With the increasing popularity of Accessory Dwelling Units across the United States, many people are asking questions like “What is a Mother-in-Law Suite?” In some senses, “mother-in-law suite” is one of many alternative names for an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU – if you don’t know what an ADU is, read this article first). However, despite many of these terms being used as a catchall that describe an ADU generally, a mother-in-law suite specifically refers to an ADU being used for a certain purpose, which, obviously enough, is to provide housing for a mother-in-law, or family members in general.
While to some, the idea of your mother-in-law moving into your home sounds like a nightmare, “multigenerational living” is trending upwards, with 12% of households being multigenerational in 1980, but 20% having at least 3 generations of family members living under one roof in 2016. This is very near to the all-time recorded high for this figure from 1950, when it hit 20%. And, according to Pew Research Center, 6 out of 10 adults who relocated from March to December of 2020 moved in with family members, leading some to believe that the number of multigenerational households has likely increased around 60% in this period of time. This would mean that nearly one-third of households are now living “multigenerationally” in the United States.
Of course there is no way to know what the future holds, and these trends could reverse as we (hopefully) return to the pre-pandemic, not-new, normal. However, many families are seeing benefits from having multiple generations under one roof, such as increased flexibility for childcare options, closer relationships between grandparents, grandchildren, and the parents of the grandchildren, peace of mind having grandparents close by and not in a healthcare facility that could close its doors to visitors at any time (as we witnessed in the height of the pandemic), as well as financial and other benefits. On the flip side, living with more people under one roof can also bring challenges such as feeling cramped / tight on space, disagreements over who gets to use what and when, who is responsible to clean, decreases in personal privacy, etc. We will see if the trend continues to move upwards as families weigh the pros and cons of bringing multiple generations of family members under one roof.
Adding fuel to the fire, in recent years, many state and local governments have changed zoning laws in ways that have made it easier for families to live closer together, through zoning reforms that lift barriers to building accessory dwelling units / mother-in-law suites. This is a national trend that, although increasing, may be far from its full potential at this time, as many city councils across the US are actively considering this issue as a top solution to the affordable housing crisis. This is another factor that may indicate that multigenerational housing is on the increase in the US.
Locally, the Colorado Springs City Council passed 3 new zoning ordinances in 2020 that made it much easier to build an Accessory Dwelling Unit in Colorado Springs. You can now build an accessory dwelling unit or mother-in-law suite on pretty much any property in town (contact StreamHome to find out if your property is eligible). These local zoning changes give you an opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of multigenerational housing, while at the same time maintaining as much of your privacy as possible.
At StreamHome, we love working with families that are trying to answer questions like “Where is my dad going to live?”, “Is there anything we can do with our extra space now that our kids have moved out?”, or “How can we provide housing for your mother without me having to see her?”. Whatever situation in life you are in, we would love to speak with you about your options. Feel free to call/text us at 719-644-6777, or send us an email to start@yourstreamhome.com. We would love to hear your stories about how multigenerational housing has impacted your life in one way or another, or how you are hoping it will impact your life in the future.
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