Thinking outside the box: Is multi-generational living the future?

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Sharing a home with grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins has not been the traditional way of living for most Australian families. But things are changing.

STORY: JOHN LEWIS. PHOTOGRAPHY: HOLLY DANIEL

Shepparton’s Monteleone Homes has seen a big growth in demand from migrant families who want housing designs for multi-generational living and dual occupancy.

But it’s not only migrant families that are driving change.

After two years of enforced interior living during COVID-19, traditional Australian families are now also seeking to create more living space in their homes.

Third generation company office manager Anthony Monteleone said the company had seen an increase in requests over the past two years from larger families that want to provide for members who might live overseas.

“We have families who are potentially looking at bringing members over to Australia for extended stays of three to six months — and they really do want that element of ‘this is our house collectively’,’’ he said.

Anthony said there could be culturally sensitive aspects of home building, which have to be taken into account in terms of space.

“For instance, there are particular rooms like prayer rooms, or having separate living areas in the Afghani communities — or extended garage areas if the family was to have a pretty large function.” »

He said different cultures had different needs.

“For instance, the Afghani community likes larger living areas, whereas the Indian community would prefer bigger bedrooms — things like that.”

Anthony said families would often come with specific ideas for al fresco functions.

“They’ve often put a lot of thought into that, they come to us with wellthought out designs — with widths and lengths drawn up. It’s then up to us to make sure we can build it to the specifications they want.”

He said it had been a learning curve for the company to take on and adapt to new demands for dual occupancy.

“We anticipate that people will still want independence but also want that family tie right next door, should they need it.”

Anthony said the National Construction Code was looking at new regulations for larger toilet and showering suites with wider doors to allow wheelchair access.

“Given that these things are specific requirements, they can be tailored to particular clients.”

He said the company also catered for Italian and Albanian families who want their own specific designs for homes

“We get repeat clientele — through word of mouth, people coming back and building again because they feel comfortable with our sales approach and our operations.”

Anthony said changes in the economy and the experience of COVID-19 lockdowns in the past few years had seen other, more traditional Australian families move towards dual occupancy designs for new homes.

“More and more people are warming to the idea — it’s been a pretty exciting venture for us.”

He said dual occupancy could be a multi-faceted thing.

“It can focus on a young family wanting more space and then being able to grow into a home, but still have privacy.

“Then there are others with elderly parents who want to come back into the home, but still have independence.”

Anthony said homes might have dual occupancy with shared utilities, including household bills. »

“Everything is joined with the same power or water bills. When we say multi-dwelling we’re not referring to separate addresses, it’s all under the same roof.”

Anthony’s grandfather Tony started Monteleone Homes 40 years ago, building homes around the Shepparton district.

He said the family’s Italian heritage had helped the company thrive and adapt to the demands of a changing population demographic.

“There’s always been a fair bit of multicultural infl uence in what we do and our approach to dealing with prospective clients.

“We also have a multicultural staff in the offi ce — we have people with Indian and Afghani backgrounds.

“Shepparton is a very multicultural area and growing very rapidly. So it’s good to leverage people’s experiences and their understanding of what they want in their home.

“It’s incredibly rewarding for us to make these homes the best they can be, and to see that people are satisfi ed and proud of their new home.” 

LIVING LARGE

Naveen Mathew of Monteleone Homes, with company director Joe Monteleone and clients Biju and Sumi John happy with their new dual occupancy home in north Shepparton. This newly-built brick home in north Shepparton is an example of the type of property Monetelone Homes is being asked to build for large families. The design features two fully optioned kitchens, three spacious living areas, three ensuites, a common bathroom and two separate garages for families with members who want to maintain their independence, yet stay close to each other.