Multigenerational Modular Homes: Building Privacy and Connection Under One Roof

The way we live at home in the U.S. today looks very different from 50 years ago, according to data from the Pew Research Center, which reports that significantly more Americans began living in multigenerational households in 2024, and that number is increasing.

Why? For some families, aging parents want to be closer to their adult children. For others, adult children are staying at home longer as they finish school or start a new career. Or maybe both parents work and need grandparents to help with childcare. Or extended relatives may move into make housing costs more manageable.

If you’re looking for a new home designed for multigenerational living, Designer Homes of Pennsylvania offers more than 300 customizable floor plans, many of which are ideal for an extended family under one roof. 

With our advanced modular construction process, you can start with any of our floor plans and customize it around the people who will actually live there. Plus, modular homes can be built up to 50% faster than traditional on-site construction and are often less expensive.

Here are some ideas from our Designer Homes team to consider when planning a new multigenerational modular home in Central Pennsylvania.

Begin by Asking How Your Family Will Live Together

When designing a new home for multigenerational living, think about your family’s daily routines. Who will need the most privacy? Does an older parent need to avoid stairs? Will adult family members need space to work from home? Who will spend the most time in the kitchen? Will everyone eat together most nights, or will different generations keep different schedules?

Your Designer Homes team can use your answers to shape your floor plan. Our goal for each multigenerational design is not necessarily to separate everyone. In fact, shared kitchens, dining rooms, and living areas can be some of the biggest benefits of living together.

This approach balances togetherness with privacy, which the AARP says is important for multigenerational living. Separating bedroom areas, creating flexible private spaces, and thinking about household noise can make a shared home much more comfortable.

Need Easier Single-Level Living?

If your multigenerational household will include aging parents or relatives with mobility concerns, a ranch-style modular home may be one of the first options to explore. Single-story living eliminates the need to use stairs for everyday activities and can place bedrooms, bathrooms, the kitchen, laundry, and shared living areas all on the same floor.

And each Designer Home ranch-style floor plan offers a wide variety of customization options to fit your family’s lifestyle. For example, The Lafayette is a single-story ranch with 1,740 square feet, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. Its one-level design can be a useful starting point for a household that values convenience and accessibility.

Another ranch option, The Penns Creek, features an open layout designed for entertaining and gathering. This includes larger shared spaces that bring everyone together, with bedrooms and other private areas that give family members room to recharge.

The LeGrand is also an appealing ranch-style floor plan if you don’t need as much square footage, but still need at least two baths and three bedrooms. Like every Designer Home floor plan, it can serve as a starting point rather than restricting how your family functions every day.

Multigenerational Doesn’t Have to Mean Giving Up Privacy

Sometimes, there’s such a thing as too much sharing, especially in a multi-gen home. That’s why different lifestyle zones are built into our Designer Homes’ modular construction process, rather than forcing a family into a one-size-fits-all floor plan.

For example, an older parent might have a bedroom and full bathroom on one side of the home, while parents and children occupy bedrooms in another area. An adult child might have a bedroom near a flex room or den that can serve as a more private living or work area.

The AARP recommends locating bedrooms for different generations in separate areas when possible. This adds privacy and helps cancel out noise.

Case in point: A young family getting ready for school at 6 a.m. will have a very different schedule from a retired parent. Teenagers, toddlers, parents, and grandparents may all have different expectations for quiet time.

When each of our Designer Homes’ clients begins customizing their modular home, we encourage them to consider bedroom placement, bathroom locations, hallways, closets, and other buffers that can create more separation between busy and quiet areas.

Bathrooms and Kitchens Can Make Daily Life Easier for the Entire Family

When several generations are living together, additional bathrooms can make a major difference in privacy and convenience.

For example, The Anson floor plan may be worth exploring for a larger family that needs more bathroom capacity. This two-story model offers four to five bedrooms and three bathrooms, providing considerably more flexibility for households that need room for parents, adult children, guests, or other family members.

While bathrooms add privacy for multiple family members, a connected kitchen brings everyone together. This is why our Annabelle floor plan includes a spacious, open-concept kitchen that flows easily to and from the dining and living areas, for family gatherings and entertaining.

Don’t Forget Storage When Building for a Large Family

A multigenerational household may need more room for several sets of seasonal clothing, family keepsakes, hobbies, mobility equipment, children’s belongings, pantry items, and household supplies.

Fortunately, Designer Homes offers a wide range of storage options to accommodate every family member. This includes thinking beyond bedroom closets. A larger pantry, linen storage near multiple bathrooms, a mudroom or drop zone, built-in cabinetry, and strategically located closets can help keep shared areas from feeling crowded.

And when several adults are living together, giving everyone adequate storage can also create a stronger sense that the home belongs to everyone.

Why Modular Construction Works So Well for Multigenerational Homes

There’s a myth in our industry that modular construction limits floor-plan choices. Each Designer Homes modular home tells a very different story.

Our ranch, Cape Cod, and two-story homes range from about 1,000 to 4,000 square feet, along with more than 300 customizable floor plans and hundreds of design options. This means more flexibility to personalize your home for every member of your family.

Additionally, today’s modular homes are very different from the traditional modular homes of the past. Our Designer Homes modular construction process uses the same quality materials, skilled craftsmanship, and construction methods as site-built homes- simply in a climate-controlled environment that improves quality, efficiency, and consistency. 

This process gives you the efficiency of factory construction while still letting you build a home around your family.

Final Thoughts: Designer Homes Can Build a Home That Works for the Entire Family

Multigenerational living offers some wonderful benefits: more time together, shared responsibilities, family support, and the chance for grandparents, parents, and children to stay closely connected.

But it takes the right kind of floor plan to support multi-gen families under one roof. This includes creating spaces for connection and privacy. At Designer Homes of Pennsylvania, we give Central Pennsylvania homebuyers plenty of floor plan options to do just that.

Explore our Photo Gallery and 3D tours to see our wide variety of single-story, two-story homes, and Cape Cods, or visit our Model Center in Mifflinburg to walk through different home designs.

Then contact Designer Homes or reach out to our team at 570-966-6244 to learn how a modular floor plan can accommodate the people you love — today and in the years ahead.