Children who are moving back in, Parents who cannot or want not live alone anymore, Teenagers who for the sake of sanity of the whole family need a "separate" living space, Patchwork Families, Partners who want to live under the same roof but not in the same space, these are a few of the models I met when offering a Dual Living Home for the first time.
Since then I have listed two more that are suitable for this kind of cohabitation and they are definitely sought after.
If you think about it, it has a lot of advantages. Two houses would be exponentially more expensive, not only in buying but also in keeping. Resources can be pooled and the one party with the better credit can take on the mortgage, relying on supporting payment from the other. The other party is always in reach but not always around. Babysitter services, Nursing services, Housekeeping, all these are either cheaper or might not even occur.
So what makes a house suitable for Dual Living?
- distinctively separate living areas (next to each other or on separate levels)
- accessibility for both units from outside
- separate bath and cooking facilities
- ability to close off one unit from the other
- accessibility of shared spaces (backyard, garage) from both units or from outside
In any case, one does not get closer to a person by lowering the distance. So Dual Living, for the sake of the people who share the same roof, needs to afford being truly separate and the more spacious, the better.
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