THERE ARE many reasons why Carla Ricotta should be delighted with her new home in Oaks Hamlet, part of the massive Kings Hill development outside West Malling in Kent. The four-bedroom detached house, built by Environ Country Homes and costing £515,000, has all mod cons, including underfloor heating, a big family kitchen and parking for five cars. It is also well positioned: close to woodland that won’t be built on, and not overlooked by neighbours. Yet the crucial plus point of this home to Ricotta, believe it or not, is the space above the garage.

“It’s going to be a self-contained apartment,” explains Ricotta, 37. “My 14-year-old daughter, Andreia, will use it as a cinema and for parties for the next few years. When she’s older and wants her independence she’ll be able to use it as her own flat.” Ricotta is creating a family home that will meet their needs for years to come. She and her husband, Claudio, 33, who owns a panini bar in Crystal Palace, London, have two other children: Paolo, aged 8, and Tatyanna, 6. When Andreia flies the nest, it is likely that Paolo will inherit the garage apartment, meaning that the three children will have lots of what psychologists call “personal space” as they grow up.

It is just this sort of long-term planning that is prompting some housebuilders to pepper their developments with their very latest concept: multi-generational homes. Multi-generational living means that instead of families living in different units, perhaps miles apart, everyone lives independently but on the same site. It’s far from being a new concept: in Italy during the 1980s and 1990s, the exorbitant price of property made it common practice. The pros – and cons – of extended family life were also plain to see in the TV series Dallas.

There are distinct advantages. Grandparents living a door away can easily help with childcare. If those same grandparents are becoming frail, then the younger generation can keep an eye on them. And twentysomethings can live at home – perhaps in an upper-storey bedsit or a flat downstairs – thereby saving money before getting on the property ladder.

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But it does create problems. “Building multi-generational homes in this day and age is all about separating people,” says David Birkbeck, of Design for Homes, the society of architects that promotes good design. “People need their own space, and it’s particularly important as an adult to have your own front door.

“Put bluntly, if you are 28, then you don’t want your parents asking questions about what time you got in last night. If you are 72, you don’t want your children asking the same thing. Many people love living near their closest relatives, but they also need their own independence and privacy.” Birbeck estimates that there are about 50,000 modern multi-generational homes in the UK. Dale Mill – a purpose-built, multi-generational development of 62 houses and 23 apartments – is being built on the site of two former mills in Rochdale and was a prizewinner at the 2007 Housing Design Awards. The scheme, due for completion in 2009, is being targeted at ethnic minorities or other buyers for whom living with an extended family is part of their culture.

Built around courtyards, the three-bedroom, three-storey houses will have access to separate sections of the ground floor via the kitchen or the front door. They will also have access to a first-floor terrace from a separate staircase – ideal for a twentysomething touchy about still living at home. Another type on offer is the five-bedroom, three-storey house which is paired with a two-bed, two-storey house to its rear: the houses will meet at a party wall that can be knocked down or reerected to match the owners’ needs. Built by Artisan Construction and Barratt, the homes will be priced between £110,000 and £200,000.

Multi-generational homes are also increasingly popular at the top of the market. When Redeham Homes built their part of Accordia Living – the award-winning development near the centre of Cambridge – they included annexes opposite their main townhouses. These consisted of a main room and a bathroom, making them more suitable for young people between homes than grandma and grandpa for the long haul.

Fairfax Properties specialises in replica period country homes in the £2 million to £6 million price range. The company says that it would love to make more of the facilities it offers in the apartments above the garages, but the planning laws forbid it. Fairfax connects all the services of gas, water and electricity in the space above the garages, builds the shell of an apartment and leaves the rest to the buyers. “We do this because we like to make our main homes as sizeable as possible and the apartment would count as living space in our planning application if it were habitable,” says the managing director, John McLean. “We leave it to the buyers to make their own separate application, then all they have to do is install dormer windows and decorate before using it as an extra wing to the house.”

The Times Online guide to retirement tells you everything you need to know at: timesonline.co.uk/buyingandselling

FACTFILE

The price of homes for sale at Oaks Hamlet ranges from £335,000 for a two-bedroom apartment to £995,000 for a five-bedroom detached house with a detached studio.

The average price of a detached house in nearby Maidstone is £394,460, according to the Land Registry.

Average price of a detached house in England and Wales is £327,688 (Land Registry).

The average detached house in Maidstone has increased in price by 42 per cent over the past five years (Land Registry). Oaks Hamlet is two miles from junction 4 of the M20; Gatwick is 40 minutes’ drive. Central London is 33 miles away.

For more information, contact: 01732 848316, www.oakshamlet.com ; www.fairfaxproperties.co.uk ; www.designforhomes.org .

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