The Fall of Nuclear Families
The nuclear family is down to 1 in 5. The same portion of households consist of unrelated adults living together. Single adults living alone make up 1 in 5 households.
Conversely, 4 in 5 homes have 2+ bedrooms. That is suitable for an individual if they have a business or something else that takes up a room, but for most it's more than they need and can afford. It is good for two unrelated people sharing a home, or for a couple with children. In no state does minimum wage pay enough to afford a 2-bedroom apartment. Most minimum-wage earners can't afford a 1-bedroom apartment either. 1 bedroom is good for a single person long term or a couple without children.
Most of the housing built in recent decades is designed for nuclear families. Some older housing was designed for extended families, but most of that has gotten hacked into smaller apartments. So a majority of the housing market is wrongly shaped and sized for current needs, while the market depresses both new construction and different styles. The stupid, it burns like hydrogen!
Here are some better things we could be doing...
Flex housing is easy to adjust for changing needs. This unit can be remodeled for 4 different family styles. A society with many families and frequent change of family shapes would benefit from a large supply of flex housing. Even a single flex room (e.g. dining room-bedroom-den) is a huge help.
Some duplexes are easily convertible between 2-family and extended family. This duplex has the greatrooms side-by-side; simply add a door between them to join the units.
Multigenerational housing provides living areas to be separated or connected. This can be done by wings, floors, or side-by-side. This big house has multigenerational flex space.
This huge house would work for a large family, a sharehouse, or a boarding house. It has a separate basement apartment with 2 bedrooms plus a 6-bedroom unit on the first and second floors. This is the kind of thing you used to see on corner lots here, and is still common in Terramagne.
Garage apartments -- unlike separate dwelling units like tiny houses, these don't increase the footprint of buildings, they make more use of the same space. This studio could work either as living space or as a home office, art studio, or other work space. See 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom options. As drawn, these are more suited to new adults moving out. Add an elevator and they work better for seniors too. This is a case where full accessibility wastes space like crazy if you don't need it, but adaptable building would absolutely save you trouble later. Make the sink cabinets removable for kneespace, include one low counter in the kitchen, and make the bathroom's outer wall removable for expansion.
Live-work space cuts out the commute. This triplex not only offers office space on the ground floor, the living space has two master bedrooms, ideal for multigenerational or roommate situations.
Cohousing can be done with separate, partially connected, or fully connected units. This typically comes with a courtyard, common house, and other community features.
Conversely, 4 in 5 homes have 2+ bedrooms. That is suitable for an individual if they have a business or something else that takes up a room, but for most it's more than they need and can afford. It is good for two unrelated people sharing a home, or for a couple with children. In no state does minimum wage pay enough to afford a 2-bedroom apartment. Most minimum-wage earners can't afford a 1-bedroom apartment either. 1 bedroom is good for a single person long term or a couple without children.
Most of the housing built in recent decades is designed for nuclear families. Some older housing was designed for extended families, but most of that has gotten hacked into smaller apartments. So a majority of the housing market is wrongly shaped and sized for current needs, while the market depresses both new construction and different styles. The stupid, it burns like hydrogen!
Here are some better things we could be doing...
Flex housing is easy to adjust for changing needs. This unit can be remodeled for 4 different family styles. A society with many families and frequent change of family shapes would benefit from a large supply of flex housing. Even a single flex room (e.g. dining room-bedroom-den) is a huge help.
Some duplexes are easily convertible between 2-family and extended family. This duplex has the greatrooms side-by-side; simply add a door between them to join the units.
Multigenerational housing provides living areas to be separated or connected. This can be done by wings, floors, or side-by-side. This big house has multigenerational flex space.
This huge house would work for a large family, a sharehouse, or a boarding house. It has a separate basement apartment with 2 bedrooms plus a 6-bedroom unit on the first and second floors. This is the kind of thing you used to see on corner lots here, and is still common in Terramagne.
Garage apartments -- unlike separate dwelling units like tiny houses, these don't increase the footprint of buildings, they make more use of the same space. This studio could work either as living space or as a home office, art studio, or other work space. See 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom options. As drawn, these are more suited to new adults moving out. Add an elevator and they work better for seniors too. This is a case where full accessibility wastes space like crazy if you don't need it, but adaptable building would absolutely save you trouble later. Make the sink cabinets removable for kneespace, include one low counter in the kitchen, and make the bathroom's outer wall removable for expansion.
Live-work space cuts out the commute. This triplex not only offers office space on the ground floor, the living space has two master bedrooms, ideal for multigenerational or roommate situations.
Cohousing can be done with separate, partially connected, or fully connected units. This typically comes with a courtyard, common house, and other community features.