Innovative designs house generations under one roof

While attending a Christmas party three years ago, Tucson-area resident Tom Moser was inspired to make a dramatic change.

He noticed that the hosts had built an addition onto their home to accommodate aging parents, and it made Moser wonder why he and his wife, Kristin, were living in a big home while his 80-something father lived across town by himself. Moser said he knew his dad wasn't thriving in that environment, and he knew something had to be done; he just wasn't sure what.

"At the party, I had flashbacks to what I'd seen as a young boy," said Moser, an Indiana native who grew up around Amish and Mennonite families; the latter would sometimes connect their homes. "And I got to thinking that my parents gave so much to myself, my sister and my brother. It was time for me to give something back."

'He feels he has a palace'

Moser decided he could best do that by having his father move in to his home, but he didn't see a way to build onto his two-story home. So he went online to explore other options, and in a few minutes' time, he discovered there was a subdivision a few miles away that offered Lennar Homes floor plans designed specifically for multiple generations living under one roof.

Today, he and his wife live in a 3,000-square-foot NextGen home, known as the Home Within a Home, while his father, Lee, lives in the adjacent "mini home" on the property. Attached by a door to the main home, the mini home is set up like a hotel suite with its own bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchenette — although there's no range because that would change the suite's designation to a duplex — and a separate entrance, which gives everyone privacy.

"They're visionaries, so hats off to them for coming up with this design that couldn't be any better," Moser said of the builder.

Moser said his father was thrilled to move into the mini home, which he's decorated with trophies from his sporting accomplishments and antiques that were special to his late wife — distinctly different from the main home.

"He feels he has a palace, and he does, because when you're with the people you love, that's what means so much," Moser said.

'It makes sense to live together'

Christine Espinoza, a Realtor with HomeSmart Elite Group, said she has consistently seen a demand for multigenerational housing over the past several years. Those buyers are typically Baby Boomers in search of a casita, an attached suite or even a converted garage space to accommodate aging parents.

"I've had several clients say, 'I need a house that has a casita because my mom's going to be living with us,' " she said, adding that she believes the recent housing crisis and increasing health-care costs have a lot to do with the trend. "Health care is so expensive, you can eat up your savings so fast living in an assisted-living facility, and a lot of these older parents don't need all the extra care but they're paying for it. That's why it makes more sense to live together."

Mike Dowell, senior vice president of marketing for Lennar Homes' Arizona division, said the Home Within a Home line has been available since late 2011, when the initial floor plan, dubbed "Evolution," debuted in the East Valley subdivision of Layton Lakes. Today, there are 13 NextGen floor plans, nine single-story versions and four two-story options; some suites even have a one-car garage, patio or second bedroom. In fact, he added, the line represented about 25 of the company's home sales in 2014. From the beginning, the goal was to have a stand-alone home but also make the suite an integral part of the architecture. With these homes, Dowell said, "you don't know (the suite's) there."

Although 68 percent of families who bought a Home Within a Home use the expansive suite for older parents, the additional space offers other uses as well. Dowell said another 14 percent of buyers use the space to accommodate adult children, 10 percent use it as a home office, 4 percent use it as a guestroom, 2 percent convert it into a "man cave" and another 2 percent use it to house a roommate. The beautiful thing about the concept, he noted, is that it evolves with a family's changing needs. Today, a suite might serve as a craft room, tomorrow it might serve as a lair for college-age boomerang kids and, 15 years from now, it might be a home base for elderly relatives.

"The difference between the NextGen series of homes is that people actually need the NextGen home, based on their life," he said. "Every other home is usually a 'want' home."

Flexibility is key to today's homebuilding

Lennar is far from being the only builder attuned to this rising need. Dennis Webb, vice president of Tempe-based Fulton Homes, said some of Fulton's floor plans allow homebuyers to carve out an in-law suite by converting a two-car garage, then adding an oversize RV garage for vehicle storage.

"Everyone wants a little bit different configuration," he said, and the key to successful homebuilding right now is flexibility. Indeed, he said Fulton Homes' ability to customize a comfortable guest suite, at a reasonable price, has landed the company sales that might not otherwise have happened.

Moser's sister was so impressed by the setup he'd found that she and her husband decided to purchase the home to the left of the Mosers, complete with a mini home for her in-laws. Then, Moser's mother-in-law decided to move from her longtime Phoenix home and purchased the home to the right of their house. Although the lifestyle his family has chosen is not for everybody, he said he thinks multigenerational options are going to be more of the norm in the future.

"With the economics we're all facing, I think this will push people to live together," he said.