If you think that when your children reach adulthood and start to make their own way in the world, you’re off the hook, think again! Nobody prepares you for the fact that you’ll spend twenty years raising them, make it through the exquisite heartbreak of them leaving home (before you realise that you can now do things just for you! Yippee!) …only to have them turn up at your door one day wanting to move back in. Whether it’s due to mortgage stress, untenable rental costs, relationship breakdowns, or a plan to save money, suddenly your quiet retirement has turned pear-shaped, and you’re back to living in a full house, particularly when your darling offspring also bring the grandchildren with them!
Don’t get me wrong. I love my family with every breath in my body, but there’s a limit to how many people can share one kitchen before someone starts to get stabby. And yes, by someone, I mean me!
So, when we found ourselves in exactly this situation, we started looking into duplex designs, which I’ve since discovered is a far more common solution than I had realised.
Same Block + Separate Living = Return to Sanity
With a duplex, everyone gets their separate living space. This means I don’t walk in from the bowls club to a kitchen that looks like a bomb has hit it. I’m close enough to help with the school run or whip up a family meal on a Sunday arvo, but far enough away that my daughter-in-law isn’t counting how many times I top up my Saturday night tipple.
It’s the difference between “living together” and “living together together,” and let me tell you, only one of those is sustainable long term.
Planning Your Ideal Duplex Design
There’s a lot to consider when building a duplex – but I can confirm that the more careful thought you put in BEFORE you build, the better the result – today and well into the future. Spend some time thinking about how you want to live, how best to accommodate your adult children, and how to balance the two with your available budget.
Some things to think about include:
- how much space each household needs
- number of bedrooms
- single storey or double
- shared driveway or two separate ones
Designing For Your Changing Needs
Don’t forget to consider the wants and needs of future you, because the layout that suits you at 58 might be far less convenient at 68. Stairs, narrow doorways, or a step-in bath all have a funny way of becoming a much bigger deal than they used to be.
If one of the dwellings is going to be yours long term, it’s worth building in single-level living, wider doorways and a bathroom that doesn’t require gymnastics, even if you don’t need any of it right now.
Futureproof with Flexible Duplex Design
When you’re designing a duplex to accommodate your adult children, you’ll want to consider what happens when they eventually – hopefully! – move out.
A well-designed duplex doesn’t have to sit empty once the kids are gone. That second dwelling can become a rental, an Airbnb, or a space for your own parents down the track. But that may only be possible if you’ve planned for it from the start.
Think about separate access, separate meters, and a layout that doesn’t look and feel like a converted family home. And before you get attached to the idea of short-term letting someday, check with your local council first. Many tourist hotspots are cracking down on Airbnb-style rentals because it’s leaving locals with nowhere to rent.
Where To Build
The next question is how the duplex will work on your block. If you’re planning a knock-down rebuild at your current location, you’ll need to understand council regulations for dual occupancy blocks as these will dictate exactly what you can build. To maximise the potential of your land, a custom design can end up offering better value for money than an off-the-plan duplex.
Alternatively, you might want to sell up and build somewhere new. In this case, you’ll still need to understand the potential and limitations of the block you buy to ensure it’s suited to a dual living set-up.
Why We Went with Morcraft
We ended up going with Morcraft to build our Sunny Coast duplex because we didn’t want to be handed a set of cookie-cutter plans and told to pick one. Morcraft has a building designer on staff, which makes all the difference. We got a design that fits our block and our family, without the price tag that comes with a full architectural process.
If you’re weighing up your own options, it’s worth having a chat with a duplex home builder who knows what they’re doing. The right duplex design can help you avoid a very crowded and at times very stressful living situation. Because at the end of the day, I love having my family close by – I just don’t need it to be too close!
