At this stage of life, it’s entirely possible to have a kid in their twenties finishing college at the same time you’ve got a parent in their eighties. And either one of them might eventually need to live with you.
Not necessarily today. Maybe not next year.
But when we’re designing custom homes for folks at this stage of life, it’s worth thinking about because the room you picture as a spare bedroom today may end up serving a very different purpose later.
The interesting part is that you don’t necessarily need two different rooms.
You may just need to design one properly.
The Same Room Can Work For Either Generation
Let’s say the room eventually needs to accommodate an aging parent.
You’d want to think ahead about whether someone using a walker or wheelchair could comfortably use the space.
Now imagine it’s your 25-year-old kid who moves back instead.
They’re probably not going to notice that the room was designed with any of that in mind.
They’re just going to be glad they’ve got somewhere to live.
That’s why I think it’s worth planning for both possibilities while the home is still on paper.
You may not know whether the person walking through that door five years from now is 25 or 85.
You can still design the space so either one can use it.
But there’s another question that’s just as important.
How Independent Do You Want Them To Be?
This is where the conversation becomes less about architecture and more about family life.
If your son or daughter moves back home, are they simply moving back into a bedroom and becoming part of the household again?
Or would you rather give them a little more independence?
Should they share your kitchen?
Should they have a small kitchen of their own?
Are you imagining everybody eating together and sharing the same day-to-day life, or someone living close enough to be part of the family while still having a life of their own?
There’s no right answer to that.
I’ve met parents whose kids have been gone for four or five years and they’d do almost anything to have them back home.
I’ve met others who love their kids just as much, but after they’ve been back for a week they’re ready for them to leave again.
You have to be honest about which one you are.
Because if you aren’t, you can easily design a room based on what sounds right today instead of how you’re actually going to want to live later.
Is This A One-Year Plan Or A Ten-Year Plan?
There’s another question I think people need to ask: how long could this arrangement last?
Maybe your kid moves home for a year, saves the money they’d otherwise spend on rent and puts it toward a down payment.
Around here, a one-bedroom apartment can run about $1,250 a month.
That’s roughly $15,000 a year.
For someone in their twenties, being able to save that instead of handing it over in rent can make a real difference when they’re trying to get into a home of their own.
But sometimes the arrangement becomes longer term.
I’m working with a family right now where one of their kids has come back home and they’re starting to think he may not leave.
So we’re adding a separate suite to the house.
The plan includes a small kitchen so he can live somewhat independently while still being close enough to the family when he needs help.
That’s very different from simply putting another bed in a spare room.
And that’s the point.
The right design depends on the life you’re actually planning for.
Sometimes Moving Home Really Does Mean Moving Home
My next-door neighbor has taken a completely different approach.
Two of his kids moved back and went straight into the same bedrooms they had before.
In a lot of ways, life simply went back to what it looked like when they were in high school, except now the kids have jobs.
That arrangement can work too.
My own daughters are a good example of how different this can be even inside the same family.
My oldest is completely independent. It would take a pretty dramatic change in her life for her to move home.
My younger daughter is about to graduate from college and has already announced that she’s moving back in.
We’ll see how long that lasts once rent enters the conversation.
The point is, there isn’t one answer you can apply to every family.
Which is why I’d rather ask these questions before we finish the plans.
Five Questions Worth Answering Before You Design The Space
- Is this room more likely to be used by an adult child, an aging parent, or genuinely either one?
- If someone moves in, how independently do you want them to live?
- Does sharing your kitchen make sense, or should the space have a small kitchen of its own?
- Are you planning for someone to stay for a year, or could this become a long-term arrangement?
- How much of your day-to-day life do you actually want to share with the person living there?
Those questions aren’t really about bedrooms as much as they’re about how you want your family to live together if life changes.
And that’s exactly why decisions like this are easier to make while your home is still being designed.
Once the house is built, those choices become harder and more expensive to change.
Plan Ahead: Address These Considerations Prior to Needing the Space
This is one of the things people sometimes miss when building a custom home.
You’re not just deciding where the walls, bedrooms and bathrooms go.
You’re making decisions about how the home needs to work through different stages of your life.
That’s especially worth thinking about when you’re building a home you intend to stay in for years, whether that’s in Flower Mound, Argyle, Bartonville or elsewhere around North Texas.
Today, that room might be somewhere the family sleeps when they visit.
A few years from now, it might be where your 25-year-old saves for a home of their own.
Or it might be where your mom or dad can live close to you as they get older.
You don’t have to predict which one will happen.
You just want to avoid designing the house in a way that leaves you with only one option.
And this is only one of the decisions that’s much easier to get right before you start building.
That’s why I’ve put together The Texas Home Building Playbook
Inside, you’ll discover the 8 most common and costly mistakes homeowners make when building a custom home in Texas, including decisions that can feel small while you’re working through the plans but become much harder and more expensive to change once the home is built.
Download your free copy before you finalize your plans.
Because you may not know exactly who’ll be living under your roof five or ten years from now. But you can design a home today that gives you better options when that day comes.
Read about the journey of Victor. Victor Myers Custom Homes proudly partners with NAHB, TAB and Dallas BA.
Guest suite design in Texas:
questions homeowners ask
Can one room in a custom home work for both an adult child and an aging parent?
Yes, if it is planned while the home is still on paper. Victor Myers points out that a room designed so someone using a walker or wheelchair can use it comfortably will work just as well for a 25-year-old who moves back, because they will not notice the planning. You may not know whether the person using that room in five years is 25 or 85, so a well-designed guest suite in a custom home can work for either.
How independent should a guest suite be if my adult child moves back home?
There is no right answer, and the honest one depends on your family. Some parents would do almost anything to have their kids back home, while others love them just as much but are ready for them to leave after a week. Victor Myers asks clients whether a returning child should share the family kitchen or have a small kitchen of their own, because a room designed around what sounds right today may not fit how you will want to live later.
Should a guest suite in a custom home have its own kitchen?
It can, when the arrangement could last years instead of months. Victor Myers is working with a family right now whose son has moved back home and may not leave, so a separate suite with a small kitchen is being added. That lets him live somewhat independently while staying close enough to the family, which is very different from putting another bed in a spare room.
How long might an adult child live at home after you build?
It could be one year or ten. In Victor Myers’ area, a one-bedroom apartment can run about $1,250 a month, roughly $15,000 a year, so some young adults move home for a year to save toward a down payment. Others stay longer, which is why it helps to plan for either outcome. Our guide to multigenerational home design shows how to plan for several stages of family life at once.
What should I ask before designing a guest suite in my custom home?
Start with five questions: is the room more likely to be used by an adult child, an aging parent or either one; how independently should the person live; does sharing your kitchen make sense or should the space have a small kitchen of its own; is this a one-year plan or could it last longer; and how much of your daily life do you want to share with them. Decisions like these are easier to make while the home is still being designed. Our custom home building FAQ covers more of these questions.
Planning a custom home in Flower Mound, Argyle or the surrounding Denton County area? Contact Victor Myers Custom Homes or call Victor on 214-636-6829.
