Multigenerational homes that fit just right

Washington

BOB and Myrna Conrad, both 65, share a house with their son Wade, 41, his wife, Dana, 42, and their grandson Bryce, 21. Isn't it crowded? Don't they cramp one another's style? Actually, no.

"We just set some ground rules, and it's been working great," said Wade Conrad, who has been living with his extended family since late 2013 in a NextGen multigenerational home, built by the Lennar Corp, in Spanaway, Washington, near Tacoma.

The Conrads are among a growing number of families who are seeking specially designed homes that can accommodate ageing parents, grown children and even boomerang children under the same roof.

The number of Americans living in multigenerational households - defined, generally, as homes with more than one adult generation - rose to 56.8 million in 2012, or about 18.1 per cent of the total population, from 46.6 million, or 15.5 per cent of the…