See How 3 Families Live in These Multigenerational Homes

Who lives here: Paul Smith, 36, and Lee Smith, 32; their children, Riley, 6, and Ruby, 2; and Lee’s mum, Miemmie Prins, 55.

Location: Auckland, New Zealand

The house: Paul, Lee and the children live in the 1,184-square-foot (110-square-meter) main house on a sheep farm. Miemmie lives in a 667-square-foot (62-square-meter) granny flat they built for her next door. 

Family occupations: Lee owns a property management firm, Paul manages a home security company and Miemmie works in eye care.

How long they’ve lived together: “We were always keen to have my mum live with us,” Lee says, “especially while the kids are growing up.” Initially, she and Paul were looking for a house with a granny flat attached, but they were unable to find anything suitable. They also had dreams of living in the country on a few acres of land, but thought it would be years before they could make it happen. After assessing their finances, they all decided to pool their resources and buy the country home sooner rather than later and build a home for Miemmie on the property.

“Mum moved in with us three years ago, in 2012, while I was pregnant with Ruby,” Lee says. “At first, she moved into our small three-bedroom, 100-year-old villa, which was undergoing renovations at the time. It made for pretty close quarters, but soon the plans were chosen and a builder selected to build a two-bedroom cottage for her next door.”

What they like doing together: After spending the day with Ruby at her cottage, Miemmie joins the others every Friday night for dinner and often a movie on the large corner couch in the living room, after which it’s Riley’s turn for some Nana time; he heads back to the cottage with her for a sleepover. 

“We also spend a lot of time outdoors together with the animals and exploring the beautiful nature that surrounds us,” Lee says.

The good and bad of ​living under one roof: “We love living so close to each other and sharing the beautiful property in the countryside,” Lee says. “As well and helping with the kids, Miemmie lends a hand wherever needed around the house and helps move the sheep on the property while Paul takes care of the maintenance for both houses. I love having all the family together, and there are plans to build another home further down the paddock for Paul’s dad when he retires.”

As for any negatives, the family says that living as one big family works perfectly for them. “There aren’t really any downsides, but we will always speak our minds if there is an issue,” Miemmie says. “I think that’s the key to living in close proximity.”