By B.C. Manion
It looks much like any other home from the outside.
But step inside a Next Gen model home by Lennar at Concord Station in Land O’ Lakes, and you’ll find a home within a home — designed to address the changing needs of today’s families.
People are living longer, and more baby boomers are reaching retirement age. A lack of jobs has caused more college graduates to return home to live with their parents. And, on top of all that, elderly people are increasingly choosing to “age in place” rather than move to retirement homes.
Next Gen homes are meant to meet the needs of these changing lifestyles.
They feature a private living space — which is a full suite that is separated, but adjacent to the main living area — for parents, grandparents, adult children or even long-term guests, Mark Metheny, president of Lennar’s Central Florida Division, said in a release.
“Modern families are often different from the very traditional mom, dad and two kids,” Metheny said. “We need homes that can accommodate more than one generation, and Lennar’s Next Gen homes offer just those capabilities.”
The idea is to provide essentially two homes for one house payment, according to the company’s marketing materials.
The adjacent suite provides privacy, but also allows family members to live near each other so they can interact as much or as little as they would like.
Two floor plans are now available for Lennar’s Next Gen homes.
One design, which the company calls Independence, has five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and a three-car garage with 2,518 square feet in the main living area and 839 square feet in the Next Gen living suite.
The other design, called Liberation, has six bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a two-car garage and a single-car garage, with 3,029 square feet in the main living space and 838 in the Next Gen living suite.
Both designs have private entrances into both living areas and interior access between the two.
Both designs also feature separate kitchens, laundry facilities and living rooms, too.
The Liberation also features a private, one-car garage for the Next Gen living suite.
The Independence is the company’s first example of the Next Gen floor plan, David Parker, director of sales and marketing for the Central Florida Division of Lennar, said in a release.
The company is aiming to serve a growing segment of the nation’s housing market.
“The number of multigenerational households in the U.S. has increased by 60 percent since 1990 as adult children continue to live with their parents, sometimes with children of their own or as grandparents move in with their children,” Parker said.
Prices for the homes are in the $200,000s and $300,000s.
For more information, visit www.LennarTampa.com.
