Baby Boomers: Living with family but living independently

Paul Briand / examiner.com

The Boston Globe recently offered an update on the trend of Baby Boomers finding ways to maintain their empty-nest independence but without the loneliness for family that might accompany it.

Full disclosure: Yours truly is quoted in the story, head lined “In-law apartments suit baby boomers”.

The notion of multi-generational families living under a single roof is not new or unique. Certain cultures have had extended family sharing quarters for years. But some Baby Boomers want their cake and eat it too when it comes to family: They want access to their kids and grandkids, but they want the independence of living apart from them.

The Globe article cited the growing popularity of so-called NextGen homes being designed and constructed by Lennar, which describes the residences as a “home within a home.”

With a start primarily in Arizona, the number of communities where NextGen homes has grown to California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington state.

Jeff Roos, an executive at Lennar, told the Globe the idea “is to create space, independent living space within the floor plan of the home. It’s met with huge success.’’

There are a host of reasons why grandparents, their children, and their grandchildren are living together -- there might be health issues involved, economic reasons, or just the practical benefits of being together.

But, as one real estate broker noted in the story, a sense of independence is important for everyone.

“I think that lots of people recognize that in order for multigenerational living to be a success there needs to be a sense of privacy so one generation can feel like they can escape from the other,’’ Worcester real estate broker Erika Hall told the Globe.

Even too much cake is too much of a good thing.