[null, {"document_url": "http://epaper.dallasnews.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=81e2f42d-dea2-4cfd-ac5a-a89700dae628", "unformatted_src": "https://media.pagesuite.com/psapps/images/477d4063-b3a8-4411-979f-c2c1942b974f/494728c8-6e1f-41fd-9213-72024acfe885.jpg", "src": "https://media.pagesuite.com/psapps/images/477d4063-b3a8-4411-979f-c2c1942b974f/494728c8-6e1f-41fd-9213-72024acfe885.jpg", "formatted_filename": "c e f fd acfe"}, null, {"document_url": "http://epaper.dallasnews.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=81e2f42d-dea2-4cfd-ac5a-a89700dae628", "unformatted_src": "http://digitaledition.courant.com/tribune/left-image-arrow.png", "src": "http://digitaledition.courant.com/tribune/left-image-arrow.png", "formatted_filename": "left image arrow"}, null, {"document_url": "http://epaper.dallasnews.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=81e2f42d-dea2-4cfd-ac5a-a89700dae628", "unformatted_src": "http://digitaledition.courant.com/tribune/right-image-arrow.png", "src": "http://digitaledition.courant.com/tribune/right-image-arrow.png", "formatted_filename": "right image arrow"}, null]
Under one roof
Demand for multigenerational living space is on the rise Ben Torres/Special Contributor Multigeneration houses are one of the hottest trends in U.S. homebuilding, as aging parents and dependent children seek ways to put a new roof over their heads. This Lennar Homes model house comes with an extra suite inside. 

When Jill Hillâs kids want to visit grandpa, they donât have to go very far.

Hillâs father lives in his own four-room apartment built into the familyâs new house in North Fort Worth.

âHis home started needing repairs, and I thought somehow we had to find a way to make things better for him,â

Hill said. âWe toured a model of this house, and we were blown away with it.

âThis was the first one like it weâd ever seen.â

It probably wonât be the last.

Hillâs builder, Lennar Homes, and other major housing firms are expanding their offerings to include a selection of multigenerational homes.

The latest floor plans offer separate apartments or large living spaces for elderly parents or children inside a traditional single-family house.

In Lennarâs case, houses itâs building in Dallas-Fort Worth and around the country include a full apartment, not just some spare room behind the garage or stuck up in an attic.

The new houses have a living room, a full kitchen, an accessible bathroom and ample closet space on the ground floor. Thereâs a separate entrance and a door that leads into the main house.

Rising home purchase prices and skyrocketing apartment rents have made it tougher for some folks to find shelter, and a residence that can fit in multiple generations is an answer for more families.

âWeâve recognized that there is a significant need for families that is different than we were used to,â said David Grove, Lennarâs Dallas division president. âA lot of our buyers are families with aging parents or boomerang kids.

âWe are having tremendous success with these homes,â he said. âWe have sold hundreds of themâ since the program was launched three years ago.

Grove said Lennar has sold 69 NextGen houses in North Texas this year.

The separate suite takes up around 600 square feet, he said, in a house that ranges from about 3,200 to 4,300 square feet of total living space.

Because of the size and extra features, these properties donât come cheap.

An almost 3,500-squarefoot NextGen model home with two stories that Lennar is selling in Far North Dallas is priced at $558,999.

But if elderly parents are selling a property to move in with their families, that can help pay for the higher-priced model.

Lennar, which is one of the countryâs largest builders, is getting about 5 percent of its business from multigenerational housing.

âWe are actively marketing NextGen in about 326 communities nationwide, Grove said.

Fort Worth-based homebuilder D.R. Horton also sells a multigenerational home model that has a separate suite âdesigned to accommodate families with special needs, millennial and/or elderly family members.â

With aging baby boomers and more dependent older children, housing analysts expect to see a new wave of multigenerational housing.

A record 64 million Americans â or 20 percent of the U.S. residents â now live in multigenerational homes, according to a recent study by Pew Research Center. Thatâs up from 51.5 million in 2009.

âThere is huge demand for it,â said Paige Shipp of Metrostudy Inc. The primary demand is from families living with older family members.

âMore builders are offering these models,â she said. âThe problem is when you have two dwelling units in one house, a lot of municipalities wonât let that happen.â

In some West Coast communities, builders are offering new houses with separate âgranny flatsâ out back. But most suburban North Texas cities and homeowner associations prohibit that kind of construction.

Builders say that some cities prohibit them from having a separate entrance to their multigenerational suites or an extra full kitchen.

âThis housing type is still in its infancy in Dallas-Fort Worth,â said Residential Strategiesâ Ted Wilson. âThe concept is basically a home within a home.â

Hill would agree. âMy dad truly feels like he has his own home â heâs not living in his kidsâ house,â she said. âHe can do whatever he wants and doesnât disturb the rest of us.

âMy kids love having grandpa right here.â
