Posted on May 4, 2026 by Miller and Smith Blog Team
More Virginia families than ever are looking for a home that can hold more than one generation. A parent moving closer. An adult child saving for their own place. A household running on two different schedules under one roof.
What makes it work isn’t square footage. It’s the floor plan. A multigenerational home is a different animal from a big house, and the difference shows up in exactly the kinds of details most people don’t notice on a walkthrough: where the primary suites sit, whether the main level holds a full bedroom and bathroom, how many thermostats the house has, what happens when one household wants to come home late and the other is already asleep.
What follows is what actually separates a multigenerational floor plan from a big house with extra bedrooms, how the common layouts compare, and the questions worth asking before you commit to one. For a broader introduction, see our companion piece, What Is a Multi-Gen Home and Why It Might Be Perfect for You.
The trend isn’t subtle. Pew Research Center analysis of Census data shows that 59.7 million Americans, about 18% of the U.S. population, lived in a multigenerational household as of March 2021, and the number has quadrupled since 1971.
Four things are driving it. Aging parents want to stay close; AARP research consistently finds that most Americans would rather grow older at home or in a family member’s home than anywhere else, and a purpose-built floor plan is what makes that possible without either household feeling cramped. Adult children are moving back or never leaving; Pew found that 25% of young adults 25 to 34 now live in a multigenerational household, up from 9% five decades ago. Combining incomes across generations makes the math work for families who would otherwise be stretched across two households. And for many Virginia families, multigenerational living was never a fallback. It was always the plan.
The real question isn’t whether the trend is growing. It’s what kind of floor plan actually makes it livable.
A multigenerational floor plan is a home designed for two or more adult generations to share one roof while each keeping a home of their own. Privacy, accessibility, and independence, alongside space to gather.
Five design elements separate a true multigenerational floor plan from a big house with a lot of bedrooms.
Start with two primary bedrooms, each with its own full bathroom, placed either on opposite sides of the home or on separate floors. At least one should be on the main level. An aging parent, a family member with mobility considerations, or just the adult who doesn’t want to climb stairs at the end of a long day. All of them are served by a primary suite you can reach without touching a step. The second primary takes the upper level, giving a young adult or a separate family unit its own zone with its own rhythm.
A second exterior entry, usually off the garage or a side hallway, lets one household come and go without walking through the other’s space. Floor plans without a fully separate entrance can still do the work through zoning, whether that’s a private wing, a secondary stair, or a hallway that keeps traffic out of the main living areas. Either way, each household keeps its own routine, its own hours, and its own guests.
This is the most overlooked detail in multigenerational design, and it’s also the most important. At least one of the primary suites should offer full single-floor living: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen access, and laundry, without stairs. Miller & Smith calls this future-proof design. It works the day you move a parent or a guest in, and it still works a decade later when the household has shifted again. Zero-step entries, wider doorways, and curbless showers read as generous today and essential tomorrow.
Two households usually live at two different temperatures. Dual-zone HVAC and separate thermostats head off the kind of small daily friction that can quietly wear on a multigenerational household, and where it’s feasible, separate water heaters finish the job. Smart-home controls give each household real ownership over its own comfort.
A great room that opens into the kitchen. A gathering space that holds three generations at one table. A covered porch that reads as an extension of the living room. The home feels connected not because every space is shared, but because shared space is chosen.
Most multigenerational floor plans fall into one of four categories, and the right choice comes down to how much independence each household wants.
The dual-suite layout builds two primary suites into a single, continuous floor plan. Each suite has its own bathroom, often its own closet and sitting area, and the rest of the home (kitchen, dining, living) is shared. It’s the right fit for families who want clear privacy zones inside full integration. A parent or adult child moves in as a full member of the household, not a visitor. The trade-off is less physical separation than a private wing or a detached dwelling, which matters more for some households than for others.
An in-law suite is usually a bedroom, a full bathroom, and sometimes a small sitting area or kitchenette, added into an otherwise conventional floor plan. The shared spaces still do most of the living. This works for short- to medium-term arrangements, a parent staying for a season or an adult child living at home for a year or two. What it isn’t is a true equivalent to independent living. If the arrangement turns long-term, families usually outgrow the setup.
A private wing is functionally a private apartment within the home, with its own exterior entrance, a full bathroom, a bedroom, often a living area, and sometimes a small kitchen or beverage bar. It works for adult children saving for their own place, a live-in caregiver, or parents who want full independence alongside easy proximity. Designed without intention, a private wing can feel apartment-like and disconnected from the rest of the house. Designed well, it keeps the household together without forcing it.
A detached accessory dwelling, sometimes called an ADU or a casita, is a small secondary home on the same lot. It’s the answer for families who want maximum independence with the closeness of shared property, but it’s also uncommon in new construction across most Virginia markets. ADU rules vary significantly by jurisdiction, so if this is the arrangement you want, confirm what your county and community allow before you get attached to a floor plan.
Miller & Smith has been designing for this moment for years. The original Bradburne Multi-Gen at Patapsco Crossing brought multigenerational design into its most integrated form: a main-level suite with its own full bathroom, private living area, and dedicated entrance, built so one household could live fully independently while still belonging to the home. It was thoughtfully designed from the first drawing, not retrofitted into an older plan.
That same philosophy carries forward into Miller & Smith’s active Virginia communities.
Sadler Square, Miller & Smith’s first community in the Richmond area, was built around single-family floor plans that naturally accommodate multigenerational living. The Everly welcomes you onto an expansive front porch and opens into a main-level primary suite with a spa-inspired bath, with rustic oak flooring, aged brass accents, and natural stone details running through a great room where timeless design meets everyday comfort. Upstairs, a loft connects three additional bedrooms, giving every generation a place of its own. The Arden opens up generous single-family square footage with flex spaces that shift with your family over time: home office today, a second living room next year, a dedicated room for a parent or adult child when the household calls for it. The Crosby carries the same flexibility forward with its own design voice, another way to shape the home around the life you actually live. The Maison rounds out the collection with its own architectural character, a fourth take on what it looks like when a home is designed to make room for everyone in it.
For families whose plan is about proximity rather than one combined household, Birchwood at Brambleton and Beacon Park offer accessible home designs where a family member can live a short walk, not a long drive, from the rest. The elevator brownstones at both communities bring single-floor living into a townhome footprint, with Lock and Leave convenience and full-size finishes that give buyers 55 or better the independence they want alongside the closeness their adult children want. Explore the rest of our 55+ Active Adult communities for more options.
The thread running through all of it is that multigenerational living is something to build for, not something to retrofit around. Every Miller & Smith floor plan starts with a question about how the people inside will actually live. The architecture follows from there.
Before you fall in love with a specific floor plan, walk through it with these questions in mind.
Start with bathrooms and bedrooms. Every adult in the household should have their own bathroom, because shared bathrooms rarely work between adults keeping their own schedules. At least one bedroom, full bathroom, and primary living space should sit on the main level, which matters for aging parents now and for anyone in the household later.
Then think about how people move through the home. Each household should be able to reach the outside without walking through the other’s space, since separate entrances protect routines and remove the small daily frictions that can quietly wear on a multigenerational household over time. Bedroom walls work better against other bedroom walls than against living rooms, so pay attention to where the sound actually lives.
The kitchen question is specific. Does the layout support two cooks working together, or just one at a time? Aisle width, counter space, and the distance between prep zones decide whether a multigenerational kitchen feels shared or contested. And ask about dual HVAC zones specifically. Two households usually live at two different temperatures, and this sounds minor until you live it.
Lastly, think about the next five or ten years. A floor plan that’s tight the day you move in won’t stretch to hold an infant room, a home-based business, or a live-in caregiver later. And if resale matters, remember that main-level suites, flexible spaces, and dual primary bedrooms are in demand across every buyer segment today, not just multigenerational families.
When you’re ready to walk through a multigenerational floor plan, Miller & Smith has three active Virginia communities where it matters most. Sadler Square in Short Pump leads with the Everly, Arden, and Crosby, single-family models designed around flexible main-level living. Birchwood at Brambleton in Ashburn puts multigenerational proximity inside elevator brownstones and single-level homes in a mature 55 or better neighborhood. And Beacon Park in Woodbridge offers four-level townhomes alongside 55 or better elevator townhomes for families who want everyone close without sharing a ceiling. Each community page has current floor plans, pricing, and availability. The best way to understand a multigenerational floor plan is to walk through one.
A multigenerational home is a single property designed for two or more adult generations to share one roof while each keeping a home of their own. The defining features are dual primary suites, separate zones or entrances, and main-level living options.
Most multigenerational households include two adult generations, adult children with aging parents, or adult children who came back after college. About one in four multigenerational households in the United States includes three or more generations, according to Pew Research Center data.
Not always, but many families prefer them. A separate entrance lets one household come and go without walking through the other’s space, which protects routines and reduces friction. Floor plans that don’t include a fully separate entrance create privacy through zoning instead, with primary suites placed on opposite ends of the house or on separate floors.
An in-law suite is usually a bedroom and bathroom, sometimes with a small sitting area, added into a conventional floor plan. A multigenerational home is designed from the ground up for two households to share one roof, with dual primary suites, separate entrances, independent utilities, and full main-level living options.
They’re actually easier. Pew Research reports the share of Americans living in multigenerational households is the highest since the 1950s, with 59.7 million Americans living in one. Homes with dual primary suites, flexible main-level spaces, and separate zones appeal to buyers well beyond the multigenerational audience, including remote workers, dual-income households, and families with long-term guests.
A main-level primary suite with a full bathroom, direct access to a kitchen or kitchenette, and a zero-step entry. Look for layouts that put a second living area nearby, so the suite feels like a home rather than a guest room. These same features support aging in place for the homeowners themselves.
Not usually. Square foot for square foot, a multigenerational home costs about the same to build as a similarly sized traditional layout. The added cost comes from specific features like a second kitchenette, a second HVAC zone, or a separate entrance, and many families offset that cost by combining incomes across generations.
Miller & Smith offers flexible, multigenerational-friendly floor plans at several active Virginia communities, including Sadler Square in Short Pump near Richmond, Birchwood at Brambleton in Ashburn, and Beacon Park in Woodbridge. Each community page has current floor plans, pricing, and availability, or you can schedule a visit to walk through a model home.
A floor plan on a screen can only tell you so much. Walk through a multigenerational home and the layout starts to make sense in a way a drawing never can. Room by room, you start to see where your family actually fits. See how Miller & Smith designs for the way Virginia families live at Sadler Square, Birchwood at Brambleton, or Beacon Park. One visit can change everything.