There’s a whole host of reasons that you might consider living with relatives. Maybe you’re looking to cut costs, and a joint household is a way to live more cheaply as you can all split the bills. Perhaps you’re looking after an ill or elderly relative, or want to keep them company after their partner has passed away. Maybe it makes sense from a practical point of view, moving in with parents for example gives you access to childcare when you need it. But there’s a lot to think about when multiple generations or family units decide to move in together. If you have different values and ideas, it could potentially cause issues or arguments later down the line. If you want to live with relatives but aren’t sure if you could make it work in a standard household, here are a few options to consider.

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 A House With a ‘Secondary  Suite’

If you are going to be living with parents or grandparents for example who don’t need too much space, a secondary suite or ‘granny flat’ could be a good option. You have a standard home to live in with your partner and children, and your relatives could live in this which is separate and self-contained but still right nearby. You can easily have them in to visit and share family meals etc, but you both still have your own set of living spaces.

A Dual Occupancy House

A dual occupancy home splits up one home into two, offering a second area to live in all under the main roof. Creating this separate area is dramatically cheaper than creating a second, standalone home. A dual occupancy property doesn’t need a second title, meaning you save on rates and taxes. Browsing through dual occupancy house designs will let you know if this is something that will work for your situation.

A Multi – Family House

Unlike a dual occupancy home which is one home split into two (often with an extension to increase the space) a multi-family home is essentially two homes joined together. This gives you the benefit of both having a full, large home to live in without compromising on space. It’s likely to be tricky to find something like this to rent, your best bet would probably be to have it built from scratch. This will work out cheaper overall but can be daunting especially if you have never been involved in property building or renovation. Make sure you get the right help and advice.

Houses Next Door To Each Other

While this isn’t technically living together (and you won’t benefit from reduced costs or bills from sharing), it’s still a good way to go about it if you just want to live close by to each other. For things like family child care or checking up on an elderly/ sick/ disabled relative, this option would still work. It might take a while for something suitable to come up so start your search early, or again you could choose to build from scratch.

Would any of these options appeal to you?