More houses do double duty

Home builders in the Chicago area want to accommodate families when generations of adults live together.

These can be grandparents moving in with young families, college graduates living with their parents again, nannies who need their own area, young couples looking for a rent-free place with mom and dad while saving for their own home, or visiting grandchildren and family members.

A second private suite — sometimes on its own level — can provide the privacy that makes life smoother for these extended families.

Pulte Homes is building both single-family and attached homes with the option of that second private suite.

And M/I Homes has appropriate floor plans in some of the nine communities it is building in the suburbs. These neighborhoods are designed for first-time buyers, said Cheryl Bonk, vice president of sales and marketing. Most are townhouses, but the company is starting single-family homes in St. Charles.

Perhaps best of all for this multigenerational purpose is a home like Pulte's Windham, where a bedroom, bathroom and living area are in the lower level of an attached home at Prescott Mill Courts in Oswego. There's no kitchen, but otherwise it is almost like a separate apartment. The model starts at $186,000.

“Multigenerational families prefer that these masters are on different levels,” said Valerie Dolenga, Pulte spokeswoman.

In two single-family models, Pulte says buyers can turn the first-floor den into a bedroom with a full bath. This provides some privacy because the regular master is on the second floor. Also, if any of the family members have accessibility issues, the first-floor location helps.

The Birmingham and Devonshire homes are both available at The Prairies of Winchester Glen in Carpentersville, where community prices start just under $300,000, and at Prescott Mill Highlands in Oswego from $281,000. At Autumn Creek in Yorkville, the Birmingham is available from $235,000.

When Pulte starts sales of row houses at The Glen in Glenview this spring, the Delton will come with the option of a second master suite, Dolenga said.

That plan was offered at Arlington Crossings in Arlington Heights, but it is not among the four homes still for sale there from $300,000 after a whirlwind year of sales, she said.

One of the homes from M/I that offers two masters is the Columbus townhouse at Mayfair in Naperville. Both bedrooms with private baths are on the second floor, and prices start at $200,000.

Other plans offer suites on both the first and second floors for more separation, said Bonk.

These models from M/I Homes seem to attract buyers with adult children who are recent college graduates, she said.