CBC News BC
Baneet Braich
Sharing large houses or building backyard homes can make financial and practical sense, families say, with multi-generational homes.
For Scot Hein, multi-generational living steps away from his two-year-old granddaughter is an “extraordinary” blessing. He can spend time with her every day, whether it’s for storytime or playing in the garden.
The multi-gen living arrangement was made possible because his daughter and son-in-law built a smaller home in his backyard in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood.
“We made the land work for us … to leverage housing for our next generation of family,” said Hein, 67. His daughter, Mary Hein, and son-in-law, Arran McAteer, moved into the 1,400-square-foot, rose-coloured wood-frame house two years ago.
The Heins are among a growing number of Canadian families sharing their property with three generations.
See Who can claim: Multigenerational home renovation tax credit (MHRTC)
What is a multi-generational home?
Multi-generational living isn’t new. For centuries, different cultures have embraced the concept and the ways it connects older and younger generations.
Reasons for its growing popularity beyond sharing costs include an aging population and immigration from countries, especially in Asia, where multi-generational living is everyday, said Andy Yan, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University.
With British Columbia seeing the highest rents in Canada and detached homes easily costing $1 million, splitting a mortgage with several family members or moving into a smaller house in your parents’ backyard are two ways families can cut costs and support each other.
“It’s too expensive everywhere. And living together, you can share everything,” says Surjit Singh, whose family immigrated from Italy in 2018 and were able to collectively purchase their first home in Abbotsford, around 60 kilometres east of Vancouver, in 2021.
“It’s tough to pay all these mortgages in this time for Canadians, but … we are lucky we are living together,” said Singh, 44.
Across Canada, the number of properties shared by multiple generations, two or more families, or one family living with unrelated individuals.
Some families say multi-generational living is one solution for more affordable housing in B.C. The province says new legislation will make it easier to accommodate multi-generational families in secondary suites and laneway homes.
