Tammy Maloney and her partner, Mary Condorodis, live in Arlington just five houses down from Tammy’s mother, who is 74.
The arrangement is on purpose. Fifteen years ago, Maloney’s father suggested he and his wife move there so she would have someone nearby to take care of her after he was gone.
Now four years since his death, the families are planning to move again, this time into one house designed for two generations.
“It’s just too much to maintain two homes,” Maloney said. “We both work 60 hours a week and it’s hard for us.”
Plus, her mother, Lois, adds, they’re paying two sets of bills.
It’s something the sales associates at ICI Homes are hearing more and more. As many as 20 percent of home shoppers at the company’s Tamaya community want a multigenerational option, they said.
“We don’t actively advertise it. People just ask for it,” sales manager Lisa Sarraf said.
A niche product, multigeneration homes are on the rise.
The American Institute of Architects last year reported 54 percent of architects nationwide see demand for such designs increasing.
What builders consider a multigenerational design can vary, though.
There’s flex space, which can used as an extra bedroom. Or, there’s an upstairs bonus room that contains a kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom for even more privacy. Or, there’s an entire suite.
In addition to ICI Homes, Lennar, Toll Brothers, Cornerstone Homes, GreenPointe Homes and Richmond American Homes have all advertised they carry multigenerational designs.
One of the most elaborate is Lennar’s NextGen “home within a home.”
The suite’s floor plan includes a kitchen with cooktop, living room, bedroom, bathroom and laundry area. A door at one end provides access to the main home and a second door at the other end lead to a private outdoor entrance.
NextGen first launched in Phoenix in 2011. By mid-2014, the product had expanded to 201 communities and grown to over 7 percent of homes delivered by the company.
The National Association of Realtors’ 2015 Homebuyers Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report said 13 percent of all U.S. buyers purchased a multigenerational home last year.
The most common reason for the living arrangement was children over 18 moving back into the house (37 percent), followed by the caretaking of parents (21 percent).
The recession is what drove adult children to move in with parents in greater numbers, said Kermit Baker, chief economist for the AIA. It’s a market influence that will subside as housing recovers.
But demographics are behind middle-aged adults caring for elderly parents in greater numbers. Baby boomers are now aging and multigenerational homes are one of the lifestyles they are choosing.
ICI Homes sales associate Cindy Voyles said in Tamaya, the buyers choosing multigenerational homes are overwhelmingly families caring for aging parents.
“A lot of times we’ll see just one aging parent, the other has passed away,” Voyles said. “The children want the parent to not have to maintain a whole house. But the parent still wants their independence.”
Sarraf said multigenerational buyers have been in the market for years. But the opening of Tamaya 18 months ago jumpstarted demand for it from her company.
That’s because of new floor plans that more easily accommodate multigenerational living. And, because ICI Homes offers enough customization to attract that kind of customer.
For Maloney’s mother, ICI Homes exchanged a four-bedroom design for two master suites at opposite ends of the house. She will also have her own private sitting area.
For Maloney, it’s a solution for her mother that was compelling.
“It was tough to find a builder that would modify a home enough, and ICI Homes was willing to do that,” she said. “Other builders were willing to move a door, something simple.”
Maloney also didn’t want a design that separated her mother from the family.
“We wanted two owner suites, so that she would have as much room as us,” Maloney said. “But the main part of the house, that’s for all of us. It’s a home for us all.”
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