Choosing a multigenerational home in Illinois for your family can be a solution for problems ranging from finances, childcare, and travel. But did you know more than just solving problems, living with multiple generations under one roof has a ton of benefits?

Here’s a look at why a multigenerational home in Illinois may be your perfect dream home.

What Is A Multigenerational Home?

A multigenerational home is a home where more than one generation of a family lives together. This may mean that parents are moving in with adult children, adult children living with their parents and bringing their own children, adult siblings sharing a home, and many other combinations.

Many people choose multigenerational homes because it keeps the family closer. This can eliminate traveling multiple times a year for holidays and visits. A multigenerational home can also mean that childcare stays within the family instead of hiring a stranger to care for the little ones. It means that the family often sees each other and can share their lives and experiences together, building stronger bonds between generations.

Private Living Spaces

Homebuyers looking for a multigenerational home in Illinois will be delighted to find that you can remodel your existing home to include extra rooms for better accommodation. However, not all homes have the space for this. Remodeling also has drawbacks related to time and convenience that purchasing a multigenerational home will not.

It is fairly easy to add a room when remodeling, but when you have a custom home built, you can literally include two homes under one roof if you choose to. In addition, you can include specialty rooms, kitchenettes, additional bathrooms, and even consider how closely specific family members need to be housed. This is great, especially if you need to include a nursery or consider an elder’s physical health.

The bottom line here is that a multigenerational house offers everything a single home offers plus more because you can have all of the private spaces you need and all of the family spaces you want.

Functional Design and Aesthetics

There is nothing that compares to a custom-built home regarding functional design and aesthetics. Buying a previously lived-in home or remodeling your current home can give you a lot of what you want in some cases, but you will always have to make some concessions. With a custom-built home, you get everything you want because the home is designed for your family, specifically with their needs and wants in mind.

Many Illinois multigenerational homes and elsewhere include children or elderly family members, and in some cases, both. A custom-built home allows you to take the needs of two or three generations into account when designing. Then, you can add what is appropriate for your family.

You can be active in the design process when you have a new home built. This allows you to avoid issues with things such as accessibility, storage, and lighting. You will be able to ensure that your new home has all of the elements that you and your family consider essential.

The biggest problem with purchasing an already built home or remodeling is that you will likely need to sacrifice some function for aesthetics or sacrifice some aesthetics for function. With a custom-built home, functional design and aesthetics work hand in hand to create the home of your dreams. You can literally have anything that you can imagine that your budget will allow.

Better Affordability

When two or three generations live together under one roof, it saves a ton of money. This is one of the biggest reasons so many people are interested in a multigenerational home in Illinois, the Midwest, and all across the United States.

Sharing one mortgage and utility bills between two or three households instead of paying it all yourself is a very appealing idea. It can reduce your basic bills by as much as half or two-thirds. But, beyond the basic idea of splitting bills to save money, there are other substantial cost savings benefits depending on the specific makeup of your family.

Are you looking for multigenerational homes In Illinois to include elderly family members? This home type will provide you with substantial savings over hiring a home health aid full or even part-time. The best part of this is that it doesn’t just save money; it gives the whole family time and space to spend time with those older family members while also helping out.

If you are hoping to create a multigenerational home that includes small children, you may find it much easier to have a family member care for the children rather than paying an outsider to do so. Again, the benefit here is more than just financial savings. The family as a whole benefits from the relationships that can be built during these times. It is also significantly more comfortable for children and their parents to know that they are cared for in their own homes by people who love them.

New Build Multigenerational Homes In Illinois Support Generational Love

As you can see, there are many benefits of multigenerational homes In Illinois. However, the biggest benefit to multigenerational homes is not as tangible or quantifiable. The biggest advantage is the time and space it gives your family to get to know each other, share in the joys of life together, help each other with problems and build memories.

Make your home a sanctuary for your family. Create a home that fosters the love and support between generations and keeps everyone close. A multigenerational home can become your new family heirloom, and it will mean far more than any cufflinks or pearls ever could.

If you are interested in multigenerational homes In Illinois, set up a consultation to discuss designing your future.

The Chicago custom home builder landscape has many options. From a sleek, ultra-modern dwelling to a traditional bungalow with a white picket fence: whatever your dream home looks like, you can find a reputable Chicago custom home builder to help you make it a reality.

But with so many home builders working in the Chicago metropolitan area, how do you know that you have found the right partner for you? Finding the right home builder is the key to your success and long-term happiness in your new custom home.

Benefits of a Custom Home

A home is the most expensive purchase most people will ever make, so you deserve to get a home that you truly love. A custom home ensures that you get exactly what you want for your money.

Choose Home Layout

When you develop a custom-built home, your Chicago home builder will design a specific layout that is tailored to fit your taste and needs. When you buy an older home, however, the layout is what it is: the floor plan, flow of the rooms, and functionality will likely reflect outdated tastes or ways of living.

Sure, you can always renovate an old home. But while knocking down walls and moving the kitchen seem simple when you watch it on home renovation shows on TV, customizing an older home can be complicated and expensive. Furthermore, depending on the layout of the older home, a seemingly simple alteration could require major structural changes or uncover problems such as asbestos or mold.

When you partner with a custom home builder to create a new house, you can tailor your home to your exact specifications without all the hassle of a major renovation. Do you need a second Master bedroom on the ground floor to allow you to take in an aging parent? A custom home builder can accommodate that. Do you need a home office or a gym? A custom home builder can make that work too.

Perhaps you want to maximize the natural light your living room receives so that your houseplants will thrive. Again, a custom home builder will know how to make that work too. Whatever your housing needs or preferences are, a Chicago custom home builder can transform them in a layout that fits your lifestyle, aesthetic, and budget.

Choose Lot Size

Another benefit of working with a Chicago custom home builder is selecting an appropriate lot. If you want space for an extensive garden, or you want to do as little landscaping as possible, your home building partner can help you identify the right lot for you and your custom home. In addition, a custom home builder can help you ensure that the zoning, lot conditions, soils, and floodways are appropriate for the weather patterns and neighborhood.

While zoning, permitting, and soil grades are not the stuff homeowners’ dreams are made of, they are key to a long, happy tenure in your new custom home. Your home building partner knows about all the red tape, invisible work, and underlying considerations that you might not think about as a home buyer. And a great partner will address those hassles on your behalf.

Choose Functionality and Accessibility

Finally, a custom home builder can help you with the interior design of your home. A good interior designer not only makes your home look great, but also ensures that it is functional and accessible for your lifestyle and all of the members of your family.

Do you have strong preferences for mid-century modern decor? Do you have a family member with special needs that should be accommodated with smart design choices? Do you just want something that will look beautiful and be easy to clean? A custom home builder’s interior design team will thoughtfully consider your tastes and your family’s needs to create a home that is as functional, accessible, and beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.

What To Look For In A Chicago Custom Home Builder

1. Common Understanding

As you begin your search for a partner, start by conducting informational interviews with several firms. In the initial talks, evaluate how each firm responds to your questions, listens to your needs, and makes you feel.

Do you get the feeling the home builder understands your unique goals and vision for the build? Or do you feel they’re putting you in a box and recommending a standard package? The difference between the two is night and day. Finding a partner who understands your goals and is excited to collaborate with you to achieve them is critical for success.

Since the Chicago home builder you choose becomes a partner in accomplishing your vision, keep an eye on how they listen and communicate early. These early interactions set the tone for the whole relationship. The trends and behaviors they exhibit early on will continue, for better or worse, as you get deeper into the build.

In addition, a high-quality home builder will understand your needs and provide suggestions you may not have considered. By anticipating your wants and asking clear, clarifying questions, they will ensure that you end up with a stylish, functional home of your dreams.

2. Portfolio

When you compare Chicago custom home builders, you can start by comparing their websites. A professional site should clearly convey the builder’s style, process, services, and approach to development. In particular, a site should include photographs of past work and clearly state the non-design services a firm provides (e.g., lot preparation, permitting, and regulatory assistance).

In addition, ask the builder about their past projects. Besides reviewing their pre-prepared portfolio photographs, tell them about your vision and ask them to share information and pictures of similar builds. Also, be sure to ask them what they learned during those projects and what recommendations they would make for yours.

Finally, when you think you have found your preferred custom home builder, ask to speak with their former customers, especially ones with a similar vision to yours. When you talk with these clients, learn how the builder communicated with them, how the builder’s team conducted themselves on the construction site, and how they handled problems and delays. Of course, any project will have issues, but a good construction team will handle them professionally and seamlessly.

3. Price

It is almost always a mistake to choose the lowest price for a product, unless you are purchasing a commodity like gas. In that case, the product is the same no matter where you are buying it, and the price is all that matters. Choosing one gas station over another will not matter much for most cars.

A custom home builder, however, is not like a gas station. Rather than comparing apples to apples, evaluating two builders is like comparing apples and oranges. A custom home is not a commodity, it is an investment that you will hopefully live with for years. Since you will live in your custom home every day, it should be something that provides a true value for your money.

With a custom home build, price is what you pay, and value is what you receive. So while you should still buy based on your finances and not overextend yourself, buy based on the value and skill you will receive for the price.

When you meet with a potential Chicago custom home builder, be honest and upfront about your budget. A good builder will listen to your goals, respect your budget, and set clear expectations on what they can achieve for the amount you can afford.

If your vision is too big for your budget, a good home builder will tell you that in a professional manner. They will also provide options and explore ways to achieve a similar result within your financial means.

Finally, a home builder should be transparent about all of the costs included in the build. As stated earlier, there are many steps in a home building process that the buyer may not know about (such as permitting, zoning, or lot preparation). A good custom home builder knows all the steps necessary to translate your home from a vision to reality. And they should know the cost of each step.

Make sure your home building partner is transparent with you about what services they will provide, what services they will not provide, and how much everything will cost. No one appreciates an unexpected expense, and a good partner ensures that you will not encounter one.

How Scotford Homes Can Help

Buying a home can seem daunting. While older homes are often charming, they were built to suit someone else’s vision, and renovating an older home can be stressful and expensive. In addition, they can encounter zoning delays, become complicated quickly, and potentially uncover additional problems.

Building a custom home, however, provides you with a clean slate and ensures that the home you get at the end of the process fits your lifestyle, your aesthetic, and your wallet. A Chicago custom home builder will help you create the custom layout, lot, functionality, and accessibility you need.

So how do you find the right custom home builder for your dream home? There is no one perfect method. Interviewing potential partners, reviewing their portfolios, talking with former clients, and having clear, transparent discussions about your budget will help.

No matter what process you use, be sure to interview Scotford Homes as a potential custom home building partner. We are a known leader in Chicagoland custom home construction, offering a one-stop-shop approach to home design and construction.

We can guide customers through every step of the home building process, including identifying and preparing the lot, designing and building a beautiful, functional home, securing the necessary permits, and planning a thoughtful interior design.

In addition, Scotford Homes prioritizes transparency in project management, communication, and pricing. Our extensive network of suppliers and partners ensures that we can deliver high-quality homes to clients on time and within budget.

Whether you want a large mansion or a tasteful cottage, Scotford Homes has the expertise, experience, and connections to build you the home of your dreams. When you are ready to find the perfect custom home partner in the Chicago metropolitan area, be sure to reach out and contact us. We are prepared and ready to help you truly craft a home of your own.

You are the General Manager of your homebuilding team.

Your Architect is the Coach. The Coach writes the playbook.

Your General Contractor is the Captain. The Captain manages the players to execute the playbook.

Consider what happens if your Coach does not share the playbook until game time.

Alternatively, imagine your Coach engages the players to help write the playbook. To share in the vision of team and deliver your best version of home.

By choosing the design-build team structure, you enable greater communication and collaboration.

Regardless of the way you choose to structure your team, there are 7 important decisions you can make early on in the design phase that will lead to a more seamless and successful project.

Decision #1: Millwork

Millwork is one of the most overlooked decisions that can be made sooner in the design process.

Simply put, millwork includes baseboard, casing, and crown moulding. It also includes several other decorative woodwork products, such as architrave, chair rail, and panel mould

At a minimum, identifying the height of the casing and crown you prefer (or if you want to omit them entirely) will arm your architect with more information when they draw up your plans.

Today, a lot of design effort goes towards creating efficient floor plans that maximize every square inch of space. By identifying your millwork preferences sooner, your architect can be mindful of exactly how wide the various openings throughout your home need to be.

Additionally, to effectively build more intricate millwork designs, such as the panel moulding pictured above, requires careful coordination with the mechanicals of your home.

To start moving mechanicals, especially after drywall, is extremely cumbersome and expensive. It can affect as many as 10 different trades and hurts the morale of the project. Name someone who likes redoing their work.

All of this can be mitigated by careful and thoughtful planning.

When you begin the exciting process of designing your dream home, spend considerable time researching your options, identifying your preferences, and shaping your individual interior design ethos. The goal is to build confidence in your decision making so you can instill that same confidence in your team.

As your home starts to take shape in the field and you walk through the spaces you once envisioned on paper, you will begin to understand why this is truly one of the most rewarding experiences.