Yet, no matter how good-natured everyone is, sacrifices are inevitable. [One generation] wanted a washer and dryer on the main living level for their parents’ easy access, but that required making the living space smaller. So laundry facilities went downstairs…. “Melding design, finance and emotion is an art, not a science,” said the president of one design firm interviewed for the article. “Nevertheless, ‘if you’re creative, you’re willing and you have good relationships, you can make it happen. We’re average Joes and we did it,'” said another generation while a member of the third generation offered that “It’s not like some fairy tale where everyone is always happy and gets their way, but the benefits are better than the costs.”
Multigenerational Housing-The Growing Trend in Housing
Recently the Washington Post ran an article about multigenerational homes increasing in popularity. Homes with multigenerational family members are a growing trend begins with a story of a three-generation family living in one household. So is that what it means to have a multigenerational household? “Pew Research Center defines a multigenerational household as one with grandparents and grandchildren or with two or more adult generations. The trend since 1980 is more people living in multigenerational homes, and a higher number of multigenerational households….” according to a Pew expert quoted for the article. In 2016 the article notes, 20% of Americans live in multigenerational households. This trend has even affected builders who are designing some homes to accommodate these families. But it’s not all about the design, the article notes. There are costs, real and emotional, that come with multigenerational households. Design typically includes communal living spaces, such as a kitchen or living room. Compromise is the key to success here. As one of the families feeatured in the story offered
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