Multigenerational living — the honest guide

Should your
family do this?

Nearly 60 million Americans now live in multigenerational households. Most found their way there without a clear-eyed look at the numbers first. We built the tool they didn't have.

Run the numbers Read our story
60M
People in multigenerational US households
4×
Growth since the 1970s
$22k
Typical annual family saving
UPPER FLOOR · GEN A LOWER FLOOR · GEN B
"The question isn't whether the numbers work. It's whether you've actually run them."
From our story — still deciding
What this site answers

The questions families are actually asking

Most content about multigenerational living is written by architects and builders. We built this for the families — the ones trying to work out whether this makes financial and practical sense before committing to anything.

01
Do the numbers actually work for our family?
The calculator models your specific situation — not a national average. Monthly savings, equity positions, break-even on conversion costs.
02
How do we structure ownership when one person can't get a mortgage?
Tenants in common, equity-building contributions, family loan agreements. The legal options explained plainly.
03
What happens when someone wants out?
The exit scenario most families don't plan for. How buyouts work, how properties get valued, what needs to be in writing before you start.
04
What does an ADU or conversion actually cost?
Realistic cost ranges, what builders don't always tell you, and how to work out whether construction makes financial sense.
05
How do other families make it work day to day?
First-person accounts from families at every stage — considering, planning, living it, and a few who've wound it down.
06
What's the right legal structure for our arrangement?
Co-ownership agreements, Declarations of Trust, what a solicitor needs from you. The documents that turn agreements into rights.
The tool

Your numbers,
not someone else's

National averages tell you nothing useful. The calculator takes your actual housing costs, models what a shared arrangement would look like, and shows you the real numbers — monthly savings, equity accumulation, and what happens if someone wants out in year three.

Run the numbers
Sample output — your numbers will differ
Party A monthly saving
$1,500 / mo
Party B monthly saving vs. renting
$400 / mo
Party B equity in 10 years
$174,000
$22,800
family saving per year vs. living separately
Latest

From the guides

All articles →
Finances
How much does multigenerational living actually save?
The headline figures you'll find elsewhere average across arrangements that look nothing like each other. Here's how to think about the real saving for your family — and the three sources most calculators miss.
Read →
Legal
Tenants in common vs. joint tenancy: the family guide
Most families don't think about ownership structure until something goes wrong. That's too late.
Read →
Finances
How to build equity when you can't get a mortgage
Contributing toward a property you don't legally own doesn't have to mean paying rent forever.
Read →
Why now

The forces driving this

Multigenerational living has quadrupled since the 1970s. It's not a trend — it's a structural shift driven by economics that aren't going away.

↑
Housing costs
The average deposit required to buy a first home in a major US city now represents 6–10 years of saving on a median income.
↓
Mortgage qualification
Rising rates and stricter stress tests have pushed mortgage qualification out of reach for a larger share of working adults than at any point in modern history.
+
Ageing population
76 million baby boomers are now in their sixties and seventies. Many own homes. Many will need support. Many have adult children who need stability.
×
The wealth gap
Property wealth is overwhelmingly concentrated in the over-60s. Multigenerational living is one of the few mechanisms that transfers it before death.
Our story

We're thinking about it too

This site was built by a family in the middle of this question — not the other side of it. An adult child who can't get a mortgage. A parent who owns a home with an underused lower floor. A partner who hasn't said yes yet. Numbers that keep coming out the same way.

"The financial case is stronger than we assumed. The question I keep coming back to isn't financial at all."
From the article — The adult child
Read the full story →
"We haven't decided. But we're closer to yes than we were six months ago."
Still considering · Read the full account