I love this. When I lived in LA I owned a house in what there they call a bungalow court. All the homes had separate amenities, but the houses were also so small that there was a lot of hanging out in the communal courtyard too. The design unfortunately didn't go as far as this example, or as far as a house like the one in Encanto, but just a taste of this kind of communal living was enough to make me want more.
We are building a house which has many of the qualities you touch on here. We have a 96 year old (great-grandma) and a three year old plus all of us in between. One kitchen and main living area but plenty of other spaces so that each person can have their own private area too. Also my children’s grandparents live just down the hill on the same property! I hope more people can experience this way of living.
My family and I briefly looked at a multi generational home that was on the market near us, custom built by the previous owners. It didn’t have all the aspects of the Encanto house (it had multiple kitchens so it was more like two homes combined by a hallway) but it was still fascinating to see. It was easy to see how living somewhere like that would be uncomfortable compared to the single family homes we’re used to, but it also would be so beneficial!
Yesss - I shared this piece on co-housing in the newsletter this week, and it's just such a different way of living than many of us even have the imagination for. But I see so many benefits for many people: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2024/6/3/can-cohousing-solve-the-housing-crisis-and-loneliness-epidemic
I love this. When I lived in LA I owned a house in what there they call a bungalow court. All the homes had separate amenities, but the houses were also so small that there was a lot of hanging out in the communal courtyard too. The design unfortunately didn't go as far as this example, or as far as a house like the one in Encanto, but just a taste of this kind of communal living was enough to make me want more.
We are building a house which has many of the qualities you touch on here. We have a 96 year old (great-grandma) and a three year old plus all of us in between. One kitchen and main living area but plenty of other spaces so that each person can have their own private area too. Also my children’s grandparents live just down the hill on the same property! I hope more people can experience this way of living.
My family and I briefly looked at a multi generational home that was on the market near us, custom built by the previous owners. It didn’t have all the aspects of the Encanto house (it had multiple kitchens so it was more like two homes combined by a hallway) but it was still fascinating to see. It was easy to see how living somewhere like that would be uncomfortable compared to the single family homes we’re used to, but it also would be so beneficial!