is from Terri Kresin at intergenerationalhomes.com. In 2005 - 06 her siblings and her had a need for a home built for multi-generational purposes, to care for their elderly parents. They needed a place where they could live in the same house, but have privacy for both generations, but provide care and support for them. At that time they were unable to find what they needed. Now, because of what they experienced, Terri and her brother, Marvin L. Niedens (the builder in the family), have determined to help others in the same type of predicament. They have recently built a multi-generational house in Wichita, Kansas, and hope to build more.
With the current credit crisis in housing, and the changing mortgage market, more and more young adults are needing to turn to their parents for help, and many times move in with Mom and Dad to get financially stable. If suitable housing is available to give privacy to each family unit, some families may feel it is just better to combine their financial resources and have one another as support. I am not saying that adult children should not be self sufficient, but with changing times in the economy, the alternate plan of living in the same house in private units may become very prolific.
When searching the internet for plans, I was able to find some under the 3.000 sq. ft. Some had a mother - law apartment with handicap and aging features, with a larger living area for the caretaker family unit. Also, some had basements set up as separate living areas, for the younger generation and their children. With a home like this, as needs change, one of the family units may move into the other portion of the house. This would be when the smaller apartment would no longer be used, and the family unit in the larger part of the house would move into the apartment, and the younger generation, or even great grandchildren would move into the larger part.
Other plans for multigenerational living areas, had a separate house attached to the garage. In some localities, this is harder to get zoning approval. Another consideration should be given to the size of garages, and parking areas. Larger garages, or ample parking areas to allow for each to not block the othe
When I discussed this with my Twitter friends, my friend Teri Lussier said she was just talking to her mother, about how her mom grew up in a home as a child with her mother, and grandparents in the same house, and her great grandparents across the alley. Her next tweet was this: "Mom loved being a kid and having 3 other generations to learn from and love. Surrounded by love ain't a bad thang ". Teri is an agent in the Dayton area, and has a blog, The Brick Ranch.
Here's the challenge to investors, developers, builders, city councils, and zoning boards. Some of you are still building. Some of you are not, but as a whole you are a resilient group. When things open up to start building again, don't just think and do the same as before, but think multi-generational housing. This is my predication of the trend of now and the future.
Let me hear your comments. Leave them below!
If you liked this post, why don't you SUBSCRIBE!
Or, post to these social directories!
Posted by Kathleen Couch at 1/14/2009 3:13 PM 
Categories: multigenerational housing, Economics
Tags: multigenerational housing economic challenges health challenges new housing model
Categories: multigenerational housing, Economics
Tags: multigenerational housing economic challenges health challenges new housing model
Hi Kathleen-
Thanks for the mention!
I was thinking more about this as well. My mom grew up in a city during the Depression and the war. I doubt anyone felt the need to name this experience, "Sandwich" or otherwise, it was simply how families survived during tough times.
My dad lived with his older sister for a few years. Mom's family took in one of her high school friends for her senior year- 60 years later they remain best friends! No one had money- they lived in a ghetto- but they had an abundance of love and the ability to adjust and be flexible and resilient.
I think that if you have the resources to build with multi-generations in mind, then that's great. New homes must be built to accommodate disabilities as a norm. But I also agree that we will begin to see an adjustment in what we now consider standard living arrangements.
Recent blog post: The 7.5 Steps to buying a home
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A home is the one which has a family just like the family in the above image
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The elderly people is the concern of everyone.
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