When it’s elderly parents moving in with their children, grown children moving back in with parents, or siblings moving in together, multigenerational and extended family living arrangements have made a comeback. Living with family could be a blessing to all parties, helping conserve cash, giving small ones longer time with grandparents and bringing families closer together. Obviously, it is not without its challenges — that is where this ideabook comes in.

Below are hints for taking advantage of living with family. Please share your experiences in the Remarks.

Vin Nevertheless Architecture

1. Have a sit-down chat early on. Before you break out the moving boxes, then take a while to sit down together and discuss how you want to handle the fundamentals. Bills, grocery shopping, showers, noise and pets are a few of the topics you may choose to pay for, but include anything else you want — it is a lot easier to talk about these things until they become an issue.

Jeni Lee

2. Produce a plan for tackling conflicts. It can be valuable to decide beforehand how you want to handle conflicts — perhaps schedule a monthly home meeting when anyone can bring up issues.

Cardea Building Co..

3. Make space. In-law studios and units are perfect when parents are moving, but not everybody has this choice. If you’re all sharing the exact same home, provide a few extras (such as an in-room coffee bar) that will offer your new housemates more freedom.

Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects

4. Carve out personal space for children. Moving into Grandma and Grandpa’s home can be a fun experience for kids. But even the tiniest family members can benefit from a bit of personal space to call their very own. Encourage kids to hang up their own artwork, unpack preferred toys and customize their space.

For siblings who have been accustomed to having their very own rooms, suddenly having to share could be a jolt. Try hanging drapes to section off bunk beds, and establish a small desk or reading nook for each kid.

Studio Sarah Willmer Architecture

5. Figure out ways to maintain patterns. Routines are especially important to young children, so do your best to maintain the very same schedules and patterns you had prior to the change in your living situation.

Emily Campbell

6. Label and organize. Whether you’re suddenly sharing space together with your little brother, sister, mother or father-in-law, it will not hurt to amp up the tagging and business. Concentrate on a few key areas (kitchen, bath, linen cupboard) and you might find yourself answering fewer “Where is that … ?” questions.

Kaia Calhoun

7. Bond over a DIY project. Call on everybody to pitch in and work on a home project together. Gather a family photo wall, create some DIY artwork, paint a vintage piece of furniture or plant a tree in the backyard. Get creative and have fun with it!

Frederick + Frederick Architects

8. Create a date for household time. Even if you lead busy lives, create a point of keeping a normal date for household time. Pick something that everybody can get excited about — a big Saturday-morning pancake breakfast, a backyard barbecue or film night, as an example.

Louise Lakier

Tell us : Can you or have you ever lived with extended family? Do you intend to one day? Share your tales and tips in the Comments!

Next: More Living Space — Making Room for Family

See related