Living with your mother-in-law under one roof? Can it be done?
Sure, say home builders, as long as you have a kitchen for every woman in the house.
Changing up floor plans to suit multi-generational families under one roof is one example of how builders are responding to buyer needs in an increasingly diverse real estate world.
A trend noted at the National Association of Real Estate Editors Conference in New Orleans earlier this month: a more diverse U.S. population means many home builders are fielding requests for amenities reflecting the cultural needs and preferences of an increasingly global customer base.
Jim Lemming, president of Partners in Building, a custom homebuilder in the Houston and Austin markets, cited the growing Asian and Middle Eastern population in Houston as an example of influencers pushing for different amenities.
“These households are demanding multi-generational living, multiple master bedrooms, and suites for aging parents,” he said during the homebuilding outlook panel discussion at the June conference.
Other such nuances Lemming cited were requests for prayer rooms and a desire for a second kitchen. Food-centric cultures require elaborate (and often messy) meal creation, and homeowners may want one kitchen that’s a showpiece up front, and a second kitchen that bears the brunt of the cooking. Think of the trend toward sculleries that Candy noted last year. You have the entertaining space up front, and all of the mess and dirty dishes hidden behind the main kitchen.
(Or is where you put your mother-in-law? We kid!)
Unfortunately, local governments have not always caught up with the cultural changes.
In some municipalities in the Houston area, for example, regulations outlaw second kitchens in the home. That is also the case in many parts of Dallas. The law is intended to keep single family homes from renting separate apartments on the same lot, a point of contention for urbanists who want more affordable housing options in hot neighborhoods. But Lemming expects the ordinances to eventually change, and families will get their multiple kitchens.
In the meantime, savvy builders intent on selling homes will be meeting the needs, as best they can, of these segments of the population which are becoming increasingly influential in the new home market.
