Millennials Who Stay at Home ... Yet Out of Their Parents' Way
These Gen Ys have found canny ways to stay at home, while out of sight and sound of the parentals
Given the rising prices of capital city houses, many millennials now face the prospect of living in the family home for far longer than anticipated. But living at home doesn’t always mean living in your parents’ laps. Here are some Gen Ys who took a look at the family pad with fresh eyes, and found a way to set up their own private piece of paradise. Where there’s a will, there’s sometimes a way.
Large windows overlook a lush garden that separates the garage from the family home. The studio has everything Kennedy needs, including a single-wall kitchen and powder room, along with the pièce de résistance – an open-plan bath and shower.
Photo by Lauren Bamford
See more sheds and granny flats
Photo by Lauren Bamford
See more sheds and granny flats
With such a beautiful space designed for her, Kennedy is now looking at this solution as more of a long-term living situation.
Photo by Lauren Bamford
Photo by Lauren Bamford
The man who moved into the pool house
For the Keebaugh family, the old pool house at the back of their home became redundant when the pool was filled in. BJ Keebaugh saw it as the perfect opportunity to live independently, while still living at home and saving his pennies. The 18-square-metre space serves him well for study, training and entertaining his friends.
For the Keebaugh family, the old pool house at the back of their home became redundant when the pool was filled in. BJ Keebaugh saw it as the perfect opportunity to live independently, while still living at home and saving his pennies. The 18-square-metre space serves him well for study, training and entertaining his friends.
While the 20-year-old’s savings are currently going towards travel plans, he plans on eventually entering the property market. This living arrangement may well be how he gets there. While renting was an option, Keebaugh prefers living at home and being close to his family while he focuses on his studies. “I am very family orientated,” he says, “and am a full-time university student and a casual worker. So the emotional aspect of coming home every day and seeing my family members makes me happy.”
See the rest of Keebaugh’s granny flat
See the rest of Keebaugh’s granny flat
The couple who converted a tin shed
Couple Skye and Mitch Jones, 30 and 33, decided to move home after buying an off-the-plan townhouse in a marina development, which was then still under construction. They had also just returned from a four-week road trip across the US. Having spent most of their savings, they needed a rent-free home to replenish their bank accounts and pay off their mortgage.
“As much as we love our parents, the thought of moving back home as a 27-year-old was not an option (sorry Mum),” Skye says. “We wanted our own space but somewhere cheap in order to save – #thanksMumandDad!”
Couple Skye and Mitch Jones, 30 and 33, decided to move home after buying an off-the-plan townhouse in a marina development, which was then still under construction. They had also just returned from a four-week road trip across the US. Having spent most of their savings, they needed a rent-free home to replenish their bank accounts and pay off their mortgage.
“As much as we love our parents, the thought of moving back home as a 27-year-old was not an option (sorry Mum),” Skye says. “We wanted our own space but somewhere cheap in order to save – #thanksMumandDad!”
Skye’s dad originally built the shed to look like a cattle shed and it has a beautiful outlook over a pond. However, it didn’t always look like this inside. She describes it as previously being a bit of a junkyard, and it was where many parties took place during her teenage years. “It was literally filled to the roof with boxes, old mattresses, a pool table, old furniture – you name it. It was also home to a billion spiders and a family of mice,” she says.
After renovating it into a liveable condition, the couple went about personalising the space. They installed a fireplace and added a bedroom, but continue to use the outdoor shower. They split their time between this home and the main house, which they tend to retreat to during the more extreme weather conditions.
After renovating it into a liveable condition, the couple went about personalising the space. They installed a fireplace and added a bedroom, but continue to use the outdoor shower. They split their time between this home and the main house, which they tend to retreat to during the more extreme weather conditions.
“Besides the obvious money saving, we have had an absolute ball living here,” Skye says. “The outdoor showers, a fireplace as the only method of heating, living on tank water, shouting to hear each other when it rains on the tin roof and cooking on camping stoves have created memories we will cherish forever.”
Tour the rest of this backyard home
Tour the rest of this backyard home
Another option entirely is to consider multi-generational living with an extension
If you are living at home, but still want independence from your parents, you could both consider adding on an extension to their existing house. This not only allows for separate areas to retreat to and communal areas to socialise in, but will enable you to save money for your own house down the line, while also adding value to the existing house for resale. This is exactly what a young couple did with the husband’s mother’s house in Melbourne.
If you are living at home, but still want independence from your parents, you could both consider adding on an extension to their existing house. This not only allows for separate areas to retreat to and communal areas to socialise in, but will enable you to save money for your own house down the line, while also adding value to the existing house for resale. This is exactly what a young couple did with the husband’s mother’s house in Melbourne.
Taylor Knights was the architecture and interior design firm behind the extension. The team wanted to create a space that provided privacy for the two generations, but also promoted socialising. They did this by situating the couple’s quarters downstairs behind a sliding door, which includes a bedroom, bathroom and living area, while Mum has her own private retreat upstairs.
Rich materials and fittings were added to the communal kitchen and living area, where they catch up as a family. Taylor Knights also considered how the house would work for future residents, ensuring it’s still desirable if the mother decides to downsize after the couple moves out. Mum’s quarters boast a double vanity in the bathroom and an upstairs study room that could potentially be a gym, while the young couple’s area could be the perfect place for kids to grow into teenagers with privacy.
See the full tour here
Tell us
Are you a millennial who lives at home but with your own space, or do you have Gen Y kids who have their own private place in the family home? Share your experiences with us in the Comments.
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See the full tour here
Tell us
Are you a millennial who lives at home but with your own space, or do you have Gen Y kids who have their own private place in the family home? Share your experiences with us in the Comments.
More
Read more lifestyle stories
But just a note: if you do plan on converting pre-existing dwellings on your family’s property, your local council will need to approve the plans and any future subdivisions, so that once you move out, the secondary property could potentially be sold on its own.
The woman who converted a garage
Sarah Trotter is the interior architect behind Hearth Studio. She helped her friend and client Alex Kennedy convert a garage on her mum’s property in Carlton, Victoria into a gorgeous studio. “Alex wanted a special space of her own that was affordable and close to the city,” Trotter says. “It seemed obvious to her that the only way to have a place of her own was to turn the old garage into a studio apartment.”
The 35-square-metre space is inspired by Japanese minimalism, with the interior fit-out made from recycled materials. This set-up works well for Kennedy as it not only allows her to save her money, but gives her independence and a space to customise to suit her own tastes.
Photo by Lauren Bamford