3 ms·
> Which is probably fine for a nuclear family, but in my neighborhood, such homes are largely occupied by multigenerational families. In that case, build a dup
by crooked-v 6y ago
> Which is probably fine for a nuclear family, but in my neighborhood, such homes are largely occupied by multigenerational families.
In that case, build a duplex or triplex designed with easy (but lockable) access between units. That gives you a lot of living area, and the same building is also suitable for housing multiple families if it ever changes hands.
> In areas closer to colleges and universities, those homes end up being shared by large groups of students.
Multi-unit buildings with each unit shared between two people, or (now also allowed by the new zoning) 'cottage cluster' arrangements with a number of physically separate homes sharing one driveway/common area.
- tandr 6y agoThese rules (lockable access between units) work well for student-occupied dwellings, but not so much for multi-generation families, that have a completely different dynamics of what "shared" and "private" areas are, and how they are used.
- crooked-v 6y agoI don't really understand what the drastic difference there is supposed to be. If you want to use all the units as a shared living space, just leave the common-area connecting doors propped open. This is functionality that many duplex and triplex units already have.
- SaintGhurka 6y agoWouldn't joining 2 duplexes needlessly duplicate common areas? I would think a large multigenerational family might want a large family room rather than 2 small ones. Likewise the kitchens. They'd have 2 kitchens, one extraneous and both of them insufficient for the task.