When two generations of a family want to live closer together, looking for a new semi-detached home near Laval quickly raises a question: should everyone share one roof?

The best-known answer is the intergenerational house, which puts two households in one building. Rather than a multigenerational home near Laval, this article looks at another approach, offered in Sainte-Julie by Maisons Pépin: two separate semi-detached homes, one for each household. Figures on Laval come from Statistics Canada's 2021 Census and cover the whole city; information on BÉAcité comes from the builder.

What the census says about Laval households

In 2021, Laval had 4,755 multigenerational households, or 2.8% of all its households: twice the Quebec share (1.4%) and Sainte-Julie's (1.3%). The city also had 615 households made up of more than one family. Other figures point the same way:

9.5% of Laval households have five or more people, compared with 6.1% in Quebec;
families there have 3.1 people on average, compared with 2.9 in Quebec;
5.5% of households live in housing that isn't suitable in size, meaning it lacks bedrooms for the household's makeup under the national occupancy standard (Sainte-Julie: 1.4%).

As for seniors, Laval is no older than average: 18.7% of its residents were 65 or older in 2021, compared with 20.6% in Quebec. Yet 3.5% of its households had a primary maintainer aged 85 or over, compared with 2.8% in Quebec. Large households and very elderly parents: two realities any housing plan has to account for.

Multigenerational home near Laval: what trade-offs come with a shared roof?

An intergenerational house has its advantages: you see each other every day and help each other easily. It also means agreeing on many things, and those are best settled before buying:

Who looks after the yard, the snow, roof or window repairs?
How will bills and decisions about the house be shared?
Does everyone keep enough privacy, with their own entrance and schedule?
What happens to the house when needs change, for example when it's time to sell?

There's no wrong answer to these questions; they simply show that a shared roof ties both households to one property.

Two semi-detached homes, two households

Maisons Pépin presents its BÉAcité Duo project as a fine alternative to the intergenerational, or two-generation, concept. The idea is simple: each generation buys its own semi-detached home, with its own front door, garage, backyard and basement. Everyone keeps a home of their own while living in the same neighbourhood. Each semi-detached home has a single garage and a double driveway, so nobody has to share a driveway or parking. On several lots, nobody lives behind you, and a pool or a spa is among the possibilities: a way to welcome the grandchildren in summer.

The all-inclusive maintenance program helps here: no one has to take on the upkeep of the other's house, and landscaping is already complete on delivery. The sales director will give you the details of the program.

Can you buy two homes side by side, or at least close to each other? That depends on which lots are still available when you start looking: ask the question at your very first contact.

The bungalow for the elders, the cottage for the family

BÉAcité's three models make it possible to match each household's needs:

the semi-detached bungalow is single-storey: 1,006 sq ft on the ground floor, a basement of the same size and a 294 sq ft garage. Daily life happens without stairs, which suits a generation getting on in years;
the Duo cottage offers 2,018 sq ft of living space, with 858 sq ft on the ground floor and 1,160 sq ft upstairs, plus an 858 sq ft basement and a garage; with the optional mezzanine, it reaches 2,356 sq ft of living space. Room enough for a large family;
the Urbain model has 1,622 sq ft of living space on two floors, for a smaller household.

In every model, the main floor has 9-foot ceilings and large windows in every room, and central air conditioning is included.

What the finished homes show

Four turnkey homes are for sale right now on Geoffrion Street. Some of them illustrate multigenerational living well:

at 435, the photos show a glass residential elevator that opens upstairs next to a work nook;
423 is a three-bedroom Duo home with a finished basement, an open office and a custom wine cellar;
405 combines three bedrooms, a mezzanine and a rooftop terrace; 408 can be discovered in photos, then in person.

Ask the sales director whether these features can be planned in a home you customize. Several customizable homes can be ready in about four months, and 20 more, both cottages and bungalows, are still to be customized.

Around the homes: services and getting around

For an older generation, the neighbourhood matters as much as the house. In Vilamo, medical services, a pharmacy, a public market, restaurants and a Caisse Desjardins are within walking distance, and every home is less than 300 m from a bus stop. In Sainte-Julie, local public transit is free for everyone. The neighbourhood also devotes more than 15% of its area to green space, with a promenade reserved for pedestrians, cyclists and electric transportation: enough to go for a walk every day without taking the car.

If the whole family is thinking of moving, our article on leaving Laval for the South Shore compares life on both sides. And if some of your family is staying in Laval, our guide to the trip from Laval to Sainte-Julie covers the bridges, the toll and the metro.

Conclusion

In Laval, multigenerational households are twice as common as elsewhere in Quebec. Before you look for a multigenerational home near Laval, it's worth comparing another approach: two separate semi-detached homes, maintained under an all-inclusive program, a single-storey bungalow for the elders and a cottage for the family. To find out which homes are available side by side or nearby, the simplest step is to talk with Eddy Guessous, sales director, at 514-812-9633 (call or text) or ventes@beacite.com, or to stop by the sales office at 435 Geoffrion Street, Monday to Friday.

Multigenerational home near Laval: two generations, without sharing one house