Multigenerational Living: Designing a Custom Home with an In-Law Suite
Multigenerational living isn't a new idea, but it's having a massive moment. According to the National Association of Realtors, 17% of all home purchases in 2024 were multigenerational: an all-time high. One in five Gen X buyers (the "sandwich generation" juggling aging parents and growing kids) chose a multigenerational home in 2025. And Pew Research data shows nearly 60 million Americans now live with multiple generations under one roof.
The driving forces aren't surprising: housing costs are steep, eldercare is expensive, and families are rethinking what "close to family" actually looks like. What's changed is that builders and architects have gotten much better at designing homes that make multigenerational living work — not as a compromise, but as a genuine upgrade to how families live.
If you're planning a custom home and thinking about including an in-law suite, here's what we've learned from designing them.
What Counts as an "In-Law Suite"?
The term gets used loosely, so let's clarify. An in-law suite can mean anything from a private first-floor bedroom with its own bathroom to a fully self-contained apartment with a kitchen, living area, and separate entrance. In the custom home world, we typically see three levels:
Private Bedroom Suite
A first-floor bedroom with a full private bathroom and walk-in closet. Shares the main home's kitchen and living areas. Great for parents who want to be part of daily family life.
Semi-Independent Suite
Bedroom, bathroom, small sitting area, and kitchenette — plus a separate entrance. Allows independence for daily routines while staying connected for meals and family time.
Full In-Law Apartment
A complete living space with full kitchen, living room, bedroom, bath, laundry, and private entrance. Functions as a self-contained home — attached to or detached from the main house.
The right choice depends on your family's situation today — and where you see things heading in five or ten years. A parent who's fully independent right now may eventually need more support. A boomerang adult child needs different things than a grandparent. We always encourage clients to think about the long game.
Designing for Privacy and Connection
The number one concern families raise about multigenerational living is privacy. In surveys, 62% of people in multigenerational households cite lack of privacy as a challenge. The good news? In a custom build, you can solve this from the blueprint stage rather than retrofitting around it.
The key is creating what we call "intentional separation" — spaces that give everyone their own territory while making it easy to come together.
The best multigenerational homes aren't designed for togetherness or privacy — they're designed so that both happen naturally, depending on what the moment calls for.
Here's how that works in practice:
Placement within the floor plan matters most. We typically position in-law suites on the opposite end of the home from the primary suite, often with shared living spaces (kitchen, great room) in between. This creates a natural buffer while keeping everyone under the same roof.
Separate entrances make a difference even if they're rarely used. Having the option to come and go without walking through the main living area changes the psychology of the space. It feels like your own home, not a guest room.
Sound insulation is an underrated investment. Upgrading to insulated interior walls between the suite and the main home — rather than standard drywall — costs relatively little during construction but makes a huge difference in daily comfort. Different sleep schedules, TV volumes, and morning routines stop being an issue.
Dedicated outdoor space, even a small patio or covered porch off the suite, gives the occupant a place to sit outside that feels like theirs.
Accessibility — Design It In, Not After
This is where building custom really shines compared to retrofitting an existing home. Incorporating accessibility features during initial construction costs a fraction of adding them later — and it doesn't have to look institutional.
Wider Doorways & Hallways
36-inch doors and 42-inch hallways accommodate wheelchairs and walkers — and feel more spacious for everyone. Standard in Universal Design.
Zero-Threshold Shower
Curbless, walk-in showers with built-in bench seating and grab bars. Looks like a spa feature today, functions as a safety feature down the road.
Step-Free Entry
At least one no-step entrance to the suite, whether from the main home or from outside. Eliminates the most common barrier to aging in place.
Smart Lighting & Lever Hardware
Motion-sensor lighting in hallways and bathrooms. Lever-style door handles and rocker light switches — easier for everyone, essential for limited mobility.
The concept behind all of this is Universal Design — creating spaces that work for people of all ages and abilities without looking like a medical facility. Wider hallways and doorways, for example, don't just help wheelchair users. They make the home feel more spacious for everyone. Lever-style door handles are easier for anyone carrying groceries. A zero-threshold shower is a design feature, not a concession.
Build it in, not on: Universal Design features cost 1–3% more during construction. Retrofitting them later can cost 10–20x that — especially if walls need to move or plumbing needs to be rerouted. The time to plan for accessibility is when you're drawing the blueprints, not after someone needs it.
Building these features in from the start typically adds 1–3% to your construction cost. Retrofitting them into an existing home later? That can run 10–20 times more, especially if walls need to move or plumbing needs to be relocated.
The Financial Case
Beyond the emotional and practical benefits, multigenerational homes make strong financial sense — which is why 36% of multigenerational buyers in 2024 cited cost savings as their primary motivation.
Here's how the math works:
Shared housing costs. Combining households means splitting a mortgage, utilities, property taxes, and maintenance across more earners. For many families, this is the difference between affording a custom home and settling for something that doesn't quite fit.
Eldercare savings. The average cost of assisted living in Virginia runs over $5,000 per month. A private room in a nursing facility can exceed $9,000 monthly. Even a fully equipped in-law suite at the high end of the cost spectrum pays for itself within a few years compared to these alternatives — and your family member gets to live with people who love them.
Property value. In-law suites can increase your home's value by up to 30%, and in urban markets, homes with ADUs are priced 30–35% higher on average than comparable homes without them. The demand for multigenerational-ready homes is only growing, which means this investment is increasingly rewarded at resale.
The math in perspective: Assisted living in Virginia averages over $5,000/month — that's $60,000+ per year. A well-designed in-law suite built into your custom home can pay for itself within a few years compared to that alternative, all while keeping your family together under one roof.
And when life changes? The suite becomes a rental unit, a home office, a guest space, or a serious selling point. Homes with in-law suites can see property value increases of up to 30%.
Future flexibility. The suite doesn't have to serve one purpose forever. An in-law suite can transition to a home office, a rental unit (where local zoning allows), a space for an adult child saving for their own home, or a guest suite. That kind of built-in flexibility is one of the smartest things you can design into a custom home.
What to Think About Before You Build
If you're considering an in-law suite in your custom home, a few decisions will shape the rest of the design:
Who will live there, and when? A suite for a healthy, independent parent in their 60s has different requirements than one for someone with mobility challenges. Plan for the most demanding scenario you can reasonably foresee.
How much independence does the occupant want? Some parents want to share meals and daily life with the family. Others want their own kitchen, their own entrance, and the ability to keep their own schedule. Neither is wrong — but the design needs to match.
What does your lot allow? A single-story in-law suite on the main floor requires a wider footprint. If your lot is narrow, you may need to go vertical (suite above the garage) or consider a detached ADU if setbacks allow.
What do local codes require? Zoning rules vary significantly. Some jurisdictions have specific regulations around secondary dwelling units, including requirements for separate utility meters, parking, and maximum square footage. We navigate this for our clients routinely, but it's important to factor in early.
Start the conversation early: The most successful in-law suites we've built started with an honest family discussion — not a floor plan. Talk about daily routines, how much kitchen-sharing everyone is comfortable with, and what "enough privacy" actually means. Then bring those answers to your builder.
Build It Right the First Time
Multigenerational living works best when the home is designed for it from the start — not patched together after the fact. A custom build gives you the rare opportunity to get every detail right: the privacy, the accessibility, the flow between togetherness and independence.
If you're thinking about building a home that works for your whole family — parents, kids, and maybe even grandparents — we'd love to talk about how to make it work.
Designing for Your Whole Family?
Start with a quick estimate using our free Cost Calculator, or call us to talk through your multigenerational floor plan ideas.
Try the Cost Calculator →Give us a call at (804) 885-2688 or run a quick estimate through the calculator first — and we'll take it from there.