Have you ever dreamed of creating a family compound where your extended family can gather together to enjoy quality time, while also having your own private spaces? As families grow and expand across generations, a family compound layout allows you to keep your loved ones close in a communal living environment. Planning a family compound takes time and consideration regarding layout, design, size, amenities, and more. By thinking through these elements upfront, you can create a warm, welcoming space that meets the needs of all family members for decades to come. This article will guide you through the process of envisioning and planning your family compound.
Selecting the Location
One of the first decisions to make is choosing a location for your family compound. Think through the following factors as you assess potential sites:
Proximity – Consider how close or far you’d like to be from local conveniences like shops and restaurants. Also, evaluate proximity to airports or highways for easy access.
School district – If you have or plan to have younger children, research school districts in the areas you’re considering. Highly ranked districts can impact resale value.
Local amenities – Think through climate, attractions, community events and other local amenities that your family would enjoy. Select an area that fits your lifestyle vision.
Lot size – Purchase the largest lot size within your budget. This allows flexibility for building placements and future expansion if needed.
Zoning laws – Research zoning laws and permit requirements for multi-family properties in potential areas. Comply with any regulations for your family compound plans.
By weighing these factors, you can select a location that checks all the boxes for your perfect family retreat.
Designing the Overall Layout
Once you’ve selected a property, think through how you’ll arrange buildings and outdoor spaces in your compound layout. Carefully consider how your family functions and interacts to create a thoughtful, useful design.
Here are some layout ideas and considerations:
Central gathering area – Designate a main community building or outdoor living area where the family routinely gathers for meals, games and quality time together.
Private family residences – Situate individual homes or sections of larger buildings to allow each nuclear family some privacy. Connect these through walking paths.
Multi-generational wing – If housing grandparents or grown kids, consider an attached multi-generational wing for easy access while still feeling like a separate residence.
Outdoor kitchen – Include an outdoor cooking and eating area with fireplace and grill for warm weather gatherings. Locate this near the central gathering space.
Lawn games – Designate a stretch of flat lawn for games like croquet, cornhole or bocce ball to enjoy some friendly family competition.
Fire pit – A fire pit surrounded by adirondack chairs or built-in bench seating provides an ideal spot for family bonding, roasting marshmallows or cozying up to an outdoor movie.
Play structures – For families with kids, incorporate a play area with swings, playhouse, sandbox and other structures to keep children occupied outdoors.
Parking – Carefully place a parking lot or individual garages so vehicles don’t impede the beautiful family areas. Screen with landscaping.
Gardens – Garden spaces provide tranquility as well as fresh veggies and herbs. Place gardens conveniently near kitchens and dining areas.
No matter your family compound layout, think through traffic flow and family living patterns to ensure your buildings, activity areas and green spaces all interconnect seamlessly.
Accommodating Multi-Generational Living
A major advantage of family compounds is that they facilitate multi-generational living. When planning your family compound layout and buildings, consider amenities and features to comfortably accommodate family members of all ages and abilities.
For starters, create universal design elements that increase accessibility. Examples include:
- Zero-entry, roll-in showers
- Wide doorways and hallways
- Limited stairs with ample railings
- Lever-style door and faucet handles
- Front-controlled appliances and cabinets
Secondly, design flexible spaces that serve different purposes as needs shift over time. For instance:
- An art studio could convert to an elderly family member’s suite
- Kids’ bunk room becomes guest quarters after kids grow up
- Meeting room transitions into a playroom as grandkids arrive
Finally, incorporate age-specific conveniences such as:
- Video intercom systems so kids can safely see who’s at the door
- Designated golf cart parking for getting around the property
- Low-maintenance landscaping as owners age
- Teen hangout space for ping pong/videogames/ theater room
Build everything to commercial grade standards so your family compound can adapt seamlessly across generations.
Incorporating Shared Indoor Amenities
While private living spaces are important, communal amenities help unite the family compound. When designing shared buildings, consider which indoor features your extended family will appreciate.
Great Room: As the central hub, design an expansive great room with vaulted ceilings, plush seating, large farmhouse dining table and entertainment space. Include a spacious, gourmet kitchen so multiple family members can cook together. Add a wet bar and wine refrigerator for casual gatherings. Consider soundproofing between floors.
Fitness center: A shared workout room with weights, cardio equipment and studio space allows family members to exercise together. Include a steam room, sauna and spa-quality locker rooms.
Theater: For movie nights or binge-watching favorite shows, incorporate a dedicated home theater with tiered, plush seating, state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and blackout shades.
Game room: Offer multi-generational fun with a game room featuring a pool table, arcade games, poker table and bar. Hang a scoreboard to spark friendly competition!
Craft room: Supply a designated arts and crafts room where family members create pottery, jewelry, paintings and more, side-by-side.
Living Well: Convert an unused bedroom into a shared living well suite for at-home hair, massage and nail services.
By pre-planning these gathered spaces based on your families’ interests, you’ll encourage even more quality time together.
Building Out Individual Family Homes
At its core, a family compound allows multiple generations, or sibling families, to live together while still maintaining privacy. That’s why designing distinct residential spaces within the compound is key.
When building out separate family homes, follow general new construction best practices for room layout, traffic flow, storage, etc. Additionally, keep these considerations in mind:
Consistency: While allowing for personalization, use matching exteriors, rooflines, materials and colors to blend the look seamlessly across the compound.
Connection: Utilize breezeways, shared patios, indoor pass-throughs or common mudrooms to interconnect individual homes.
Personalization: Provide flexibility for each family to configure their distinct living space to suit unique needs. Allow for extended families co-habitating long-term.
Autonomy: Ensure each residence features a private kitchen, laundry room, living area and outdoor access so families can also spend time alone.
Security: Design locked entrances so individual families control access to their private residences for safety.
Technology: Install smart home automation, A/V systems, lighting controls and security cameras with the ability to interconnect across the compound if desired.
By keeping these principles in mind while designing individual living spaces, your family compound can achieve that perfect balance of togetherness and autonomy across generations.
Building Secondary Spaces and Guest Houses
Beyond the central great room and individual family residences, consider including secondary spaces in your family compound to accommodate visiting relatives and friends.
Guest house: Construct one or more tiny homes or guest cottages so visiting family members can stay onsite comfortably. Include a mini kitchen, bedroom(s) and living area with the ability to lock exterior doors. Locate near parking for easy luggage transport.
“Glamping” sites: Develop a few transient “glamping” sites with prepped RV pads or yurts with electricity and water. Add a common building with showers and restrooms for easy overflow sleeping areas.
Garage apartment: Construct an above-garage carriage house or apartment with a full living suite. Perfect for relatives stopping by for an extended stay.
Casitas: Freestanding or attached studio, one and two-bedroom casitas provide flexible housing for young-adult kids, grandparents or other family needing semi-independent living.
By pre-planning secondary dwelling spaces in your family compound footprint, you’ll easily accommodate relatives for short or open-ended stays.
Installing the Infrastructure
While not the most glamorous task, appropriately planning infrastructure is foundational to an enjoyable family compound. Consult civil engineers, land surveyors, architects and contractors early when installing:
Access roads & sidewalks: Pave properly-graded roads and walkways interconnecting the entire property. Include lighting. Consider low-voltage golf cart paths.
Stormwater drainage: Strategically place drains, pipes, retention ponds and swales to control rain runoff and prevent flooding, especially around structures.
Power: Determine required wattage for current and future use across the entire property. Install appropriate electric poles, transformers, wires and outlets to avoid tripped breakers. Add generators.
Well water & septic: Drill a high-volume commercial well able to sustainably serve drinking, irrigation and septic needs for all buildings, year-round.
Propane tanks: Evaluate peak propane demand based on sizes, numbers of buildings, fireplaces, etc. Install one large or multiple networked smaller tanks with underground lines running to each building. Order a routine refill schedule.
Internet/WiFi: Run high-capacity, fiber-optic internet lines throughout the property for fast, reliable access. Install commercial grade routers and WiFi extenders as needed.
Careful infrastructure planning minimizes hassles and helps the family compound run smoothly for generations.
Making Outdoor Living Spaces
Beautiful outdoor living spaces encourage your whole family to spend meaningful time together enjoying nature and fresh air right at home.
When planning landscaping, patios, pools and other exterior features for your family compound, observe how your family already uses your yard. Enhance current gathering spots and create new conversation areas to draw loved ones outside.
Fire pit + conversation area: Group cozy adirondack chairs around a stone fire pit for warming hands, roasting s’mores and bonding into the evening.
Patio kitchen + dining: Expand your indoor footprint with a covered, outdoor kitchen including pizza oven, grill, bar fridge and sink. Flank with a large patio table under string lights.
Built-in seating: Incorporate custom bench seating, retaining walls and planter boxes for casual seating and bordering garden beds.
Play lawn: Maintain a flat grassy lawn for grandkid tag, croquet, corn hole or tossing a ball. Allow space to install a temporary badminton net.
Pool house: Construct a pool house featuring sunken seating nook with TV, changing rooms, lounge chairs and tables to base your pool days from. Add a snack bar pass-through window.
Pool patio area: Include ample concrete/paver space surrounding pool and hot tub for seating groups of chaises, umbrellas, tables and trees/shrubs in pool-safe planters.
Hammock zones: Strategically hang hammocks with views across property for blissful reading spots. Use as resting area before/after water activities.
By pre-planning versatile outdoor living spaces suited specifically to how your family already spends time together outdoors, you’ll maximize opportunities for making wonderful memories with extended family.
Choosing Low-Maintenance Landscaping
Beautiful, lush landscaping ties together your full family compound design. Choose low-maintenance native plant varieties appropriate for your region to minimize upkeep. Here are smart landscaping considerations for family compounds:
Native, drought-resistant plants: Choose landscape materials used to your climate, weather and soil. These require less watering once established.
Automated sprinkler system: Install underground PVC piping across all landscaped areas with programmable sprinkler heads to handle watering without effort.
Hardscaping materials: Utilize pavers, pea gravel, crushed granite, mulch and other inorganic materials to limit weeding and control mud in heavy traffic areas.
Limited high-maintenance lawns: Minimize expansive grass lawns which require regular mowing, fertilizing and treatment. Prioritize play lawns.
Low-care foundation plants: Border home foundations with low-growing, spreading shrubs, ornamental grasses and evergreen groundcover for little maintenance.
Natural strategic fencing: Add cedar fencing only where truly needed for privacy, safety or animal enclosures. Let open areas naturally flow together.
By thoughtfully incorporating native, low-maintenance plants and inorganic landscaping materials, you’ll reap the benefits of beautiful curb appeal without continual upkeep.
FAQs
Q: How much space is needed for a family compound?
A: The recommended space for a comfortable family compound accommodating multiple households is 5-10 landscaped acres. This provides adequate room for spacing residences apart, adding secondary structures and keeping a spacious feel. For just one main building divided into separate family wings, 1-3 acre lots may work well.
Q: How much does a family compound cost?
A: Construction costs vary greatly by region, property size and amenities chosen. However, plan for at least $250+ per heated square foot for standard builds. Easily $500k+ for high-end compounds spanning 5,000+ square feet. The land itself can also add significant expense depending on location.
Q: What legal considerations exist with family compounds?
A: If structuring as co-owned by family members, create clear legal ownership documents stating percentages owned and decision-making processes. Also designate equal or preferential/discounted purchase rights in case an owner ever wants to sell their portion. Family compounds function best when governance processes are established upfront and revisited/updated periodically as ownership changes.
Q: Can a compound feature multiple kitchens?
A: Yes, modern residential building codes do allow for secondary residences and multiple full kitchens within a family compound provided proper permitting and inspections occur. For instance, independent backhouses, guest homes and multi-family wings can all contain personal kitchens while still falling under the umbrella family retreat.
Q: How can we make private family areas feel connected?
A: Use thoughtful design techniques like aligned rooflines, matching materials, connecting breezeways and shared patios to blend together individual living spaces. Also ensure walking paths, gathering lawns and community amenities easily accessible from all homes encourage frequent, casual interactions. Lastly, plan periodic shared meals and events.
Conclusion
Developing a family compound layout tailored specifically for bringing your extended family together takes thoughtful planning, savvy design techniques and purposeful construction suited for communal living. By following best practices around site selection, layout, amenities, infrastructure, landscaping and more covered in this guide, you can create a warm, welcoming retreat the whole family loves for generations.
Focus first on fostering the flexible gathering areas and casual interactions that strengthen family bonds every day. The marquee, with its origins rooted in communal gatherings and shared celebrations, serves as a symbolic extension of the principle that when a compound prioritizes community over privacy, personal spaces beautifully come together—transforming the family compound into not merely a shared property but a shared life experience, a tangible legacy etched in time.
