A Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey finds that “most Americans have moved to a new community at least once in their lives, although a notable number — nearly four-in-ten — have never left the place in which they were born.”
People move. It’s one of the driving forces behind new home construction. Some of the more common lifestage categories residential designers focus on include singles, married, households with young children, working from home, empty nest, and seniors. But rather than targeting a specific lifestage with the expectation that the buyers will again move in a few years, what would a home design look like for people who like where they live and that would work for buyers throughout their lifetime – as well as the lifetimes of their children and grandchildren? That would be a paradigm shift.
Let the shift begin! For a single adult, Design Basics’ Tucker Terrace (#50039) home plan provides excellent rental income opportunities with its secondary bedroom suites. For a young professional couple, one of those suites may flex into a home office. When the first child comes along, the Tucker Terrace’s sun room becomes the perfect nursery. As the kids get older, they have their own space and parents appreciate the privacy of bedroom three when it comes to the kids’ online gaming. For empty nesters, the owners have wonderful accommodations when the kids, grandkids, and other family come to visit. As the owners get older, they’ll be glad for the wider doors and hallways, especially if one of them uses a walker or wheelchair.
Most successful multi-generational households have some agreed upon ground rules, and it’s easy to envision the Tucker Terrace accommodating three generations. Perhaps it’s an elderly brother or sister moving in, or a great niece who’s attending the local university. We’ve worked with a number of couples later in life who prefer not to sleep together due to snoring, noise from a CPAP machine, or other medical conditions where the Tucker Terrace’s separate suites are preferable. If a live-in caretaker is the optimal solution for mom and dad (or a wounded veteran returning home) suite three provides desirable privacy. There’s also an emerging market of older, non-related prospective buyers looking for a true “home” environment rather than an active adult campus.
For even further flexibility, the Tucker Terrace offers a second floor bedroom suite as well as a basement foundation for adding finished lower level living space. Imagine – one home for a lifetime. Imagine the marketing implications…imagine the financial ramifications…now that’s a game changer!
Other home plans that are a good fit for lifestages:
- Plan #56498 (the Josette) bedrooms 2 and 3 can be reconfigured as a second master suite.
- Plan #42302 (the Westerly) features a unique Casita design.
- Plan #50037 (the Toulouse) provides two bedroom suites.
Search our plans and specify search term “Split Bedrooms” for designs with multiple bedroom suites or the ability to create an additional suite.
