The Long-Term Family Compound

Family compounds seem like the perfect solution to a current problem: housing affordability. In reality, they can be a nightmare if you don’t also think about the future.

It’s easy to build in separate entryways, add acoustic separation, create accessible pathways, and consider aging in place and caretaker flexibility. Current problems solved.

What’s more challenging is thinking about what happens after the older generation passes. Who inherits what? Who pays for upkeep and repairs? What happens when one family member wants out? Fail to plan for every possibility, and the property can tear your family apart rather than bring it together.

At HUTS, we plan for the current and future problems so that your compound is as much of an asset after three generations as it is the day you move in.

We create spaces that make people feel connected when they want to be but secluded when they need privacy. We plan for aging in place. We consider subdivisions for ease of splitting ownership, or we make each individual a shareholder in a holding company that owns the property. We think about how septic systems and wells and driveways and other systems can expand as the compound grows. Everything is done with the family’s future in mind.