When the last of your baby birds leaves the nest for college or a career or military service, you may follow in the talon-prints of oh-so-many middle-aged birds before you: downsize the family home, move to a more-retirement-friendly locale like Florida or Arizona, or buy that long-imagined RV or boat and see the world. And all those are extremely acceptable ways of spending your empty-nester years.
But in today’s real estate market, as it stands now, more and more empty-nesters are opting to hang on to the family home, as an either emotional or financial investment, and transforming it into a hub, where they can welcome back their baby birds and eventually their baby birds into a kid-friendly, family-friendly compound of sorts.
If you and your significant other aren’t looking to uproot yourselves and move off to warmer climate or travel the country or world, but instead want to establish your family home as a sort of rock where your kids and their spouses and their kids can return during holidays, weekends, and summers, what changes can you make to your home to make that happen?
So many. And you don’t have to turn your home into a bonafide daycare center to accommodate your kids and your grandchildren.
Dining Space
If your offsprings partner up and have offsprings of their own, you’re going to need more seats at the dining table. That probably means a bigger table and a bigger dining room. Open floor plans are ideal for expandable dining tables that can accommodate you and your spouse on a regular basis, but also the whole family when they’re visiting.
Consider knocking down wall(s) that separate your living space from your dining room so there is room for your dining area to grow when you need it to.
Invest in a lovely table that can be expanded with several leaves, as needed. This should be a table that can accommodate you and your spouse on a daily basis without you feeling like you’re shouting at each other across a gorge, but that can be transformed into a family table when your children and grandchildren are around.
There are gorgeous folding chairs available on the market that can be stowed in the garage, basement, or even a big closet until they are needed and take up very little space.
And it’s really never too late to consider a kitchen remodel. When you think about your family enlarging over the holidays, consider what would make your kitchen more functional. Perhaps a larger center island (think grandchildren rolling out cookies for the holidays or giving everyone a different job to do to make the family dinner – and they all have a good space to do so!). Buffets are easier with a large group and a large countertop is just what you need for that purpose.
Outdoor Space
Few additions to your home are going to draw your kids back to the nest with their own kids like a pool. Liner pools, fiberglass or custom concrete with a patio or a deck– pools are family magnets. You don’t have to go big to get results.
Consider a pool, in whatever configuration, plus maybe an outdoor shower to rinse off the pool chemicals, a place for a great grill or even an outdoor kitchen, a space to lounge in the shade, a shed to store pool supplies, floaties, and chairs, and maybe a sandbox or play structure where the little kids can cavort while the big kids swim.
At certain times of the year, outdoor dining is great, especially at dinner time. If you can’t expand your indoor dining space as mentioned above, this may be the best place for you to gather the whole family for a sit-down meal. Ideally, a covered outdoor dining space would have a ceiling fan to both cool the area and keep the bugs at bay. Outdoor mist stations can now be had for less than $200 each. Amazing! What a luxury to have at an affordable price.
Indoor Spaces
Consider turning one of your empty bedrooms into a room that’s specially designed for your grandkids, accommodating as many ages and interests as possible. It doesn’t have to be the set of Romper Room. With tasteful organization, ample closet space, and a well-curated supply of toys and games, you can still have a neat, organized, manageable room.
Some opt for bunk beds to have all the cousins share one big room together. Throw in some game tables and a closet full of activities and you might just find the adults get some quiet time together while the kids bond, building family memories of their own.
But, of course, reserve some (or one) of those empty bedrooms for your visiting family. As we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, when it comes to accommodating guests, some of your best real estate is your basement.
And don’t forget… as you consider staying in your home for longer, you might think about a whole house renovation that would allow for a first floor, primary suite with an accessible bathroom.
We love the idea of a family home remaining a family home, long after family members have gone off to have families for themselves.