Lennar Homes Provides Solutions to the Sandwich Generation

LENNAR announced this week that they have partnered with IKEA and HABITAT FOR HUMANITY in a joint venture effort to promote generational living, aka "nextGen."

Many Baby Boomers are faced with the challenges of caring for their elderly parents or adult children who may not be able to purchase a home. 

What I like most about this article and why I'm blogging on it is that it just proves that innovation is key to meeting consumers in their place. We need that kind of thinking to move past our old ideas of traditional living and look into ways to match the changing lifestyles of today's families.

I applaud Lennar for looking at how we live today and understanding there are needs beyond single family, duplex, condos, and apartments. None of us really want to put our parents in a nursing home but recognize the challenges it brings to add an ailing parent(s) into the household. And what about the recurring issue the Cosby show presented in the 80's when grown children return back to the nest? With a baby for that matter. Well, do we want that either? But we don't want to throw them out neither.

The perfect solution - en-suite living. I really like that Lennar coupled their idea with IKEA for it's simple, affordable design, for interior space.  Very practical indeed.

The Ahwatukee Foothills News had this to say about this project.

A model "home within a home" in a parking lot near IKEA and Dick's Sporting Goods is hoping to attract enough attention to make the NextGen home by Lennar a success in communities across Arizona.

Lennar Homes built the model home to display its new concept, called NextGen. It's a home with a separate suite attached that's perfect for parents living with older children, children moving back in with parents, or even just a home office or business.

"An architect out of Vegas, Howard Perlman, came up with the concept," said Alan Jones, Lennar's Arizona division president. "He spent a bunch of time in Europe and he had the initial idea of having a separate living area. You could use it for whatever. It could be a day care center, it can be an office, and it works really well for those. Not everyone is using it for a mom or a dad or child that's coming back. The concept was to create a separate living space and a separate entrance where they can live there and come in as much as you want because there's a door that connects. You can lock that door if you want to."

The NextGen show home is a 2,945-square-foot floor plan and includes a 650-square-foot suite with a bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchenette, washer and dryer, one-car attached garage and separate front door entry. It is literally a home within a home, built just outside IKEA. - Ahwatukee Foothills News

What happens when the promotion is over? The project is located in a retail zoned area so nobody can actually live in it. Solution:  un-build it then donate the materials to Habitat for Humanity. I love it!

LENNAR HOMES in SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS is becoming a GREEN BUILDER LEADER. Ask me about their communities, recycling projects, energy saving options, and alternative energy programs.

Call Cathy Bureau to learn more about your energy efficient home purchase options.